Dr. Cheryl McConnell
Women at Work: Same Behavior -Different Consequences
Institute for Supply Management-KC May 19, 2015 Dr. Cheryl McConnell
Research Results Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender • Performance Review Research • Women’s Voices
Directness/Assertiveness • Research on Pay Raises • Perceptions by Ethnicity
Bias Awareness – Does it Backfire? • Study Results
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #1: Expected Behavior: Organizational Altruism / Helping Behavior • Defined as “prosocial” activity that increases the effectiveness of the organization • Not part of formal job responsibilities • Going the extra mile • Doing what it takes to get the project completed • Solving work-related problems not in your responsibility
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #1: Study design: • Workers rated good on 7 scales and excellent on 2 scales • Open-ended comment section • Participants were to read both sections and assign a performance evaluation and a reward recommendation
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #1: Study design: • Worker had a computer virus and needed after-hours help for urgent presentation • Most support staff and other workers had already left for a work birthday celebration • Two conditions tested ⁻ Male / female worker ⁻ Helped / didn’t help
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #1: Either: “When Cathy (Kevin) learned what had happened, she (he) immediately volunteered to help me out even though she (he) would miss part of the dinner. That’s the way Cathy (Kevin) is.” Or: “When Cathy (Kevin) learned what had happened, she (he) said she (he) could not help me because she/he was one her (his) way to the party but suggested I try to find someone in Accounting who was still there. That’s the way Cathy (Kevin) is.”
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #1: Results • • • • • •
Similar scores for the worker’s competence and interpersonal civility Statistically different scores for the worker’s performance evaluation and reward recommendations Workers helped? Men were rated 14% more favorably than women (both performance and rewards) Workers did not help? Women were rated 12% lower than a man (both performance and rewards) In this study, women had to perform helping behaviors just to get similar ratings of men who did not Gender of the rater did not matter
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #2: Evaluated 248 performance reviews from technology companies • Does the critical feedback differ based on gender? • Was the manager’s gender a factor in how employees were reviewed?
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #2: Results On the full set of reviews, about 71% contained critical feedback. However, it was not distributed evenly by gender. • 58.9% of reviews received by men contained critical feedback • 87.9% of reviews received by women contained critical feedback The nature of the critical feedback was strikingly different. Men: Generally given suggestions for additional skill development Women: Also given suggestions for additional skill development + sharper judgmental language used
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #2: Results Examples -- men: “Constructive feedback on your performance as a feature crew tester can be summed up by saying that you still have some skills to continue to develop.” “Hone your strategies for guiding your team and developing their skills. It is important to set proper guidance around priorities and to help as needed in designs and product decisions.” “There were a few cases where it would have been extremely helpful if you had gone deeper into the details to help move an area forward.”
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #2: Results Examples -- women: “You can come across as abrasive sometimes. I know you don’t mean to, but you need to pay attention to your tone.”
“Your peers sometimes feel that you don’t leave them enough room. Sometimes you need to step back to let others shine.” “The presentation ultimately went well. But along the way, we discovered many areas for improvement. You would have had an easier time if you had been less judgmental about R__’s contributions from the beginning.”
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #2: Results Quantitative comparison: Negative personality criticism Men: Out of 83 critical reviews received by men, negative personality criticism appears 2 times
Women: Out of 94 critical reviews received by women, negative personality criticism appears 71 times
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Research Study #3: Volubility The total amount of time spent talking in a group context
For men, power is directly related to volubility – more power, more talk
For women, power is unrelated to volubility – no connection between power and talk time
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender
Perceived competence of CEOs who spoke more often than peer CEOs Men 10% Higher Perceived Competence
Women 14% Lower Perceived Competence
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Many research studies that show women’s voices are not as valued and heard in organizations Good news… Less of a problem at lower levels and at gender balanced organizations Bad news… Sneaks into performance evaluations, lowers organizational performance
Directness/Assertiveness Pay Raises
All jobs: Not much of a nationwide gender gap in those asking for raises in all areas: 44% men / 42% women However, for MBAs…
63% men asked vs. 48% women asked 10% men denied vs. 21% women denied
Directness/Assertiveness Race and Ethnicity – All gender bias is not the same
Emerging studies in this area related to assertiveness Latina: assertion = emotional
Asian Americans: assertion = greater censure on behavior African Americans: assertion more acceptable, however have to prove competence more than any other group White Men: consequences for lack of assertion
Bias Awareness – Does it Backfire? Concerning New Research When individuals know or believe that stereotypes are common, it can lead to greater discrimination.
Bias awareness is necessary, but not sufficient • Petrified Forest National park example • MBA leadership example
Bias Awareness – Does it Backfire? Sign #1: “Many past visitors have removed the petrified wood from the park, changing the state of the Petrified Forest.” Sign #2: “Your heritage is being vandalized every day by theft losses of petrified wood of 14 tons a year, mostly a small piece at a time.” Sign #3: “Please don’t remove the petrified wood from the park.”
