Laura Kray - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Laura Kray

Research in Organizational Behavior, Dec 1, 2022

Research in Organizational Behavior, Jun 1, 2022

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Oct 5, 2009

This chapter explores stereotype threat in organizational contexts. Building on the understanding... more This chapter explores stereotype threat in organizational contexts. Building on the understanding that stereotype threat involves concerns about confirming a negative stereotype about one's group, we begin by elucidating the scope of potential stereotype threat effects in organizations. We first examine the ubiquity of evaluations in organizations, which are at the heart of stereotype threat. Next we specify the potential psychological consequences of stereotype threat on targeted individuals within organizations, including weakening domain identification and engagement, reducing aspirations, increasing self-handicapping, and reducing openness to feedback. In the next section we focus on specific performance consequences of stereotype threat in four domains: leadership, negotiations, entrepreneurship, and competitiveness. We follow by identifying the likely triggers of stereotype threat within organizations, including task difficulty, organizational structure, minority representation, and organizational culture. Finally, we identify three categories of strategies that organizations can implement to reduce stereotype threat: 1) stereotype management, which includes acknowledging stereotypes, emphasizing positive stereotypes, and deemphasizing negative stereotypes; 2) hiring and training, which includes increasing minority representation and job training; and 3) organizational culture, including both fostering identity safety and valuing effort. Stereotype Threat in Organizations 3 Stereotype Threat in Organizations: An Examination of its Scope, Triggers, and Possible Interventions The workplace is a breeding ground for stereotype threat. Fundamentally, stereotype threat is a response to evaluations, an omnipresent facet of organizational life. Whether receiving an annual performance evaluation by a boss or periodic informal feedback from a mentor, organizations are evaluation-intensive environments. As such, individuals from negatively stereotyped groups are often exposed to situations in which negative expectations may undermine performance. Although the bulk of stereotype threat research over the past 15 years has centered on academic contexts, in this chapter we explore its implications in organizational settings.

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

We propose that perceptions of professional women change differently than perceptions of men as t... more We propose that perceptions of professional women change differently than perceptions of men as they age. Drawing inspiration from intersectionality theory, we examine the interaction of age and gender, finding that professional women are seen as more agentic, but also maximally incongruent with the gender-intensified prescription of being communal, in middle age. Our experiment showed that middle-aged women were perceived as agentic, like men, but also as declining more in warmth between young adulthood and middle age. Our field study also showed that middle-aged professional women are viewed as similarly agentic but less warm than men. Our longitudinal within-person study showed that these perceptions have consequences: Unlike men, middle-aged women (professors) received lower performance evaluations compared to their younger selves. Further, a linguistic analysis showed that middle-aged women professors were acknowledged to be more agentic, but also criticized for violating communal stereotype prescriptions, which mediated the link between age and women’s, but not men’s, performance evaluations.

Proceedings - Academy of Management, Aug 1, 2022

Research in Organizational Behavior, 2020

Stereotype Threat: Theory, Process, and …, 2011

Page 191. 11 Stereotype Threat in Organizations An Examination ofIts Scope, Triggers, and Possibl... more Page 191. 11 Stereotype Threat in Organizations An Examination ofIts Scope, Triggers, and Possible Interventions LAURAJ. KRAY AND AIWA SHIRAKO■ This chapter explores stereotype threat in organizational contexts. Building ...

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Sep 10, 2019

Organizational culture is a critical determinant of an organization's success because it influenc... more Organizational culture is a critical determinant of an organization's success because it influences not only employee satisfaction and retention but also company profits and productivity (Berson, Oreg, & Dvir, 2008; O'Reilly, Caldwell, Chatman, & Doerr, 2014). Indeed, a recent survey of nearly 1,900 CEOs and CFOs revealed that over half of senior executives place company culture as a top-three predictor of firm value and more than 92% believe that improving culture would increase their firm's value (Graham, Harvey, Popadak, & Rajgopal, 2017). Researchers define organizational culture as the norms that characterize a workgroup or organization (Chatman & O'Reilly, 2016; Schein, 2010; Zou et al., 2009), and research suggests that the cultures of productive and economically successful organizations are often characterized by the norms of (a) collaboration, (b) innovation, and (c) integrity/ethical behavior (Denison & Mishra, 1995; Kotter & Heckett, 1992). These norms characterize successful organizational cultures, in part, by fostering greater trust and commitment among employees (Hartnell, Ou, & Kinicki, 2011; Kristof-Brown, Zimmerman, & Johnson, 2005). Although these cultural norms-and the trust and commitment they inspire-have been shown to predict an organization's success or failure (Chatman, Caldwell, O'Reilly, & Doerr, 2014; Hartnell et al., 2011), little is known about the underlying beliefs that give rise to these positive cultural norms in organizations. Organizational Mindset as a Core Belief Researchers have invoked multiple social psychological models to characterize norms within societies and organizations. For example, although some models spotlight the identity-focused norms of independence and interdependence within different societies (e.g., Markus & Kitayama, 1991), others focus on the processes underlying different norm perceptions, such as how consensus is generated (Zou et al., 2009), and still others focus on alternative dimensions, such 872473P SPXXX10.

