Microaggressions, subtle slights often unintentional, can have a profound real-time impact on individuals. Unravel the intricacies of these seemingly minor incidents and their significant consequences, as we delve into the latest research shedding light on this pervasive issue.
Research: The Real-Time Impact of Microaggressions
There is a gap between how folks intend to treat people of color and what is actually happening
- In order to make more progress toward racial equity, leaders need to understand how these “harmless” comments affect Black employees’ workplace behavior and emotions in real time
Opening the Black Box
Edith Cooper, a successful board member and CEO, was told by a white male colleague, “There’s no chance now [for a board seat] for the next 20 years. Edith, you must be in great demand – as a Black woman.”
- These types of slights are known as “competency microaggressions.” They’re commonly directed at Black and female employees and reveal low expectations of their abilities, beliefs that they’re “affirmative action” hires, or surprise when they demonstrate competency.
- In order to gather empirical data on what many call the “black box,” or the hidden mechanisms of inequality, I conducted an experiment with 300 Black participants to test how experiencing a competency microaggression affected them
- Participants were recruited from online crowdsourcing survey platform Prolific. Each completed a task with a partner whom they believed were real but was actually computer simulated.
The Cost to Teams
Healthy deference plays an important role in teams because it fosters group cooperation
- Deferring to someone else’s idea demonstrates that you believe that their contributions are valuable, but it also comes at a personal cost
- When race or gender consistently drives who gets shown more deference, teams can suffer
- Only 29% of those who experienced the competency microaggression actually reported it
- Since Black professionals face a bind in dealing with racialized comments, organizations need to take responsibility for preventing microaggressions and relieving their Black employees of the emotional labor that comes with them
