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PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the organizational and environmental antecedents to the appointment of a woman to a non-CEO top management team (TMT) position.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a conditional fixed effects logistic regression model to analyze non-CEO TMT appointment data collected from the S&P 500 between 2008 and 2016.FindingsWomen were more likely to be appointed to non-CEO TMT positions when a firm was undergoing strategic change, had slack resources, and was in a less munificent environment.Originality/valueThis article contributes to the literature concerning the antecedents of the selection of women to executive leadership (e.g. the glass cliff) roles by examining organizational and environmental contexts at the non-CEO TMT unit of analysis.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an overarching framework to guide the understanding of the allocation and deployment of strategic human capital assets within an organization. Using the concept of medical triage with business units analogous to “patients” and their performance to “symptoms or injuries,” the framework suggests a “steal from the poor” perspective that is counter to conventional organizational decline literature. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper proposing that there are five different categories of business unit need for human capital assets: expectant, deceased, immediate, delayed or minimal; all based on the type of environment and holistic performance of the business unit. Based on a business unit’s specific situation, the authors suggest a process model guiding how to conduct a triage analysis to optimize the allocation of strategic human capital assets within an organization. Findings The authors argue that current trends in assessing strategic human capital assets which make comparisons across organizations are necessary but insufficient (e.g. comparing a store to other stores in its district or region). Each business unit has its own unique internal capabilities and external constraints that also must be accurately assessed to make an informed organizational-level decision about where and how to deploy strategic human capital assets. Originality/value Borrowing from medical science, this paper demonstrates a new conceptual framework with propositions for researchers and guidance for practitioners.

PurposeThis study examined the effects of gender and pandemic concerns on mentorship seeking behavior during the pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and its relationship to self-efficacy.Design/methodology/approachThis study analyzes the data collected from 253 academics in a quantitative survey administered online.FindingsWomen and those with higher levels of concern about the COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to seek mentorship. During this time of uncertainty role modeling was sought more than career support and psychosocial support. All three functions of mentorship seeking were positively associated with higher levels of self-efficacy.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study finds that individuals turn to mentors when they are concerned about macro-level events (e.g. a global pandemic). Additionally, individuals who self-identify as women sought mentorship to a greater extent than men. In this way, it is not only the situation that matters (like women having fewer resources and more demands than men) but also the perception of a situation (like how concerned individuals were about the COVID-19 pandemic). Additionally, this paper helps to further develop the understanding of the mentorship function of role modeling.Practical implicationsOrganizations and mentors ought to be cognizant of role modeling during times of crisis, especially for women, this may be counterintuitive to the inclination to provide career and psychosocial support for mentees.Originality/valueThis study examines the gendered implications for mentoring during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study specifically examines mentorship seeking behavior and its influence on self-efficacy during uncertain times.