RESUMO
Competence-questioning communication at work has been described as gender-linked (e.g., mansplaining) and as impacting the way women perceive and experience the workplace. Three studies were conducted to investigate how the specific communication behaviors of condescending explanation (i.e., mansplaining), voice nonrecognition, and interruption can be viewed as gender-biased in intention by receivers. The first study was a critical incident survey to describe these competence-questioning behaviors when enacted by men toward women in the workplace and how women react toward them. Studies 2 and 3 used experimental paradigms (in online and laboratory settings, respectively) to investigate how women and men perceive and react to these behaviors when enacted by different genders. Results demonstrated that when faced with condescending explanation, voice nonrecognition, or interruption, women reacted more negatively and were more likely to see the behavior as indicative of gender bias when the communicator was a man. Implications for improving workplace communications and addressing potential gender biases in communication in organizations are discussed. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10869-022-09871-7.
RESUMO
As organizations continue to pursue achieving diversity and inclusion goals, how to propose and present efforts so as to maximize support and minimize resistance remains a challenge. The present set of studies, grounded in theory on the Attributional Analysis of Persuasion, examined how the demographics of diversity promoters relate to supportive attitudes and behaviors of others through perceptions of promoter self-interest. Via an experimental paradigm (Study 1), we found that White promoters were perceived as less self-interested than Black promoters of a diversity initiative, which in turn predicted more positive attitudes and support for the promoted effort. Using a sample of workplace critical incidents (Study 2), we found that diversity promoters who were demographically matched to the group for which they were advocating were perceived as more self-interested than those advocating for causes for which they were not demographically matched. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as study limitations, are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
