But authenticity in the workplace can be easier than it is, especially for people from marginalized social groups. Black employees, for example, I still face Prejudice and distinction (mainly in mainly white organizations). The fear of social rejection or other forms of reaction present a dilemma for many of these employees: I have to risk bringing my true self to work – wearing a natural hairstyle, for example or to share my love for black musicians? Or do I have to play it safe with the downgrading of this part of myself?
New research from Cynthia WangA clinical professor of management and organizations in Kellogg suggests that the hesitation of black workers to express their true selves is often based on uncertainty about how their colleagues react.
In a series of studies and interviews, Wang and her colleagues identified two factors that helped to tackle this uncertainty and made black employees feel more comfortable expressing their social identity at work. The first factor worked on an climate organization that encourages authenticity, allowing all employees to express their true self. The second was the perspective-the practice of the world’s imagination from the views of others.
Wang believes that both employers and employees can benefit when companies promote authenticity and create opportunities for employees to better understand each other.
“These factors are critical pieces of the overall puzzle in understanding the way in which successful management of diversity in the workplace,” he says. “They can promote organizational participation and reduce turnover.”
Many efforts to better manage the diversity in the workplace have focused on increasing the representation of minority groups or offering a prejudice, Wang adds. There has not been enough attention to dealing with workers’ uncertainty about attracting their authentic self.
The root of social uncertainty
Wang knew from the beginning that it would need a mixture of experimental studies and examples of real world to understand how uncertainty shapes the way workers, especially those of marginalized groups, express their social identity at work.
To this end, he conducted a combination of research, experiments and interviews with black professionals working in mainly white organizations. He has worked with Gillian Ku of London Business School, Alexis Smith and Bryan Edwards of Oklahoma State University, Edward Scott of the University of Pennsylvania and Adam Galinsky at the University of Columbia research.
In one study, the researchers asked the black accountants to evaluate the extent to which the work environment of the organization allowed them to be authentic. Accountants also evaluated how capable they are to consider situations in terms of other people, how often they express their social identity at work and how involved they are in their organization. Wang and his colleagues found that the accountants who received the prospect of their colleagues were more likely to positively express their social identity in work environments that encouraged them to be authentic.
The importance of climate in the workplace is not limited to the field of accounting. In another study, black employees in a wide range of industries who said they were working in an environment that allowed them to be authentic were more likely to share their true self at work.
Monitoring interviews suggested that when an organization promoted a climate of authenticity, workers felt more confident about how its administrators and associates could respond to the social identity of the workers, who in turn encouraged them to be true.
In a final study, Wang and Associates investigated the impact of a prospect on workers’ willingness to be their true self. The researchers have asked hundreds of black employees to evaluate the climate of authenticity of their organizations as well as to describe a formal interaction with white colleagues. Half of the employees received an additional note that encourages them to “pass through interaction in their [coworkers’] Shoes, as if you were. ”
Employees in high -rating organizations who were encouraged to examine the prospect of their colleagues were the most likely to express their social identity at work. Interviews suggested that this was due to the fact that these workers were better positioned to predict how their colleagues could respond, allowing them to identify colleagues around whom they could behave authentically.
Collectively, findings show that workers are more likely to feel comfortable expressing their true identity at work when their organization promotes authentic understanding between social groups and provides employees opportunities to examine the prospect of their colleagues.
Authenticity climates for all
Wang offers a warning to the findings. Although taking the time to look at the perspective of their colleagues can be useful for black employees, the weight should not be on them just to spend the extra time and effort they need to do so.
“The perspective can be a useful tool that will help you browse the work environment,” Wangs. “But the people who refer to our interviews that minorities are often the ones who look at the prospects of the majority groups. Thus, a balance is necessary.”
As organizations face how to bring more authenticity to their workplace, Wang suggests that it is important to understand how this concept differs from the concept of “integration”.
“What we are talking about is true authenticity – the ability to express yourself – which is slightly different from the idea of integration,” says Wang. “You can include someone in a meeting, for example, but they still don’t feel comfortable with being authentic and talking.”
It is important to remember that he adds that truly authentic environments must be understood as such by all employees: “When everyone feels comfortable discussing their differences and similarities, it allows for more open conversations and reduces this social uncertainty.”
