The road to the glass cliff: Differences in the perceived suitability of men and women for leadership positions in succeeding and failing organizations
The road to the glass cliff: Differences in the perceived suitability of men and women for leadership positions in succeeding and failing organizations
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DOI：
10.1016/j.leaqua.2008.07.011
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发表时间：
2008-10-01
影响因子：
7.5
通讯作者：
Ryan, Michelle K.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Haslam, S. Alexander;Ryan, Michelle K.
对性别和领导力的研究往往集中于女性在试图攀登企业阶梯时遇到的不平等。特别强调所谓玻璃天花板所发挥的作用。然而，最近的档案证据表明，女性一旦担任领导职务，就必须经常克服另一个障碍：玻璃悬崖 [Ryan, M. K. & Haslam, S. A. (2005a)。玻璃悬崖：有证据表明女性在不稳定的领导职位中所占比例过高。英国管理杂志，16, 81-90； Ryan, M.K. 和 Haslam, S.A. (2007)。玻璃悬崖：探索女性担任不稳定领导职位的动态。管理学院评论]。这是指女性比男性更有可能被任命担任失败和批评风险增加的领导职位的现象，因为这些职位更有可能涉及陷入危机的组织单位的管理。本文介绍了三项实验研究（Ns=95、85、83），代表了对玻璃悬崖现象的首次实验研究。在这些研究中，管理学毕业生（研究 1）、高中生（研究 2）或商界领袖（研究 3）为一个假设的组织选择了一位领导者，该组织的绩效要么提高，要么下降。与预测一致，结果表明，当组织绩效下降而不是改善时，女性候选人在同等资格的男性候选人之前被选中的可能性就会增加。研究 3 还提供证据表明，玻璃悬崖任命与以下信念相关：(a) 适合女性独特的领导能力，(b) 为女性提供良好的领导机会，(c) 对女性来说压力特别大。这些发现为未来研究确定了重要议程。 (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. 保留所有权利。
Research into gender and leadership has tended to focus on the inequalities that women encounter while trying to climb the corporate ladder. with particular emphasis on the role played by the so-called glass ceiling. However, recent archival evidence has identified an additional hurdle that women must often overcome once they are in leadership positions: the glass cliff [Ryan, M. K. & Haslam, S. A. (2005a). The glass cliff: Evidence that women are over-represented in precarious leadership positions. British Journal of Management, 16, 81-90; Ryan, M. K. & Haslam, S. A. (2007). The glass cliff: Exploring the dynamics surrounding women's appointment to precarious leadership positions. Academy of Management Review]. This refers to the phenomenon whereby women are more likely than men to be appointed to leadership positions associated with increased risk of failure and criticism because these positions are more likely to involve management of organizational units that are in crisis. This paper presents three experimental studies (Ns=95, 85, 83) that represent the first experimental investigations of the glass cliff phenomenon. In these, management graduates (Study 1), high-school students (Study 2) or business leaders (Study 3) selected a leader for a hypothetical organization whose performance was either improving or declining. Consistent with predictions, results indicate that the likelihood of a female candidate being selected ahead of an equally qualified male candidate increased when the organization's performance was declining rather than improving. Study 3 also provided evidence that glass cliff appointments are associated with beliefs that they (a) suit the distinctive leadership abilities of women, (b) provide women with good leadership opportunities and (c) are particularly stressful for women. These findings define an important agenda for future research. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.