OpEd: Shattering Glass Barriers: Navigating The Leadership Space

Talisa Sullivan, PhD

The late and great Maya Angelou left us with this quote: “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”  On the journey toward justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion within leadership roles, the challenges leaders of color and women face remain multifaceted and deeply entrenched in stereotypes, biases, and systemic inequities. While the glass ceiling metaphor has long been used to describe the invisible barriers preventing women and people of color from advancing to the highest levels of leadership, it is crucial to explore the broader spectrum of obstacles, which also include the glass walls and glass cliffs.  

The Glass Ceiling

The term “glass ceiling” was coined in 1978 and popularized in the 1980s. It is widely recognized as a metaphor for the unseen and unbreakable barrier that prevents historically marginalized groups from ascending to the highest levels of organizational leadership and management. Originally, the term was associated with women in corporate America and according to Ryan and Haslam (2007), women continue to be underrepresented in leadership positions in organizations due to these invisible barriers. It has since become a fundamental concept in discussions on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Over time, the scope and focus have broadened to include Black women and other marginalized groups. 

As organizations begin to create equitable opportunities for groups historically marginalized by our society, they must gain strategies for breaking barriers.  Shattering the glass ceiling requires organizations to actively provide professional learning to dispel stereotypes, interrupt bias and inequities, and create leadership opportunities for marginalized leaders. This means offering opportunities to address systemic barriers and creating an environment where everyone feels empowered to pursue leadership roles. 

Glass Walls

In addition to the glass ceiling, the metaphor of “glass walls” entraps historically marginalized people through barriers that segregate employees into specific job roles or departments based on gender or other characteristics. In her article “Breaking Barriers In The C-Suite: Glass Walls Are The New Glass Ceiling,” Andrea Carter introduces the metaphor of glass walls, which confine individuals to stereotypical roles or departments deemed suitable for their gender or ethnicity. This limits their exposure to critical experiences necessary for advancement. For instance, leaders of color might be disproportionately found in roles related to diversity and inclusion or community outreach rather than positions directly linked to core business operations like finance. Glass walls create a silo effect, where lateral movement is possible but vertical progress is hindered. These barriers perpetuate a cycle of underrepresentation of people of color in key leadership roles, reinforcing stereotypes and limiting the diversity of thought and experience at the top levels of an organization. For instance, women might find themselves predominantly in human resources or administrative support positions, while men dominate technical or managerial roles. Glass walls hinder career development and limit the potential for diverse experiences and skill acquisition. They also reinforce occupational segregation, perpetuating stereotypes about what types of work are suitable for different groups. Shattering glass walls requires organizations to actively promote cross-collaborative opportunities and challenge the gendered division of expectations. This involves creating an environment where employees are encouraged to work across different departments and roles, fostering a culture of collaboration and mutual respect. 

The Glass Cliff

How do marginalized groups end up on the glass cliff? According to research by Morgenroth, Kirby, and Ryan (2020), women and people of color have been breaking the glass ceiling only to find themselves standing on the glass cliff. This invisible barrier refers to the positions that women and historically marginalized people are often placed in when they are promoted to leadership roles during times of crisis or instability. These are typically high-risk positions where the likelihood of failure is elevated, which can set these leaders up for failure and reinforce negative stereotypes about their leadership capabilities. The glass cliff suggests that while breaking through the glass ceiling is difficult, the circumstances under which this breakthrough occurs can be filled with additional challenges. Historically marginalized leaders are often expected to perform miracles in dire situations, and their failure, which is often due to the context rather than their competence, can unfairly tarnish their reputations and careers. This positioning sets them up for potential blame and scapegoating if the organization does not recover, further entrenching negative stereotypes and reinforcing the barriers to their success. Securing safety from the glass cliff involves promoting diversity in leadership and ensuring that support and resources are available to leaders in these challenging roles.  Leaders of color often find themselves navigating these treacherous cliffs, where their tenure in leadership can be short-lived due to the challenging circumstances they inherit. The glass cliff jeopardizes their career and perpetuates a narrative of failure that can deter organizations from considering diverse candidates for future roles.

Conclusion

While these translucent fixtures are not physical barriers, they are pervasive and systemic, reinforced by overt discrimination and implicit biases. The glass represents a significant hindrance to gender and racial equity in education, as it limits the diversity of thought and experience at the highest decision-making levels. 

Moving toward transformational leadership is about more than just shattering the glass ceiling. It requires breaking down the invisible walls that hinder progress and securing stable footholds on the glass cliffs. By shattering these metaphoric glass structures, we can pave the way for a leadership landscape that is not only more equitable but also more dynamic and reflective of the rich diversity of our society.