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Business English vocabulary · Working Life

Glass cliff

Meaning in business english, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In business english, glass cliff means: A pattern of appointing members of underrepresented groups to leadership roles when failure risk is high.

In Turkish: cam uçurum

How it is used

Used in leadership research and workplace discussion. A difficult appointment alone does not establish the pattern; context and comparisons matter.

Example sentences

  1. The article raised a glass cliff concern when the company's first woman CEO took over during a severe crisis.

    The concern links increased representation with unusually risky leadership conditions.

  2. Researchers compared appointment conditions to assess whether a glass cliff pattern existed across the firms.

    Comparison tests a pattern instead of assuming it from one example.

Common collocations

  • a glass cliff appointment
  • face a glass cliff
  • promotionA move to a more senior job or position in the same organization, usually with more responsibility and higher pay.
  • CEOShort for chief executive officer: the highest-ranking manager in a company, responsible for its overall strategy and results.

More terms: Working Life

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