Bias Awareness – Does it Backfire? Sign #1: “Many past visitors have removed the petrified wood from the park, changing the state of the Petrified Forest.” = 5% loss Sign #2: “Your heritage is being vandalized every day by theft losses of petrified wood of 14 tons a year, mostly a small piece at a time.” = 7.92% loss Sign #3: “Please don’t remove the petrified wood from the park.” = 1.67% loss
Bias Awareness – Does it Backfire? MBA Program at Wharton - 1st attempt Adam Grant, professor of Management Discussed shortage of female MBA students in seeking out leadership roles in student and university organizations After 5 months, no change
MBA Program at Wharton - 2nd attempt Same discussion with the following addition: “I don’t ever want this to happen again.” After 5 months, 65% increase in female students seeking leadership roles
Q&A – So What is a Person To Do?
• • • •
Proactive conversations in organizations Understand issue and its impact on performance Make lack of gender bias tolerance explicit Immediate conversations when observed
Will this be solved for the next generation?
References Brescoll, V. (2011). “Who Takes the Floor and Why: Gender, Power, and Volubility in Organizations”. Administrative Science Quarterly, 56(4), p. 622-641. Duiguid, M., Thomas-Hunt, M. (2015, March). “Condoning Stereotyping? How Awareness of Stereotyping Prevalence Impacts Expression of Stereotypes”, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 100(2), p. 343-359. Heilman, M., Chen, J. (2005). “Same Behavior, Different Consequences: Reactions to Men’s and Women’s Altruistic Citizenship Behavior”, Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(3), P. 431-441. Lam, B. (2015). “Do People Who Ask for Raises Actually Get Them?” The Atlantic.
North, A. (2015, January 26). “Who Gets a Raise?” New York Times. Sandberg, S. and Grant, A. (2015, February 6). “Madam C.E.O., Get Me a Coffee”, New York Times. Sandberg, S. and Grant, A. (2015, January 12). “Speaking While Female”, New York Times.
Sandberg, S. and Grant, A. (2014, December 6). “When Talking About Bias Backfires”, New York Times. Snyder, Kieran. (2014, August 25). “The Abrasiveness Trap: High-achieving men and women are described differently in reviews”, Fortune.
Williams, J., Phillips, K., and Hall, E. (2014). “Double Jeopardy? Gender Bias Against Women of Color in Science” WorkLifeLaw, UC Hastings College of the Law.
Institute for Supply Management-KC May 19, 2015 Dr. Cheryl McConnell
Research Results Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender • Performance Review Research • Women’s Voices
Directness/Assertiveness • Research on Pay Raises • Perceptions by Ethnicity
Bias Awareness – Does it Backfire? • Study Results
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #1: Expected Behavior: Organizational Altruism / Helping Behavior • Defined as “prosocial” activity that increases the effectiveness of the organization • Not part of formal job responsibilities • Going the extra mile • Doing what it takes to get the project completed • Solving work-related problems not in your responsibility
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #1: Study design: • Workers rated good on 7 scales and excellent on 2 scales • Open-ended comment section • Participants were to read both sections and assign a performance evaluation and a reward recommendation
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #1: Study design: • Worker had a computer virus and needed after-hours help for urgent presentation • Most support staff and other workers had already left for a work birthday celebration • Two conditions tested ⁻ Male / female worker ⁻ Helped / didn’t help
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #1: Either: “When Cathy (Kevin) learned what had happened, she (he) immediately volunteered to help me out even though she (he) would miss part of the dinner. That’s the way Cathy (Kevin) is.” Or: “When Cathy (Kevin) learned what had happened, she (he) said she (he) could not help me because she/he was one her (his) way to the party but suggested I try to find someone in Accounting who was still there. That’s the way Cathy (Kevin) is.”
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #1: Results • • • • • •
Similar scores for the worker’s competence and interpersonal civility Statistically different scores for the worker’s performance evaluation and reward recommendations Workers helped? Men were rated 14% more favorably than women (both performance and rewards) Workers did not help? Women were rated 12% lower than a man (both performance and rewards) In this study, women had to perform helping behaviors just to get similar ratings of men who did not Gender of the rater did not matter
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #2: Evaluated 248 performance reviews from technology companies • Does the critical feedback differ based on gender? • Was the manager’s gender a factor in how employees were reviewed?
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #2: Results On the full set of reviews, about 71% contained critical feedback. However, it was not distributed evenly by gender. • 58.9% of reviews received by men contained critical feedback • 87.9% of reviews received by women contained critical feedback The nature of the critical feedback was strikingly different. Men: Generally given suggestions for additional skill development Women: Also given suggestions for additional skill development + sharper judgmental language used
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #2: Results Examples -- men: “Constructive feedback on your performance as a feature crew tester can be summed up by saying that you still have some skills to continue to develop.” “Hone your strategies for guiding your team and developing their skills. It is important to set proper guidance around priorities and to help as needed in designs and product decisions.” “There were a few cases where it would have been extremely helpful if you had gone deeper into the details to help move an area forward.”
