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s someone who works with female partake in such behaviour. That said, because of the
executives on a regular basis, I strongly corrupting nature of power, the issue of how it affects
suspect that these incidents are not behaviuor and perceptions toward the less powerful –
isolated to the tech industry; women in regardless of the gender of the powerholder – needs
Afinance and the corporate world more to be confronted, discussed and monitored.
generally cite similar experiences. Additionally, I don’t There are a couple of unfortunate victims in all
believe that this is a specific phenomenon about how of this. The most obvious are the women who are
men view and react to women. Rather, my research the subject of these comments, advances and
suggests that this is a two-pronged phenomenon discrimination. But the men who are not engaging in
originating both in how people in power feel released these behaviours are also the victims. I have talked
to respond to those with less power and the social to several male executives who say that they are
norms that have been propagated over time and hesitant to treat more junior women who they see
have yet to be changed. as emerging talent the same way as they might treat
I have spent a good portion of my career as a similarly talented men – invite them for drinks after
researcher examining how power affects human work or single them out to meet important clients or
behaviour. My work, along with numerous others, business contacts – for fear that their motives will
shows that power leads people to feel more be seen as less-than-pure or that they have some
invincible, take greater risks (or not even see the hidden agenda behind their behaviour. Thus, the few
inherent risks), not take others’ perspectives, and bad apples seem to be spoiling it for the bunch.
objectify them. In a study that my collaborators and I The solution to this corrosive problem is a difficult
conducted with over 1,500 professionals, we found one. As long as the gender imbalance at the top
that the powerful were more likely to engage in sexual of the hierarchy remains so great it will be difficult
activities outside of their primary relationships, not to start balancing out the power. It will also reduce
because they were away from their primary partners the ability of women at the top to point out to those
more often but because they saw themselves as who demonstrate some of these behaviours and
more attractive and desirable to the opposite sex. It attitudes how destructive and unacceptable they are
was as if the powerful believed that others wanted or without the fear of retributions in terms of job security,
were “blessed by” this attention because they were reputation or financial standing.
such desirable creatures. Yes, women who experience such forms of
Perhaps the most interesting part of this study, harassment or discrimination need to speak out
however, was that we did not find any differences in and report such incidents. But depending on the
gender. That is, the effects of power on infidelity were organisational culture and how seriously these
equally likely to apply to women in power as they reports are taken, speaking out can sometimes fall
were to men in power. The difference, however, was on deaf ears or even be punished. Uber supposedly
that in most situations, as well as in our research, had a hotline for reporting harassment. But even after
most of the individuals who hold power were men. hundreds of incidences were reported, no action was
That said, there is a wholesale, qualitative difference taken. And the women who did make such reports
between infidelity and sexual harassment. The former ended up with compromised professional positions
is presumably between two consenting adults and within the company. Thus, reporting needs to be
the latter is usually one person exerting undesired paired with those at the top who set the explicit
advances toward another. Thus, while I do think norm that such behaviour will not be tolerated, swiftly
that power plays a central role in these cases, punish those who do show such behaviour, and set
I don’t believe that the same gender equality in a norm through one’s own behaviour that women are
which we saw infidelity represented in the powerful treated and respected as equals. A nice example of
would apply to sexual harassment. Why? Within setting an explicit norm comes from Reid Hoffman,
business and beyond, certain insidious norms about the founder of LinkedIn, who expressed outrage over
behaviour of men toward women have propagated. the events at Uber and asked other leaders in the
It is those in power who set the norms of what is industry to sign a Decency Pledge, which proposed
acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, and as industry-wide norms on how people of all genders
most of those in power have been and are men, interact with those who are in less-powerful positions
these norms unfortunately have yet to change. than they are.
Society deems it much less acceptable for women
to make advances toward or for them to make
disparaging remarks about men. Thus, most women Prof. Jennifer Jordan is Professor of Leadership and
never grew up learning that this behaviour was Organisational Behaviour at IMD Business School,
acceptable for them to demonstrate or even how to www.imd.org.

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