The Promotion Mystery.
Great results. No promotion. What’s going on? Pick your break group to open its survey.
Meet Leena.
Leena is a South African Indian woman who manages a project team.
- Her team consistently meets its targets.
- She helps colleagues develop their skills.
- She values listening, collaboration, and respectful communication.
- She wants to move into senior leadership.
Her company operates in post-apartheid South Africa. Senior leadership remains mostly white and male. She has just been denied a promotion.
Kestrel Ridge’s promotion rules
- Strong results
- “Executive presence”
- Support from a senior leader
There is no scoring guide for any of them.
“Be more outspoken. Spend more time with senior leaders. Watch how they do things.”
The evidence
A fictional case inspired by Carrim, N. M. H., & Nkomo, S. M. (2016). Wedding intersectionality theory and identity work in organizations. Gender, Work & Organization, 23(3), 261–277.