Current Directions in Psychological Science, Feb 1, 2017

Stigma devalues individuals and groups, producing social and economic disadvantages through two d... more Stigma devalues individuals and groups, producing social and economic disadvantages through two distinct but reinforcing processes: direct discrimination (e.g., a White person not hiring a Black person based on race) and stigma internalization (e.g., women believing men are more qualified for leadership positions). We review strategies that individuals can use to not only cope with but also challenge their stigma. We discuss how attempts to escape stigma can be effective at the individual level but may leave the stigma itself unchanged or even reinforced. We then identify two ways individuals can reappropriate and take ownership of their stigma to weaken it: reframing and self-labeling. Reframing highlights stereotypic characteristics as assets rather than liabilities-for example, framing stereotypically feminine traits (e.g., social intelligence) as essential for effective negotiations or leadership. Self-labeling involves referring to oneself with a group slur. We discuss ways to utilize these reappropriation strategies as well as how to handle potential pitfalls.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, May 1, 2023

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Sep 1, 2022

Current opinion in psychology, Dec 1, 2022

Journal of Business Ethics, Aug 8, 2017

Scholars have assumed that trust is fragile: difficult to build and easily broken. We demonstrate... more Scholars have assumed that trust is fragile: difficult to build and easily broken. We demonstrate, however, that in some cases trust is surprisingly robust-even when harmful deception is revealed, some individuals maintain high levels of trust in the deceiver. In this paper, we describe how implicit theories moderate the harmful effects of revealed deception on a key component of trust: perceptions of integrity. In a negotiation context, we show that people who hold incremental theories (beliefs that negotiating abilities are malleable) reduce perceptions of their counterpart's integrity after they learn that they were deceived, whereas people who hold entity theories (beliefs that negotiators' characteristics and abilities are fixed) maintain their first impressions after learning that they were deceived. Implicit theories influenced how targets interpreted evidence of deception. Individuals with incremental theories encoded revealed deception as an ethical violation; individuals with entity theories did not. These findings highlight the importance of implicit beliefs in understanding how trust changes over time.

Academy of Management Discoveries

Academy of Management Proceedings, 2012

We examined whether women and men react differently to taboo trade-offs, which involve the sacrif... more We examined whether women and men react differently to taboo trade-offs, which involve the sacrifice of sacred values (e.g., the well-being of others, honesty) for secular values (e.g., money and s...

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2017

A social-cognitive approach to understanding gender differences in negotiator ethics: The role of... more A social-cognitive approach to understanding gender differences in negotiator ethics: The role of moral identity.

California Management Review, 2017

The reasons for women’s relatively slow ascension in the workplace have been a matter of consider... more The reasons for women’s relatively slow ascension in the workplace have been a matter of considerable debate. This article explores why so much remains misunderstood about the challenges women face and why negative stereotypes—specifically, the view that women are innately poor advocates for themselves—persist. In fact, women possess unique advantages as negotiators, including greater cooperativeness and stronger ethics. But often those strengths are overlooked or severely undervalued. This article presents practical strategies for managers and negotiators of both genders to close the performance gaps and calls for changing the narrative on what it means to be a successful negotiator.

Research on Managing Groups and Teams, 2009

... Jane's loss might elicit the thought, '&amp... more ... Jane's loss might elicit the thought, ''If only she hadn't changed seats she would have won.'' To activate this mind-set at the group level, participants are asked to read the scenario together and jointly determine some thoughts going through Jane's mind (eg, Galinsky & Kray ...

Research in Organizational Behavior, Dec 1, 2022

Research in Organizational Behavior, Jun 1, 2022

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Oct 5, 2009

This chapter explores stereotype threat in organizational contexts. Building on the understanding... more This chapter explores stereotype threat in organizational contexts. Building on the understanding that stereotype threat involves concerns about confirming a negative stereotype about one's group, we begin by elucidating the scope of potential stereotype threat effects in organizations. We first examine the ubiquity of evaluations in organizations, which are at the heart of stereotype threat. Next we specify the potential psychological consequences of stereotype threat on targeted individuals within organizations, including weakening domain identification and engagement, reducing aspirations, increasing self-handicapping, and reducing openness to feedback. In the next section we focus on specific performance consequences of stereotype threat in four domains: leadership, negotiations, entrepreneurship, and competitiveness. We follow by identifying the likely triggers of stereotype threat within organizations, including task difficulty, organizational structure, minority representation, and organizational culture. Finally, we identify three categories of strategies that organizations can implement to reduce stereotype threat: 1) stereotype management, which includes acknowledging stereotypes, emphasizing positive stereotypes, and deemphasizing negative stereotypes; 2) hiring and training, which includes increasing minority representation and job training; and 3) organizational culture, including both fostering identity safety and valuing effort. Stereotype Threat in Organizations 3 Stereotype Threat in Organizations: An Examination of its Scope, Triggers, and Possible Interventions The workplace is a breeding ground for stereotype threat. Fundamentally, stereotype threat is a response to evaluations, an omnipresent facet of organizational life. Whether receiving an annual performance evaluation by a boss or periodic informal feedback from a mentor, organizations are evaluation-intensive environments. As such, individuals from negatively stereotyped groups are often exposed to situations in which negative expectations may undermine performance. Although the bulk of stereotype threat research over the past 15 years has centered on academic contexts, in this chapter we explore its implications in organizational settings.

