Male (or other “majority-group”) allies are key for successful change efforts in majority-minority workplaces or environments. While anyone can make change, majority-group allies (e.g., male, white, heterosexual, able-bodied employees) often have more power and are in a better position to make significant change. Below are 7 ways male allies can get involved starting today!
Tip 1: Ensure productive meetings
Tip 2: Listen for and correct “personality penalties”
Tip 3: Interrupt “fixed mindset” talk
Tip 4: Interrupt task assignment biases (e.g. “office housework”)
Tip 5: Provide legitimate encouragement
Tip 6: Know & improve your own “ratio”: Expanding your contact list
Tip 7: Talk to other potential allies
1. Help ensure productive meetingsThe situation:Ever been in a meeting where it’s difficult to get a word in edgewise? Or where one or two people are dominating the conversation? The best meetings include a cacophony of voices but research shows that subtle biases often result in underrepresented employees being interrupted more often than others and not getting credit for their ideas. Relatively simple interventions can make a significant difference both in improving employees’ daily work experience and in realizing the benefits of diverse teams. What you can do:
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2. Listen for and correct personality penalties – in casual conversation or in formal performance evaluationThe situation:You’ve probably heard someone being described as “pushy” or “bossy” or being told to “tone it down.” Or perhaps someone has labeled you this way at some point. Research repeatedly demonstrates that women experience “personality penalties” (e.g., negative feedback regarding their personality, style or tone) more often than men. For example, these penalties include being labeled as “pushy, abrasive, or having a challenging personality” or being told that they could “tone it down a little.” Biases about race and class also result in different manifestations of these personality penalties. While these penalties often occur in formal performance evaluations, they also happen in casual hallway conversation or informal advice-giving, where any observer might intervene. What you can do:
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3. Interrupt “fixed mindset” talkThe situation:Do you or others in your work environment ever use phrases like, “so and so just isn’t a natural leader” or “I don’t think he or she has what it takes?” These and similar comments can indicate a “fixed mindset” when it comes to talent. Research shows that, for the most part, talent and ability are not fixed or innate. Yet many technical organizations operate with a “fixed mindset” that either you have “what it takes” or you do not (Dweck, 2006). Fixed mindsets tend to exacerbate biases, as we tend to presume that those who are most like us or most like those who have been successful in the past are the ones who “have it.” A “growth mindset” focuses on potential and sees skills and abilities as things that are developed through continued effort and practice. What you can do:
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4. Interrupt task assignment biasesThe situation:Perhaps you’ve noticed that certain people often end up doing the note-taking or other kinds of tasks? Evidence suggests that biases exist when it comes to who gets assigned (or who takes on) certain tasks or responsibilities. Sometimes this manifests in women taking on more organizing, note-taking, or relational kinds of tasks – what Williams (2014) terms “office housework.” It also can result in women being channeled more frequently into technical execution roles (e.g., QA or testing) with less access to core, creative technical roles. What you can do:
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5. Provide legitimate encouragementThe situation:Have you ever heard an employee – especially an employee from an underrepresented group – worry that they may not be qualified for a particular opportunity or think that they may not be ready for a leadership position? A variety of factors make it more difficult to take risks or apply for new opportunities when one is a minority in a majority-group environment. One such reason is stereotype threat – the fear that our actions will confirm negative stereotypes about an identity group (e.g., gender, race, age) to which we belong. More than 300 research studies with different populations (e.g., elderly, people of color, men, women) have documented that this unconscious phenomenon can reduce feelings of competence, lessen one’s sense of belonging, and negatively affect performance. These factors can prevent people from taking unnecessary risks for fear that any mistakes they make will be attributed, at least in part, to the fact that they are a woman or member of another underrepresented group. And indeed, people often do use these explanations when members of underrepresented groups make mistakes. What you can do:
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6. Know and improve your own “ratio”: Expanding your contact listThe situation:Do you or your organization rely heavily on referrals or “word-of-mouth” recruiting efforts? While convenient, this practice greatly exacerbates the tendency to reproduce the status quo since people tend to recommend others much like themselves. Rick Klau, partner at Google Ventures, describes an interesting personal exercise he conducted: taking stock of the gender breakdown in his address book. He found that his ratio was 80% men to 20% women and observed, “If the majority of leaders at most companies are men and if the majority of their networks are men (as mine are), then this is a self-perpetuating problem…It really is who you know.” What you can do:
More resources for active recruiting are available here. |
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7. Talk to other potential alliesThe situation:Often people are hesitant to get involved in diversity efforts because they are too busy or they are afraid of doing or saying something “wrong.” Research shows that real-life stories can help with this problem and motivate people to act! Share your own experiences as a male ally or as a member of an underrepresented group. While the “business case” can help to get new allies theoretically on board with industry changes, it often takes personal stories to move people to action. What you can do:
More information on having these conversations and enlisting more allies, available here.
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