The purpose of this study was to expand on previous literature by examining the role of racial identity attitudes in the workplace, which have been infrequently studied. The current study tested the relationships between workplace variables and racial identity attitude statuses, specifically in STEM fields. This study, using a national sample of 485 STEM employees, examined associations using bivariate correlations between two predictor variables (racial climate and racial/ethnic microaggressions) on three outcome variables (job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and person-organization fit). Moderation relationships of four variables (racial identity attitude statuses: Conformity, Dissonance, Immersion, Internalization) on the paths between the predictor and outcome variables were also examined using structural equation modeling. Results provide mixed support for hypothesized associations. Racial climate and microaggressions attitudes yielded significant direct associations with the workplace outcome variables and Dissonance and Immersion attitudes yielded moderation effects on the paths between predictor and outcome variables. Implications of these findings are discussed, as well as implications for future research, clinical interventions, and workplace recommendations.

Despite their increased presence in entry-level and junior roles in the professional workforce in the U.S., individuals with marginalized racial identities continue to be significantly underrepresented in managerial and executive roles in the upper echelons. The first goal of this paper was to conceptualize such prevalent hierarchical representation gaps with the construct of management racial representativeness—which refers to the level of congruence in racial compositions among entry-level employees vis-à-vis upper management within the same organization—and investigate how perceived management racial representativeness influences underrepresented racial group members’ workplace expectations and attitudes. The second goal was to explore the extent to which sponsorship behaviors—which refer to a specific set of instrumental behaviors aimed at amplifying employees’ chances for advancement—enacted by individual managers may moderate the impact of perceived management racial representativeness on underrepresented racial group members. The study findings demonstrate that perceived lack of management racial representativeness led underrepresented racial group members to hold negative expectations regarding their own advancement prospects in their organization, and that these negative expectations, in turn, resulted in negative workplace attitudes (e.g., low levels of job satisfaction and organizational identification). Moreover, while manager sponsorship behaviors did not serve to mitigate the negative impact of low management racial representativeness, they independently positively influenced underrepresented racial group members’ expectations of advancement and subsequently their attitudes. These findings illustrate that there exist two independent—and equally impactful—levers for fostering an organizational environment in which upward job mobility is perceived as accessible to all racial groups and is intentionally pursued at multiple levels. On the one hand, management racial representativeness functions as a contextual signal that provides a general idea regarding the extent to which advancement may be achievable within the organization. On the other hand, manager sponsorship affects underrepresented racial group members at a more proximal level in a more relational and direct way, as it takes place within interpersonal manager-employee relationships and involves targeted behaviors that tangibly support employees’ career progression. Accordingly, it is critical for organizations to engage in a two-pronged approach for diversity management by implementing long-term systemic diversification efforts aimed at reducing hierarchical representation gaps, coupled with proactive sponsorship enacted by individual managers in the interim in employees’ local work unit environment.

The concept of understanding one’s origin or existence spans across almost every sphere of social science; despite its popularity, there is still a lack of research exploring identity in the work setting of developing countries. This thesis aims to contribute to understanding identity processes of workers in developing countries through the lenses of social identity and post-colonialism. The rationale for using these areas lies in the perceived nature of identity processes for people in developing countries by taking into account historical and cultural influences; for social identity (Tajfel & Turner, 1979), the “prototype” and “cohesion, solidarity and harmony” and for post-colonialism (Sen, 2006; Ekeh, 1975; Ekanola, 2006; Mizuno & Okazawa, 2009), “power”, the “dialectics of the colonized mind” and “social formations”. This thesis takes a socio-psychological approach, which is based on a qualitative research method; in particular, 47 in-depth interviews with professionals from the oil and gas sector of Nigeria form a key aspect of the research method. Findings reveal that social identity theory can be used to interpret the propensity of Nigerians to identify with groups. The thesis finds that social identity captures the importance attached to group identification through an understanding of the drivers and benefits of harmony to the self-concept in the chosen context. However the thesis also finds that social identity but does not cater for other integral aspects of identity processes, such as power and identity struggle. The thesis finds that by addressing the perception of perpetuated colonialism produced by the persistent domination of foreign workers in senior roles and their interaction with indigenous workers, post-colonial theory adequately covers issues of power and struggle. In summary, the thesis finds that the integration of social identity theory and post-colonial theory facilitates a more holistic interpretation of identity processes in regions like Nigeria. Hence this thesis contributes to the literature on identity processes in the work setting of a developing country.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2007. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-170). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The Confronting Prejudiced Responses (CPR) Model (Ashburn-Nardo, Morris, & Goodwin, 2008) describes factors that predict whether people confront prejudice that they witness. The present research examined some of these factors, including: observer prejudice level (low to high), discrimination type (racism or sexism), and perpetrator status (subordinate, peer, or supervisor to observer). Three hundred forty students from a large urban university in the Midwest read scenarios involving racism or sexism and completed items related to the CPR Model and measures of racial vs. gender attitudes. Results indicated that participants were more likely to report that they would confront racism than sexism, especially to the extent that they had low-prejudice attitudes. In addition, participants were less likely to report directly confronting (and more likely to report the incident to an authority when the perpetrator was) a supervisor than a peer or subordinate. Implications of this research include using the CPR Model as a method to educate organizations on prejudice reduction strategies in the workplace.

The purpose of this study was to understand whether strength is a prescriptive stereotype for Black women professionals in organizations. This study investigated whether a woman’s race (White or Black) affected how her level of work (overwork, not overworking, or control) was evaluated and rewarded by others (performance evaluation ratings, likelihood of promotion, and monetary rewards.) In particular, the study sought to understand whether Black women would not reap benefits for overworking, and whether they would be penalized for not overworking. In addition, the study examined whether race moderated the relationship between level of work and employee characterizations (strength, competence, laziness). This study built on previous prescriptive stereotype research that found that men, but not women, benefitted from performing organizational citizenship behaviors at work, and that women, but not men, face negative consequences when they withhold those behaviors (Allen & Rush, 2001; Heilman & Chen, 2005). This study collected responses from 235 MTurk workers to better understand how expectations of strength at work influence the career outcomes and perceptions of Black women. Results indicated that neither Black nor White women received a boost in outcomes when engaging in overwork; however, Black women, but not White women, were penalized for declining to engage in overwork. Black women received lower performance ratings, had a lower likelihood of promotion, and received lower monetary rewards when they did not overwork, while there was no difference for White women. Furthermore, Black women were perceived as less competent and lazier when they were not overworking. These findings imply a unique type of double bind for Black women, who may face burnout before reaping the benefits of overworking, and yet are also penalized if they set boundaries around how much they work.