Photo of Ashleigh Shelby Rosette. Ashleigh is a black woman and is wearing her hair in braids. She is dark suit while posing sitting on a chair pointing to a mug which has the sentence "Empowered women empower women". She is a researcher focused on gender studies, leadership and diversity in the workplace.

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Research

We know that including diverse perspectives can be great for organizations. Academic research and corporate business reports are replete with studies that associate diverse thinking with greater innovation, superior decision-making, better business strategies, and improved financial performances. Once viewed as tangential to the principal tenets of business operations, companies now recognize that an inclusive culture can help them to facilitate a competitive advantage in their respective industries. And that's where Ashleigh's research comes in.

She's on a mission to uncover the untapped potential within organizations. Embracing diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences fosters a dynamic environment where creativity flourishes and innovation thrives. By celebrating differences, we create opportunities for individuals to contribute their unique talents and insights, leading to richer decision-making processes and more robust problem-solving strategies. As we continue to explore and appreciate these unique contributions, we not only unlock new avenues for success but also reinforce our commitment to creating a world where every voice is heard and valued, ultimately revealing the full potential of our collective efforts.

So, join this research journey. Together, we'll pave the way for a future where every voice matters, and every individual can shine.

Gender and Leadership

When might a female leader advantage emerge?

Contributing to the ongoing debate about whether female leaders have an advantage involves investigating factors that influence when this advantage might emerge. The research examines whether people perceive female leaders more positively when they succeed. This work emphasizes the complexity of gender dynamics in leadership and underscores the importance of considering contextual factors. Understanding these nuances can help foster more inclusive and equitable environments.

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Are dominant women leaders disadvantaged?

Gender and leadership research grapples with conflicting findings on whether assertive women are punished or rewarded. To make sense of these mixed results, a differentiation is made between traits that people think female leaders should have (like competence) and traits they think they shouldn't have (like dominance). Studies show that when women are seen as having traits like competence, diligence, and independence, they gain an advantage, but when they're seen as too dominant, they face a disadvantage. This helps resolve conflicting ideas in gender and leadership studies and offers a new way to understand past findings.

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Are women good negotiators?

Both research and common belief suggest that women, due to their focus on relationships, are less likely than men to exhibit assertive behaviors, which may lead to poorer outcomes in negotiations where one party's gain comes at the expense of the other. Past studies often overlook the costs associated with reaching a deadlock by excluding them from measures of negotiation success. Departing from this approach, we incorporate the economic implications of impasses into our assessment of negotiation outcomes to provide a more comprehensive analysis. By doing so, we uncover a shift from the commonly cited male negotiator advantage.

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Are male leaders penalized when asking for help?

This study examines whether male leaders who ask for help are perceived as less competent. Our findings suggest that asking for help is negatively associated with perceived competence for male leaders, while this effect is not observed for female leaders. Additionally, we found that perceptions of help-seeking as atypical for male leaders, rather than as a sign of weakness, explain these results.

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Intersecting Identities

How does race affect agentic biases for women leaders?

Much of the research on biases against women leaders has focused on two types of biases: one where women are seen as lacking leadership potential, and another where they get punished for not fitting traditional gender roles. But here's the twist: we think these biases might not affect all women the same way. We believe it depends on which aspect of leadership ability we're talking about and how it matches up with stereotypes about gender and race. Our review of studies suggests that when people judge women leaders, they often focus on two things: how competent they seem and how dominant they act. And these judgments can be influenced by stereotypes about race as well as gender. By looking at how these biases interact with racial stereotypes, we hope to better understand the obstacles women face in climbing the leadership ladder.

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How might gender interact with race at work?

Research from various fields highlights the importance of this interaction, yet it's scattered across disciplines, posing challenges for organizational scholars. We consolidate this knowledge, exploring how stereotypes, job roles, support, and experiences of sexual harassment differ for Black, Asian, and White women. By emphasizing these differences, we underscore the need to study women's diverse experiences rather than treating them as a single group.

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Are Black women believed in discrimination cases?

We looked at how Black women's identities, being both Black and female, affect how people see their experiences of discrimination. We found that because Black women don't fit the typical image of a discrimination victim, people are less likely to believe them when they say they've been discriminated against.

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Can an agentic Black woman get ahead?

Previous research indicates that assertive behavior from female leaders can lead to negative reactions due to gender stereotypes. This study examines whether these reactions vary based on the leader's race. Results show that while White female leaders face backlash for dominant behavior, Black female leaders may not. White female and Black male leaders receive lower status when acting dominant, contrasting with Black female and White male leaders. This suggests the importance of considering both gender and race in perceptions of assertive female leadership.

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Equity at Work

How to be a good ally?

Organizations' efforts to show support for marginalized groups can elicit diverse responses. We crafted and tested a model to understand what factors influence these perceptions. Our research shows that the cost and consistency of support are important. Analyzing statements from Fortune 500 companies and conducting experiments, we found that organizations are seen as genuine allies when their support is both costly and consistent over time. This underscores the importance of not just investing resources but also demonstrating a steadfast commitment to marginalized communities to be viewed as authentic allies.

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Does hair affect hiring?

Our research show that race can affect the job prospects for Black and White women differently. We found that Black women with natural hairstyles are seen as less professional and less likely to get job interviews, especially in industries with strict dress codes. While competence wasn't directly affected, professionalism played a big role in how they were perceived. This suggests that people might judge Black women's hairstyles first for professionalism, which then affects how competent they seem. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of considering race and gender together when looking at workplace biases.

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Learn more by diving into Ashleigh's work

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