Stories
McKinsey Partner Loses Leadership Role Over Controversial Glass Cliff Comments
- •Chris Bradley was removed from his leadership role at the McKinsey Global Institute following controversial LinkedIn remarks about women CEOs.
- •Bradley dismissed the glass cliff theory, which suggests women are often appointed to leadership roles during organizational crises, claiming it does not rank among the world's top problems.
- •McKinsey stated that his public comments fell well short of the standards expected by the firm, though he will remain as a senior partner.
- •The term glass cliff was originally coined by British psychologists Michelle K Ryan and Alexander Haslam in 2005 to describe high-risk leadership positions often given to women in struggling companies.
Key Questions Answered
McKinsey removed Australia-based Chris Bradley from his leadership role at the McKinsey Global Institute because his controversial LinkedIn comments regarding women CEOs and the "glass cliff" theory fell well short of the firm's expected standards after a conduct review process.
The "glass cliff" is a term coined by British psychologists Michelle K Ryan and Alexander Haslam in 2005 to describe situations where women are more likely to be appointed to leadership positions in struggling organizations facing crises, carrying greater professional risks.
Chris Bradley dismissed the glass cliff concept in a LinkedIn discussion, calling it a convenient way to play the victim and claiming it is not among the top 1,000 problems in the world, while also questioning whether female CEOs face disproportionately harder jobs.
