Case 15.1: The Glass Ceiling
Case synopsis and analysis
Lisa Weber is an intelligent and determined senior portfolio manager at a Wall Street firm.
Clients give her the highest commendations for performance; she has brought in the largest
number of new clients at her firm; and other employees regularly turn to Lisa privately for advice
and counsel on market performance. The CEO, Michael, does not recognize Lisa’s strengths and
speaks down to her.
Lisa yearns to make partner and was particularly frustrated when a male peer, who does not
perform as well as Lisa, was recently promoted. Lisa approached her boss about this and asked
Learning objectives:
1. Students will recognize gender prejudice and understand how it influences a woman’s
ability to excel.
Answers to questions in the text:
1. What advancement barriers did Lisa encounter?
Lisa encountered gender bias and prejudice. One prominent explanation for the leadership gap
revolves around gender biases stemming from stereotyped expectations that women take care
and men take charge (Hoyt & Chemers, 2008). Stereotypes are cognitive shortcuts that influence
the way people process information regarding groups and group members. People assign
2. What should the firm’s top executives, including Michael, have done differently to retain
Lisa?
Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
Students will answer “everything,” and this sort of statement does seem to have some merit.
3. What type of organizational policies and opportunities might have benefited Lisa and Pamela?
4. What could the organization do to raise the gender consciousness of Michael and Lisa’s male
colleagues?
The organization could do a lot to raise gender consciousness. Everyone needs training on
Potential teaching approaches:
Below is a way to structure a class based on case study 15.1:
• Hold a lecture on women and leadership.
Exercises for this case study:
1) In small groups, students create a list according to this scenario:
Lisa’s firm has hired a new CEO and is working to reverse gender bias. The new CEO
wants Lisa back. Lisa is preparing to meet with the new CEO and is concerned because
Commented [E1]: Pamela not previously mentioned
2) If students completed activity 1 above and time remains, they could role-play the meeting
between the new CEO and Lisa.
3) Lisa is looking for a new job. The market is strong, but Lisa remains concerned. She
does not want to work at a company that suffers strong gender bias again.