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Selection based on merit versus demography: implications across race and gender lines
1Department of Management, Terry College of Business, University of Georgia, Athens 30602-6256, USA. mstewart@terry.uga.edu
The Journal of Applied Psychology
|April 28, 2000
Summary
This study found that selection procedures did not negatively impact women. Instead, race and gender interacted, with Black participants showing higher leadership self-appraisals when facing negative feedback, suggesting a self-esteem management strategy.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Organizational Behavior
- Diversity and Inclusion Studies
Background:
- Replication and extension of Heilman et al. (1987) study on selection procedures.
- Previous research indicated negative effects of selection procedures on women's self-perceptions.
- Exploration of moderating factors like race, gender, and outcome feedback.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of differing selection procedures and outcome feedback on self-evaluations.
- To examine the interaction of race and gender in response to selection procedures.
- To understand the role of outcome feedback in self-appraisal management.
Main Methods:
- Simulation study with 201 undergraduates experiencing varied selection procedures and outcome feedback.
- Follow-up study with 80 undergraduates in group settings receiving negative outcome feedback from experimenters of similar or different race.
- Analysis of self-evaluations and leadership ability ratings.
Main Results:
- Selection procedures did not yield deleterious effects for women in this study.
- Race and gender interacted to moderate the effects of selection procedures.
- Black participants reported higher leadership ability when preferentially selected and given negative feedback, linked to self-esteem maintenance.
- Negative outcome feedback from a racially similar experimenter influenced self-appraisal.
Conclusions:
- Findings challenge previous assumptions about selection procedures' impact on women.
- Race and gender are crucial moderators in self-appraisal processes within organizational contexts.
- Self-esteem management strategies, particularly for minority groups, are influenced by feedback and social dynamics.
- Implications for diversity initiatives and effective self-appraisal management in organizations.
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