Ruri Takizawa

Last Name

Takizawa

First Name

Ruri

ORCID

0000-0003-4764-6274

Organisational unit

03356 - Grote, Gudela (emeritus) / Grote, Gudela (emeritus)

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Publications 1 - 6 of 6

Organizational Crisis in Spotlight Increases Preference for Female but not Ethnic Minority Leaders: The Role of Signaling Theory for Glass Cliff Appointments
Takizawa, Ruri; Iacoviello, Vincenzo; Kulich, Clara (2025)
Social Psychology Quarterly
In times of crisis, decision-makers often appoint atypical candidates (i.e., women or ethnic minorities) as leaders, a phenomenon known as the “glass cliff.” Two online experiments (N = 607) with employees in Switzerland and France investigated whether media and stakeholder (i.e., third-party) attention toward the organization drives these preferences given that atypical appointments may be used to signal change. As expected, we found that atypical candidates were more likely appointed during a high third-party attention crisis compared to a low third-party attention crisis and a no-crisis situation. Third-party attention, however, had varying effects on female and ethnic minority candidates, illuminating the complexities of atypical leadership selections during crises. Against expectations, candidate choice was unrelated to the perceived importance of signaling change. Although this research provides causal evidence of the impact of third-party attention on atypical leadership selection, the underlying psychological mechanisms postulated by signaling theory need to be further explored.
Gender stereotypes may not influence the choice of female leaders: Experimental evidence from a crisis framed as social or economic during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Takizawa, Ruri; Iacoviello, Vincenzo; Ryan, Michelle R.; et al. (2024)
European Journal of Social Psychology
This research examined whether female (vs. male) leaders are preferred during a pandemic when stereotypically feminine leadership is deemed useful. We hypothesized that citizens prefer female (vs. male) politicians when the crisis is framed as a social (vs. economic) crisis because they believe it requires feminine (vs. masculine) leadership. In a pilot study and three online experiments with US residents (Ntotal = 1675), we manipulated crisis type or a leadership candidate's gender for a task force. While participants indicated that a crisis framed as social (vs. economic) required more feminine leadership, they did not appoint a woman more or rated her as more suitable for the social crisis (vs. economic crisis or a no-crisis situation). Furthermore, the female (vs. male) candidate was not perceived to possess more feminine leadership traits. Overall, participants did not rely on gender stereotypes when explicitly evaluating politicians. We discuss potential explanations for these unexpected results.
When a precarious position of power is perceived as a glass cliff: Reactions to Élisabeth Borne's appointment as Prime minister
Takizawa, Ruri; Aelenei, Cristina; Iacoviello, Vincenzo; et al. (2024)
Psychologie Française
Objectives The glass cliff is characterized by a higher tendency for women than men to be appointed to precarious positions of power. Little research has focused on what may lead people to qualify female appointments as instances of the glass cliff. We analyzed Élisabeth Borne's appointment as Prime Minister, investigating how ideological attitudes and perceived reasons for her selection influenced the interpretation of her placement. Methods In June 2022, following President Macron's re-election and his selection of Élisabeth Borne as Prime Minister, we gathered observational data (n = 479) in France using an online questionnaire. Results According to regression analyses, participants who were more inclined to interpret Borne's appointment as a glass cliff situation scored lower on modern sexism, tended to believe she had been chosen to signal change, and thought she had been selected for her agentic leadership. This interpretation was further supported by those who believed that the president selected her for reasons other than her political leadership competence, such as her loyalty to him, but only among those who scored low on modern sexism. Conclusion Élisabeth Borne was appointed Prime Minister during precarious times, and her tenure lasted one year and eight months. The interpretations of her appointment highlight the influence of pre-existing attitudes and perceived motives on interpreting phenomena related to gender inequalities.
A five-nation study of the impact of political leaning and perception of crisis severity on the preference for female and minority leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic
Takizawa, Ruri; Robinson, Sarah; Aelenei, Cristina; et al. (2022)
Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology
Research on underrepresented groups in leadership has shown that women and ethnic minorities are preferred as leaders during a crisis. In the present study, we investigated factors that shape voter preferences for minority political leaders in the COVID-19 crisis. We examined participant perceptions of the severity of the COVID-19 crisis in health, social, and economic domains and self-reported political leaning, and their impact on preference for a female (vs male) or minority political leader. We collected survey data in autumn 2020 using online platforms in France, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and a snowball sample in Germany (total N = 1,259). Results showed that female leaders were generally more preferred by politically left- than right-leaning participants independent of severity perceptions of the social or economic crisis. In addition, we found that preference for female leaders amongst right-leaning participants increased when their current regional leader's actions were judged insufficient to manage the health crisis, an effect primarily driven by participants in Germany and the United Kingdom. Left-leaning political orientation also predicted the preference for minority leaders across countries. Moreover, a more severe perception of the social aspects of the crisis increased minority preference, as expected, but mostly in Germany and the United States. We discuss cross-country variation of our results. Overall, our findings affirm and expand prior research showing the importance of political leaning and changing leadership demands in a crisis and their impact on the preference for minority leaders.
Raising Awareness of the Glass Cliff
Takizawa, Ruri; Iacoviello, Vincenzo; Kulich, Clara (2025)
Social Psychology
The glass cliff refers to the higher likelihood for women (vs. men) to hold leadership positions in struggling companies because they were appointed during a crisis. We tested whether awareness of this phenomenon influences perceptions of gender inequality, sexism, and collective action intentions for women’s rights. In four online experiments (N = 1,333), participants (1) were informed about the link between women CEOs and negative company performance, (2) were additionally given a glass cliff explanation, or (3) only completed our measures. A meta-analysis showed that the explanation reduced sexist beliefs (very low heterogeneity) and potentially increased collective action intentions (low heterogeneity) but did not influence perceptions of gender inequality (moderate heterogeneity). These studies provide an empirical basis for sexism interventions.
The Role of Uncertainty Mindsets in Shaping Diversity Attitudes and Their Downstream Effects on Commitment to Societal Change and Right-Wing Populist Voting
Takizawa, Ruri; Marx-Fleck, Stefanie; Gerlach, Alina; et al. (2025)
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
How people respond to uncertainty has far-reaching socio-political consequences. When perceived as fixed and threatening, individuals may gravitate toward ideologies that undermine intergroup relations and social cohesion. We examined whether fostering an uncertainty-as-enabling mindset (viewing uncertainty as malleable and an opportunity) promotes positive diversity attitudes and indirectly affects commitment to societal change and support for right-wing populism. During Germany’s 2025 federal election, we ran a 3-month online study with German citizens (N = 745). Participants who received an uncertainty mindset intervention (vs. control) reported a higher uncertainty-as-enabling mindset, which was linked to stronger commitment to societal change through higher perceived productivity of diversity and lower aversion to intergroup contact. The mindset was also linked to a lower likelihood of voting for a right-wing populist party via the same pathways. Shifting how individuals appraise uncertainty may thus be a promising strategy for strengthening democratic resilience by cultivating openness to diversity.

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Ruri Takizawa

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