What does it mean to be a Partner? How microaggressions and implicit biases create barriers for promotion.

The case study considers the dynamics in a professional services environment surrounding the promotion of women to top management (partner) in a CPA firm. The case study presents four perspectives to help students understand that comments and behaviors that are often unintentional may create barriers for certain people (women, people of color, other marginalized identities including an intersection of identities). The case concentrates on gender inequities and helps students exercise their ability to consider multiple perspectives and motives and to evaluate and understand leadership and its implications. The case compiles conversations and statements made during the collection of data for a PhD dissertation (Mungaray, 2018).