The head of Citi Global Wealth was plastered all over LinkedIn this week talking about his latest client event in Rome with ultra-high-net-worth clients, featuring Stanley Tucci and Alex Karp. The photos show him surrounded by a handful of his female direct reports, along with a grinning picture of him with CEO Jane Fraser.
Given the negative press surrounding his treatment of women, the optics are interesting. Particularly the visible support of Fraser, whose public association with him sends a powerful message about where the organization’s leadership stands.
There’s a well-documented phenomenon in organizational psychology known as moral credentialing, in which people use evidence of seemingly positive behavior to establish their credibility and deflect scrutiny of other conduct. There’s also tokenism, where the visible presence of women or minorities is used to suggest that an organization is more equitable than its actual practices might indicate.
Women can become particularly useful shields for powerful men facing questions about their treatment of women. Their presence conveys an implicit message: How could there be a problem with women when these women clearly support him?
Of course, a photograph proves nothing about anyone’s intentions. But it raises a larger question about how organizations use the visibility and perceived endorsement of women to manage reputational risk.
Having women standing beside a powerful man is not evidence of how he treats women who challenge him. And the presence of successful women in leadership is not, by itself, proof of an equitable culture.