Professor Alex Haslam from UQ's School of Psychology featured in a Wired article discussing a pattern in which companies led into crisis by men suddenly appoint women leaders.
Professor Haslam who co-coined the term “glass cliff,” says while many organizations contain capable women leaders there’s often a preference for the patriarchal status quo—until things come to a breaking point.
When a company is in trouble and wants to send a clear signal it is making substantial changes, choosing a radically different leader is an easy option.
“You need to communicate as vividly and clearly as possible that you’re on some different trajectory. And the stronger the break from the past, the clearer the signaling,” Professor Haslam says.
“For that reason women or members of other minority groups are often preferentially appointed under these circumstances.”
