In this episode Siân Harrington speaks to Sophie Williams about the concept of the glass cliff, where women and marginalized groups are often hired in leadership roles when a business is already underperforming, setting them up for failure. It delves into the impact of the glass cliff on women in the workplace, the reasons behind it and the implications for organizations. The discussion also covers practical advice for HR leaders and individuals to mitigate the glass cliff and create more inclusive work environments.

Key takeaways:

• Women are now in regression, not progression, around the world
• The glass cliff phenomenon sets up women and marginalized groups for failure by hiring them in leadership roles during times of organizational crisis
• The impact of the glass cliff extends beyond individual experiences to the broader implications for workplace diversity and organizational culture
• The Great Break-Up: why women in leadership positions are leaving organizations
• The need for organizations to create more inclusive work environments and recognize the value of diverse leadership perspectives
• Practical steps for both HR leaders and individuals to mitigate the effects of the glass cliff

About Sophie Williams

Sophie Williams is the author of the new book The Glass Cliff, which draws on almost 20 years of research from around the world on The Glass Cliff phenomenon. She is a former global Leader at Netflix and has held the titles of COO and CFO in London advertising agencies. Williams is also author of Millennial Black & Anti-Racist Ally, a TED Speaker, the voice behind Instagram’s @OfficialMillennialBlack, and part of the UN Women UK’s delegation to the Commission of the Status of Women conference in 2023 and 2024.

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In this episode Siân Harrington speaks to Laura Ashley-Timms about the importance of asking good questions as a management superpower. Laura highlights the challenges faced by managers in today's complex and rapidly changing work environment and the need to reinvent the traditional command and control culture of management. She introduces the concept of the Frankenstein manager, who is made up of bits and pieces of knowledge and experience, and explains why organisations are not set up to ask the right questions. Laura presents a practical framework for developing the superpower of asking questions and driving action, and shares the results of a research study that demonstrates the effectiveness of operational coaching.

Key Takeaways

• 75% of bosses are accidental managers with no formal training in people management or leadership
• Employee engagement is stagnating, with only 23% of global employees being engaged
• Accidental managers are ill-equipped to deal with the complex and rapidly changing work environment
• The traditional command and control culture of management needs to be reinvented to focus on asking powerful questions
• Operational coaching, which involves an inquiry-led approach and asking the right questions, can drive performance and productivity increases
• A research study found that managers who underwent operational coaching increased the time they spent coaching by 70% and improved their skills in all management competencies
• Operational coaching can lead to positive organisational outcomes, such as improved retention and increased employment
• Asking powerful questions will become even more important in the age of AI, as it is crucial for getting the most out of AI and making informed decisions.

About Laura Ashley-Timms

Laura Ashley Timms is the chief operating officer of performance consultancy Notion and an expert on how to leverage operational coaching behaviours across organisations to drive commercial results and improve productivity and engagement levels. She has helped leaders and managers in over 40 countries to implement the award-winning STAR® Manager programme, has been recognised as one of the UK’s top executive coaches and as one of 40 outstanding global women. More recently she is co-author of management bestseller The Answer is a Question.

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In this episode, Siân Harrington speaks with Rob Briner about the challenges and benefits of adopting an evidence-based approach in HR. They discuss the focus on HR fads and the need to shift towards a more informed and effective HR practice. They explore the role of data and analytics in evidence-based HR and the mindset and skills required to implement this approach. They also highlight areas of HR that are poorly evidenced and discuss how taking an evidence-based approach can lead to more meaningful, healthy, inclusive and sustainable work.

Key takeaways

· Why HR fads are often ineffective and can be corrosive to the profession

· How evidence-based HR involves looking at multiple sources of evidence, including data, personal experience, stakeholder input and scientific research

· Challenges in implementing an evidence-based approach

· How data and analytics play a crucial role in evidence-based HR but it is important to consider the quality and relevance of the data

· Areas of HR that are poorly evidenced include diversity and inclusion, employee engagement and leadership development

· Some organisations are leading the field in evidence-based HR but there is still a need for more widespread adoption

· Taking an evidence-based approach can help make work more meaningful, healthy, inclusive and sustainable by focusing on what is important and making better-informed decisions.

· Three steps to help you start on the journey towards an evidence-based approach.

About Rob Briner

Rob is professor of organizational psychology at Queen Mary, University of London and associate research director at Corporate Research Forum (CRF). He is also currently a visiting professor of evidence-based HRM at Birkbeck (University of London) and professor at Oslo Nye Høyskole. He was previously co-founder and scientific director of the Center for Evidence-Based Management and has held positions at the Institute for Employment Studies, London School of Economics, King’s College (University of London), Bath University and University of Edinburgh. For more information on his recent work with the Corporate Research Forum on evidence-based HR please check out the Evidence-Based HR Knowledge Hub.

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