Most organizations want to increase the diversity of both their workforce and their leadership team, but despite these efforts, it’s perhaps fair to say that more progress is required. Research from the University of Washington highlights the key role leadership style plays in the likelihood that diverse applicants will apply for roles at an organization.
The study finds that when diverse candidates consider applying, they often experience a so-called stereotype threat, during which they have a fear of being mistreated because of the stereotypes associated with their minority group. This can discourage them from continuing with their application.
Moral leadership
The researchers analyzed both authentic and ethical leadership styles and their impact on job candidates. They describe authentic leadership as when leaders follow their internal moral compass, whereas ethical leadership relies more on community norms. They believe that when leaders exhibit their leadership style during the recruitment process, they shed light on the culture of the organization.
The results suggest that ethical leadership tends to be more effective at reducing any fears held by minority candidates, so should be adopted by those striving to develop a more diverse workforce.
“Our data aligned with the idea that, if I’m a Black person and my would-be manager is white and showing authentic leadership, it’s going to be hard for me to predict what that’s going to mean,” the researchers explain. “And if I do predict it, racism is so common that I might predict something that wouldn’t help me.
“It’s better in this case if my would-be manager is using an ethical style, therefore following community norms, so I can learn those norms. In other words: If there are rules to the game, and they’re going to follow them, then I can figure out the rules and we can work together well.”
When authenticity matters
Authentic leadership was beneficial, however, when the candidate and the leader were from the same minority group. In this instance, the applicant was more likely to identify with the leader and could feel confident that their experiences were more likely to be similar.
This, in turn, meant that they could confidently exhibit their individuality at work without fearing unfair treatment as a result.
“During recruitment, people from marginalized groups can experience this unpleasant feeling that they will be negatively stereotyped and face discrimination in their future job,” the researchers explain. “Because of that, they decide to either avoid these threatening companies or withdraw their application from the hiring process.”
This is important to understand as many managers are white, so minority candidates are likely to be interviewed by white managers. Indeed, the researchers believe that even specific strategies to increase diversity can backfire as marginalized groups can feel like they’re singled out.
Slight behavioral adjustments from hiring managers can therefore have a big impact on making candidates from marginalized groups feel more comfortable and more likely to follow through with their application.
“If you’re really trying to get leadership styles right, it has to go beyond the policies themselves,” the authors conclude. “You can’t mandate something like this. This is about intuition and the understanding of the situation. Assuming a manager cares about inclusion and wants to reduce stereotype threat, it’s a nuanced process for them to make this shift. If you’re using an ethical leadership style, it must feel real.”
