Testing the ‘glass cliff’ theory at school 16 Mar 2021 “When an organisation is in crisis women are often seen as being able to come in and take care of the problem. They’re effectively handed the mess to clean up.” COMMENT “When an organisation is in crisis women are often seen as being able to come in and take care of the problem. They’re effectively handed the mess to clean up,” says Anna Beninger, senior director of research and corporate engagement partner at Catalyst, a nonprofit focused on promoting women in business. Research shows that in many instances, women are put in charge when organisations are in trouble. Although this “glass cliff” has shown propensity for setting them up to fail, in many instances many women have proven to be successful at orchestrating a turnaround.