McKinsey Partner Removed from Director Role After Online Dispute

McKinsey has removed a partner from his director role at the McKinsey Global Institute after an online exchange with a feminist author. The consulting firm took the action against Chris Bradley after he engaged in a public dispute on LinkedIn with author Julia Carreon regarding the concept of the "glass cliff."

The "glass cliff" theory suggests that women and minorities are more likely to be appointed to leadership positions at struggling companies, setting them up for failure. Carreon, who co-authored the book "Walking on Broken Glass: Navigating the Aftermath of the Glass Ceiling," had posted about the theory.

Bradley, based in Australia, responded to Carreon's post on LinkedIn, questioning the validity of the theory. According to screenshots of the exchange, he wrote, "This theory is a very convenient way to always be a victim in the rain and empowered in the sunshine." He also questioned if the issue was that "the jobs they get are too hard? Is this actually a thing?"

Carreon, a former Citigroup executive and founder of the advocacy group Fifth Wave Feminists, countered that the term was established by psychologists and suggested Bradley could use AI to find more information. She stated that Bradley's comments undermined her and her co-author's work and indicated that McKinsey partners do not always live their values.

In response to Bradley's questioning of the "glass cliff" theory, Carreon wrote, "It's called Glass Cliff precisely because it describes a phenomenon that impacts women. I'm sorry but aren't people from McKinsley & Company supposed to know these things?"

McKinsey confirmed the decision to remove Bradley from his leadership roles, including at the McKinsey Global Institute. "Following our conduct review process, we have removed the partner from his leadership roles, including at the McKinsey Global Institute. His public comments fell well short of the standards we expect at our firm," a McKinsey spokesperson told Bloomberg.

While Bradley was removed from his director position and reportedly from leadership roles on some internal committees, he is understood to retain his senior partner position at the firm. It was not specified whether his compensation was affected.

McKinsey has a history of publishing research on challenges faced by women in the workplace, often in partnership with Sheryl Sandberg's LeanIn group. Their 2020 survey, for example, referenced the "glass cliff" in the context of women's challenges in healthcare.

Carreon commented on LinkedIn following the news of Bradley's demotion, noting that "His own public words harmed him. And let's face it: He lost a corporate title, not his job."

Bradley declined to comment when reached by The Post.