McKinsey removes partner over glass cliff LinkedIn row

Dubai: Consultancy and advisory firm McKinsey & Co. has removed its senior partner Chris Bradley from his leadership roles after he made LinkedIn comments that dismissed the “glass cliff” facing women executives. The firm confirmed their decision on October 11 after an internal committee reviewed the situation. 

Bradley was one of a handful of directors at the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), its economic research arm. And has served the firm for over 27 years. He remains a senior partner based in Australia. A spkespoerson for Mckinsey, Taylor Burns said there was  a review conducted that found Bradley’s  comments “fell well short of the standards we expect at our firm.” 

What Bradley said

Bradley called the glass cliff “a very convenient way to always be a victim in the rain.” He questioned whether the concept exists at all.

He also asked whether women now faced a new problem because the jobs they win are too hard. He added that researching the issue would not make his list of the world’s top 1,000 problems. Co-author Julia Carreon accused him of “willful ignorance.” Bradley has since deleted the posts.

The exchange began under a LinkedIn post by a friend of Carreon, who used an example of the glass cliff to promote her book. Bradley commented and questioned the entire premise. Bloomberg reported the comments on September 29. McKinsey first said it was disappointed and did not endorse the remarks. The internal review followed. 

What is the ‘Glass Cliff’ theory?

Academics Alex Haslam and Michelle Ryan of the University of Exeter introduced the term back in 2005. It describes women being offered CEO jobs more often when companies are struggling or in turnaround mode. 

Data from researcher Exechange points the same way. Women CEOs of Russell 3000 companies left after an average 6.2 years over the past decade, against 8.9 years for men. Women were also more likely to be forced out. Only one in 10 S&P 500 companies has a female chief executive. 

Mckinsey’s double speak

The criticism has centred on the contradiction with McKinsey’s own work. The firm has published its “Women in the Workplace” study with Sheryl Sandberg’s LeanIn group for more than a decade. A 2020 McKinsey healthcare report also cites the glass cliff. Interestingly, MGI itself has published research on gender inequality in leadership. 

People on social media stand divided. Some have empathized with Bradley, saying one should be able to speak their mind, without any ‘terms and conditions’. Some others hailed the company for its decision saying “Bravo for real-world consequences on sexist views in the workplace”.