Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

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In the following article, Linda Stamato uses two recent high-profile cases involving women executives who attempt to “raise the ceiling” in the workplace—one positive and one negative—and shows how the implementation of ADR programs can encourage positive employment practices and eliminate bad ones—especially when it comes to issues involving women. This article has been adapted with permission from the October 1999 issue of Alternatives, published by the CPR Institute.*

Carleton (Carly) S. Fiorina, an executive at Lucent Technologies, was selected by Hewlett-Packard as its president and chief executive in July 1999. A major rival for the post was another woman, one of the many women managers at Hewlett-Packard, of which their numbers are reported at over 25% and climbing.

Andrea Jung, a marketing whiz, in November 1999, became the CEO of Avon Products, the second-largest U.S. company to be run by a woman; she joined Jill E. Barad, then CEO at Mattel (she resigned on Feb. 3, 2000) and Marion Sandler at Golden West Financial Corporation.

Cracks are occurring in the glass ceiling. But, fissures they’re not. Consider also the following: Allison K. Schieffelin, a principal in Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Company’s equity division, contends that she was passed over for managing director because of her gender. She filed her complaint against the firm with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission—a necessary first step to filing a suit. In July, the EEOC took Morgan Stanley to court to force the firm to release data on its employment practices for senior female employees.
The contrast in the experience of the recently selected CEOs and that of Ms. Schieffelin is so striking that it invites comparison and analysis.1