Professor Michelle Ryan, who co-coined the “glass cliff” theory, is on a mission to make the invisible visible and help women leaders rewrite the narrative at the Women UNLIMITED Leadership Summit. Photo: The Hatchery.
When Michelle Ryan spotted a bold claim in Britain’s leading newspaper The Times – that companies with more women on their boards performed worse – she didn’t buy it.
“It was basically saying women were coming in and wreaking havoc,” she says.
But as the now world-renowned gender equality expert and ANU academic dug into the data with fellow academic Alex Haslam, the story flipped.
The issue wasn’t women causing the downfall – it was women being handed the wheel after the crash.
In other words, women were more likely to be appointed to leadership roles during periods of crisis. Michelle and Alex dubbed the phenomenon “the glass cliff”.
The idea went global. In 2008, The New York Times listed it among the top 100 ideas that shaped the year. In 2016, the Oxford English Dictionary shortlisted it for Word of the Year.
It’s a phenomenon still playing out today. Prominent examples include Theresa May, who dealt with the chaos of Brexit before being pushed out by Boris Johnson. Closer to home, Sussan Ley stepped up as Liberal Party leader following a crushing federal election defeat.
It’s why Michelle is set to interrogate it further at the Women UNLIMITED Leadership Summit – a premium event for current and emerging women leaders across Australia.
In her address, Michelle hopes to help women spot the glass – cliff, ceiling or otherwise – and inject it with opacity, so they’re not set up to fail.
“Part of the reason we choose glass in these metaphors is because of its subtlety – it’s not always seen,” she says.
“Visibility comes with options. It might be that women want to avoid those positions. It might be that with the context of a glass cliff, women who step up to these positions can be evaluated more fairly. Or it might be a question of asking for the right support.
“It’s much harder to lead in times of crisis than when things are going well and that should be acknowledged. But failure is not inevitable. Our research shows that in a glass cliff position, if you have the right resources – board support, managerial support, money, enough time to turn things around – you have a better chance at success. That’s easier to ask for if you know you’re into a glass cliff scenario.”
Michelle, also the inaugural director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership – a multi-disciplinary research institute founded and chaired by former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard AC – will join the most senior lineup of speakers the annual Women UNLIMITED Leadership Summit has seen so far.
Across seven events, in excess of 3000 attendees will hear from more than 200 speakers challenging limits and refining what’s possible for women leaders.
In Canberra, this will include former US secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton in the flesh and Ms Gillard speaking via hologram – a technology used for the first time in the Australian event.
“I have been involved with this event in different formats across the last few years and it’s always terrific. I am very excited about this year’s event,” Michelle says.
The Canberra Women UNLIMITED Leadership Summit takes place on Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 September at the National Convention Centre Canberra. Discounts apply for early bookings – book now.
