Transferring tolerance: How challenging norms can de-bias leader selection.

Background

Society and consequently workplaces are becoming increasingly diverse. Despite this demographic trend, there is still a lack in leadership diversity. Contributing to this are motivational biases to choose leaders in regard to their group prototypicality, leading to biases against minorities. In this research we asked whether a diversity experience that includes a norm deviation could lead to a mindset of greater tolerance affecting leadership evaluation and selection processes.

Method

Study 1 ( n = 58) draw on research showing that diversity experiences that challenge stereotypes reduce a reliance on heuristic thinking and established a diversity prime that challenged stereotypes. Study 2 (n = 61) tested whether this diversity prime would reduce group prototypicality biases in subsequent leader selection processes.

Results

Study 1 showed that the established diversity prime challenged wider societal norms of participants. Study 2 showed that after undergoing this priming procedure participants no longer relied on group prototypicality information when choosing a leadership candidate.

Discussion

This research shows that challenging norms can lead to a mindset of greater tolerance and reduce biases in leader selection processes. We tested whether these effects would transfer and de-bias leadership selection processes by reducing reliance on group prototypicality information. We discuss the implications of these findings for research highlighting the positive aspects of norm-deviation in groups and leaders and the emerging broader benefits of diversity in the workplace and society.