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Stereotype Threat at Work (Interrupting the Stereotype Threat Process …
Stereotype Threat at Work
voice concern:
concern: the fear of being seen and judged
according to a negative stereotype about their
group, and the concern that they might do something
that would inadvertently confirm the negative
stereotype
Managing diversity
“stereotype threat”—the fear of being judged according to a negative stereotype
PB:
employee diversity does not necessarily
boost creativity, market share, or competitive advantage. damage morale, increase turnover, and cause significant
communication problems and conflict
within the organization
do poor job: threat is present, performance declines
to blame: decision maker—the manager
solusn:
eliminate stereotypes from organizational decision making, the logic goes, we’ll create an organization where all employees can flourish and
advance.
documentary concluding that stereotype
threat was suppressing the standardized test performance
of African American students
Q: What is stereotype
threat and what are its effects? How can
stereotype threat be reduced?
st at work
As a result, very subtle contextual variations
(a slight wording difference in the way a test
is described, for example) may be enough to make
the stereotype salient and disrupt performance.
exmp:
White students’ performance
was largely unaffected by the test instructions : Black students underperformed relative
to Whites in the ability test condition
also high status groups experience st: Whites are racist
experience stereotype threat when their identity group is negatively compared with another group
lit:
Stereotype threatened participants
are very motivated to perform well, and sometimes
they try too hard or are too cautious in performing
Conditions for Stereotype Threat
Stereotype Relevance of the Task: What Does it
Take to Perform Well?
Task Difficulty:Whyis this so Hard?
experiencing frustration with
task accomplishment is an important trigger for
stereotype threat
hard work creates a dilemma
managers also must be
aware of the higher potential for stereotype threat
for their new hires.
Personal Task Investment:HowImportant is this
toWhoIAm?
employees who care about their work and
really want to do well are generally the ones that
a manager is least likely to worry about, also most
likely to be affected by stereotype threat,
The Context: Is this a Place Where Stereotypes Operate?
Being the
“only one” suggests that the stereotype about
women lacking quantitative skills is true, and
therefore sex is relevant to job performance
if stereotype threat causes people
to work harder, couldn’t that be a positive
benefit? Earlier, we quoted Beyonce´ Knowles as
feeling like she had “something to prove
If you know how to perform a task, this kind of
motivation can help you to perform better, but think the ones who spent a lot of time answering very few questions?
This kind of motivation often works for you, but it can work against you.
Interrupting the Stereotype Threat Process
Strategies for Reducing Stereotype Threat
stereotyped people may find
one way to reduce stereotype threat themselves—
by disidentifying with the affected task domain.
In other words, they break the psychological connection between their performance and their self-esteem so that doing well on that kind of task is less important.
1） Provide a Successful Task Strategy
stereotype threatened people seek to distance
themselves from the stereotype by acting opposite
to it
the worst solution
2） Reduce the Stereotype Relevance of the Task
happens when the stereotype is relevant to the task
so when faced
with a technical or mathematical task, a woman
may not believe a manager who says it does not
reflect gender differences.
Perhaps a
manager could inform all employees that they
were hired precisely because they have the skills
needed to do well.
3） Provide an Alternative Explanation for Task
Difficulty
Task difficulty is a trigger
The resulting anxiety and distress
then disrupts performance.
Telling employees that
you know stereotype threat can happen, and that
they should be aware of it, gives them a different
attribution for their difficulty and anxiety
4） Change the Context
removing people from token situation
boosting the salience and visibility of role models
boosting the salience and visibility of role models
Implications for Diversity Management
goals
1) change managers’ attitudes—to reduce negative
attitudes, stereotypes, and prejudice against members
of different groups
2)change managers’ behaviors—how they select, appraise,
and develop employees
realities:
1)long term endeavor
2)presence of stereotype threat means that performance
itself may convey biased information about
a person’s true ability.
Acknowledge stereotypes and address them
directly.
Honest engagement of the problem and an
exploration of action strategies to counteract preperceptions
can increase trust, reduce stereotype
threat, and improve performance
Shift the focus from the manager to the environment.
Diversity training programs, for example,
are designed to change managerial attitudes
and behavior
