Comments on: How to Avoid Social Backlash in the Workplace https://cruciallearning.com/blog/how-to-avoid-social-backlash-in-the-workplace/ VitalSmarts is now Crucial Learning Tue, 11 Aug 2015 20:49:43 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 By: Susan Dingle https://cruciallearning.com/blog/how-to-avoid-social-backlash-in-the-workplace/#comment-4190 Tue, 11 Aug 2015 20:49:43 +0000 http://www.crucialskills.com/?p=5955#comment-4190 The researchers addressed a phenomenon that women live with in the work world: their comments are perceived and evaluated more negatively and more exactingly than are men’s. The experiment using three different communication strategies to mitigate or lessen negative perceptions produced some interesting findings. It was surprising to me that of the three–behavior [expectation], value [turn comment into virtue/connection], and inoculation [preview the possible negative response and state that concerns are being stated directly]–that inoculation received the most favorable ratings in the experiment. I agree with the author that this strategy might work in the short term, but if frequently used, could damage the woman’s credibility among her peers. The strategies themselves are useful communication techniques. Using them all and varying which ones are used might be the best approach. One reason any of these strategies may be effective is that in using any of them, one must first slow down, back up, decide how to open with the concern and then how to phrase it. Stopping to cool down a little before giving a response is a standard recommendation. Cooling down is an excellent way to reduce the negative emotional content and to try to find the most persuasive or easiest to listen to way to present one’s reaction or reservations.

]]> By: Elba https://cruciallearning.com/blog/how-to-avoid-social-backlash-in-the-workplace/#comment-4189 Mon, 10 Aug 2015 10:40:41 +0000 http://www.crucialskills.com/?p=5955#comment-4189 In reply to Kymm.

Hello Kymm. See my comment to David below. You might find it interesting and related to your comment. I run a non-profit trying to drive gender balanced leadership in the S&P 500.

Elba Pareja-Gallagher

]]> By: Elba https://cruciallearning.com/blog/how-to-avoid-social-backlash-in-the-workplace/#comment-4188 Mon, 10 Aug 2015 10:37:50 +0000 http://www.crucialskills.com/?p=5955#comment-4188 Hello David. This is research we can apply in our daily lives, thank you for the summary. I too have concerns about the inoculation frame. I recently came across this study by the Academy of Management that found that women and minority corporate executives are penalized for engaging in “diversity-increasing” behaviors. It’s frustrating. The research found that “women leaders’ engagement in diversity-valuing behavior may be viewed as selfishly advancing the social standing of their own low-status demographic group.” Here’s a link to the report:

http://aom.org/News/Press-Releases/Women-and-minority-corporate-executives-are-penalized-for-fostering-diversity,-study-finds.aspx

]]> By: Joanne https://cruciallearning.com/blog/how-to-avoid-social-backlash-in-the-workplace/#comment-4187 Sun, 09 Aug 2015 18:40:13 +0000 http://www.crucialskills.com/?p=5955#comment-4187 Also – David, is this article published anywhere besides the blog?

]]> By: Joanne https://cruciallearning.com/blog/how-to-avoid-social-backlash-in-the-workplace/#comment-4186 Sun, 09 Aug 2015 16:20:41 +0000 http://www.crucialskills.com/?p=5955#comment-4186 I wish I had learned about this 10 years ago – would have changed my career path. Love that you’ve provided concrete solutions. Here’s to the next phase!

]]> By: davidmaxfield https://cruciallearning.com/blog/how-to-avoid-social-backlash-in-the-workplace/#comment-4185 Fri, 07 Aug 2015 22:19:03 +0000 http://www.crucialskills.com/?p=5955#comment-4185 In reply to Kymm.

Hi Kymm, No, I don’t know of any additional research on inoculation frames. However, last week I had the chance to share the inoculation video with a group of about 350 HR and Training specialists. I asked them if they would recommend using the strategy. About three-quarters said, No! Good to know, right?

]]> By: davidmaxfield https://cruciallearning.com/blog/how-to-avoid-social-backlash-in-the-workplace/#comment-4184 Fri, 07 Aug 2015 22:13:52 +0000 http://www.crucialskills.com/?p=5955#comment-4184 In reply to Tiffani.

You are correct to ask about the broader context of the data. We held many things constant: ethnicity, age, clothing style, attractiveness–and the list goes on. Research is like this: in order to examine one factor under a microscope, you have to hold all other factors constant.
Others have looked at the backlash African Americans experience. Of course they had to hold everything except ethnicity constant. As a result, it still doesn’t reflect the true diversity of the workplace.
So, are these studies all too narrow to be meaningful? I don’t think so. Our results document a powerful force that interacts with many other factors–but it’s still very real.

]]> By: Kymm https://cruciallearning.com/blog/how-to-avoid-social-backlash-in-the-workplace/#comment-4183 Thu, 06 Aug 2015 17:46:36 +0000 http://www.crucialskills.com/?p=5955#comment-4183 David,
Thank you for the summary of this research and its appropriate application. Do you know if additional research is currently underway on the extensive use of the Inoculation Frame? I tend to agree with your assessment about its limited use. Even as I imagine playing out those scenarios, I can feel the dismissal that repeated use of the Inoculation Frame would likely trigger. I also appreciate your providing the sources. I will continue to explore.

]]> By: Tiffani https://cruciallearning.com/blog/how-to-avoid-social-backlash-in-the-workplace/#comment-4182 Thu, 06 Aug 2015 17:25:38 +0000 http://www.crucialskills.com/?p=5955#comment-4182 In reply to David Maxfield.

Hi David,

With this thought in mind, do you have plans to replicate the study with actors of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds? If not, do you have plans to take racial and ethnic diversity into account in your future studies? The nation is increasingly becoming more diverse and performing studies such as these without taking this diversity into account renders the data less useful.

]]> By: David Maxfield https://cruciallearning.com/blog/how-to-avoid-social-backlash-in-the-workplace/#comment-4181 Thu, 06 Aug 2015 00:19:34 +0000 http://www.crucialskills.com/?p=5955#comment-4181 Here is another great question:

The article on How to Avoid Social Backlash in the Workplace was very timely and most interesting. I have worked in the Corporate environment for more than 25 years and have seen first hand how women have been penalized for being direct. Did your study take into account what impact did the Social Backlash and Emotional Inequality have on minoirties in the workplace?

Our study did not. Our actors were white and in their early 30’s. You can imagine that minorities, differently abled, elderly, and other groups would also suffer from society’s implicit biases.

There have been many studies that look at implicit bias and race. Here are links to a few:

1. Can An Agentic Black Woman Get Ahead?
http://pss.sagepub.com/content/23/4/354.short

2. Correspondence testing of recruiter bias and the Implicit
Association Test
http://www.psychometricsforum.org/uploads/Psyche/Psyche%2067_LR%20%282%29.pdf#page=5

3. The Impact of Implicit Racial Bias on the Exercise of Prosecutorial Discretion
http://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2082&context=sulr

Implicit bias is a tough problem that remains, even after legal and other more explicit barriers have been removed.

David

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