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #2: Results Examples -- women: “You can come across as abrasive sometimes. I know you don’t mean to, but you need to pay attention to your tone.”
“Your peers sometimes feel that you don’t leave them enough room. Sometimes you need to step back to let others shine.” “The presentation ultimately went well. But along the way, we discovered many areas for improvement. You would have had an easier time if you had been less judgmental about R__’s contributions from the beginning.”
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Performance Review Research #2: Results Quantitative comparison: Negative personality criticism Men: Out of 83 critical reviews received by men, negative personality criticism appears 2 times
Women: Out of 94 critical reviews received by women, negative personality criticism appears 71 times
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Research Study #3: Volubility The total amount of time spent talking in a group context
For men, power is directly related to volubility – more power, more talk
For women, power is unrelated to volubility – no connection between power and talk time
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender
Perceived competence of CEOs who spoke more often than peer CEOs Men 10% Higher Perceived Competence
Women 14% Lower Perceived Competence
Expected Behaviors and Consequences by Gender Many research studies that show women’s voices are not as valued and heard in organizations Good news… Less of a problem at lower levels and at gender balanced organizations Bad news… Sneaks into performance evaluations, lowers organizational performance
Directness/Assertiveness Pay Raises
All jobs: Not much of a nationwide gender gap in those asking for raises in all areas: 44% men / 42% women However, for MBAs…
63% men asked vs. 48% women asked 10% men denied vs. 21% women denied
Directness/Assertiveness Race and Ethnicity – All gender bias is not the same
Emerging studies in this area related to assertiveness Latina: assertion = emotional
Asian Americans: assertion = greater censure on behavior African Americans: assertion more acceptable, however have to prove competence more than any other group White Men: consequences for lack of assertion
Bias Awareness – Does it Backfire? Concerning New Research When individuals know or believe that stereotypes are common, it can lead to greater discrimination.
Bias awareness is necessary, but not sufficient • Petrified Forest National park example • MBA leadership example
Bias Awareness – Does it Backfire? Sign #1: “Many past visitors have removed the petrified wood from the park, changing the state of the Petrified Forest.” Sign #2: “Your heritage is being vandalized every day by theft losses of petrified wood of 14 tons a year, mostly a small piece at a time.” Sign #3: “Please don’t remove the petrified wood from the park.”
Bias Awareness – Does it Backfire? Sign #1: “Many past visitors have removed the petrified wood from the park, changing the state of the Petrified Forest.” = 5% loss Sign #2: “Your heritage is being vandalized every day by theft losses of petrified wood of 14 tons a year, mostly a small piece at a time.” = 7.92% loss Sign #3: “Please don’t remove the petrified wood from the park.” = 1.67% loss
Bias Awareness – Does it Backfire? MBA Program at Wharton - 1st attempt Adam Grant, professor of Management Discussed shortage of female MBA students in seeking out leadership roles in student and university organizations After 5 months, no change
MBA Program at Wharton - 2nd attempt Same discussion with the following addition: “I don’t ever want this to happen again.” After 5 months, 65% increase in female students seeking leadership roles
Q&A – So What is a Person To Do?
• • • •
Proactive conversations in organizations Understand issue and its impact on performance Make lack of gender bias tolerance explicit Immediate conversations when observed
Will this be solved for the next generation?
References Brescoll, V. (2011). “Who Takes the Floor and Why: Gender, Power, and Volubility in Organizations”. Administrative Science Quarterly, 56(4), p. 622-641. Duiguid, M., Thomas-Hunt, M. (2015, March). “Condoning Stereotyping? How Awareness of Stereotyping Prevalence Impacts Expression of Stereotypes”, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 100(2), p. 343-359. Heilman, M., Chen, J. (2005). “Same Behavior, Different Consequences: Reactions to Men’s and Women’s Altruistic Citizenship Behavior”, Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(3), P. 431-441. Lam, B. (2015). “Do People Who Ask for Raises Actually Get Them?” The Atlantic.
North, A. (2015, January 26). “Who Gets a Raise?” New York Times. Sandberg, S. and Grant, A. (2015, February 6). “Madam C.E.O., Get Me a Coffee”, New York Times. Sandberg, S. and Grant, A. (2015, January 12). “Speaking While Female”, New York Times.
Sandberg, S. and Grant, A. (2014, December 6). “When Talking About Bias Backfires”, New York Times. Snyder, Kieran. (2014, August 25). “The Abrasiveness Trap: High-achieving men and women are described differently in reviews”, Fortune.
Williams, J., Phillips, K., and Hall, E. (2014). “Double Jeopardy? Gender Bias Against Women of Color in Science” WorkLifeLaw, UC Hastings College of the Law.
