Influence of the glass cliff phenomenon on the effectiveness of women senior managers: a case of non-governmental organisations in Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

The glass cliff phenomenon has continued to generate a lot of debates around the world as numerous studies seek to unravel the phenomenon. This study sought to understand the influence of the glass cliff phenomenon on the effectiveness of women senior managers in non-governmental organisations in Nakuru County, Kenya. The specific objectives were to: examine the influence of promotion processes on the effectiveness of women senior managers, examine the influence of perceived empowerment on the effectiveness of women senior managers, and to determine the influence of gender stereotypes on the effectiveness of women senior managers. The study was guided by the role congruity theory and systems thinking model. A descriptive survey design was used and the target population was the human resource managers and women senior managers in Non-Governmental Organisations in Nakuru County, Kenya. Nakuru East and Nakuru West sub-counties were selected which had 65 duly registered and active Non-governmental Organisations. From these organisations, simple random sampling was used to select a human resource manager and a woman senior manager which resulted in 130 respondents. Primary data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire which had close-ended and open-ended questions while secondary data was collected through the use of document analysis. Quantitative data was sorted, cleaned and analysed through the SPSS software. Descriptive statistics were analysed through the use of frequencies and percentages while inferential statistics were analysed through the use of Pearson Correlation and Pearson Chi-Square tests. On the other hand, qualitative data were analysed thematically and the results were presented in the form of narratives. The study adhered to and ensured that research ethics were upheld. The findings were that promotion processes had a positive correlation with the effectiveness of women senior managers (r=0.619; p=0.000). Additionally, perceived empowerment did not correlate with the effectiveness of women senior managers (>0.05). Also, gender stereotypes had a statistically significant negative relationship with the effectiveness of women senior managers (r= -0.342; P<0.05). Promotion processes, perceived empowerment, and gender stereotypes were all found to have a statistically significant association with the effectiveness of women senior managers. The recommendation made was that a similar study be conducted which provides both the perspectives of men and women senior managers.