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

We propose that perceptions of professional women change differently than perceptions of men as t... more We propose that perceptions of professional women change differently than perceptions of men as they age. Drawing inspiration from intersectionality theory, we examine the interaction of age and gender, finding that professional women are seen as more agentic, but also maximally incongruent with the gender-intensified prescription of being communal, in middle age. Our experiment showed that middle-aged women were perceived as agentic, like men, but also as declining more in warmth between young adulthood and middle age. Our field study also showed that middle-aged professional women are viewed as similarly agentic but less warm than men. Our longitudinal within-person study showed that these perceptions have consequences: Unlike men, middle-aged women (professors) received lower performance evaluations compared to their younger selves. Further, a linguistic analysis showed that middle-aged women professors were acknowledged to be more agentic, but also criticized for violating communal stereotype prescriptions, which mediated the link between age and women’s, but not men’s, performance evaluations.

Proceedings - Academy of Management, Aug 1, 2022

Research in Organizational Behavior, 2020

Stereotype Threat: Theory, Process, and …, 2011

Page 191. 11 Stereotype Threat in Organizations An Examination ofIts Scope, Triggers, and Possibl... more Page 191. 11 Stereotype Threat in Organizations An Examination ofIts Scope, Triggers, and Possible Interventions LAURAJ. KRAY AND AIWA SHIRAKO■ This chapter explores stereotype threat in organizational contexts. Building ...

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Sep 10, 2019

Organizational culture is a critical determinant of an organization's success because it influenc... more Organizational culture is a critical determinant of an organization's success because it influences not only employee satisfaction and retention but also company profits and productivity (Berson, Oreg, & Dvir, 2008; O'Reilly, Caldwell, Chatman, & Doerr, 2014). Indeed, a recent survey of nearly 1,900 CEOs and CFOs revealed that over half of senior executives place company culture as a top-three predictor of firm value and more than 92% believe that improving culture would increase their firm's value (Graham, Harvey, Popadak, & Rajgopal, 2017). Researchers define organizational culture as the norms that characterize a workgroup or organization (Chatman & O'Reilly, 2016; Schein, 2010; Zou et al., 2009), and research suggests that the cultures of productive and economically successful organizations are often characterized by the norms of (a) collaboration, (b) innovation, and (c) integrity/ethical behavior (Denison & Mishra, 1995; Kotter & Heckett, 1992). These norms characterize successful organizational cultures, in part, by fostering greater trust and commitment among employees (Hartnell, Ou, & Kinicki, 2011; Kristof-Brown, Zimmerman, & Johnson, 2005). Although these cultural norms-and the trust and commitment they inspire-have been shown to predict an organization's success or failure (Chatman, Caldwell, O'Reilly, & Doerr, 2014; Hartnell et al., 2011), little is known about the underlying beliefs that give rise to these positive cultural norms in organizations. Organizational Mindset as a Core Belief Researchers have invoked multiple social psychological models to characterize norms within societies and organizations. For example, although some models spotlight the identity-focused norms of independence and interdependence within different societies (e.g., Markus & Kitayama, 1991), others focus on the processes underlying different norm perceptions, such as how consensus is generated (Zou et al., 2009), and still others focus on alternative dimensions, such 872473P SPXXX10.

Current Directions in Psychological Science, Feb 1, 2017

Stigma devalues individuals and groups, producing social and economic disadvantages through two d... more Stigma devalues individuals and groups, producing social and economic disadvantages through two distinct but reinforcing processes: direct discrimination (e.g., a White person not hiring a Black person based on race) and stigma internalization (e.g., women believing men are more qualified for leadership positions). We review strategies that individuals can use to not only cope with but also challenge their stigma. We discuss how attempts to escape stigma can be effective at the individual level but may leave the stigma itself unchanged or even reinforced. We then identify two ways individuals can reappropriate and take ownership of their stigma to weaken it: reframing and self-labeling. Reframing highlights stereotypic characteristics as assets rather than liabilities-for example, framing stereotypically feminine traits (e.g., social intelligence) as essential for effective negotiations or leadership. Self-labeling involves referring to oneself with a group slur. We discuss ways to utilize these reappropriation strategies as well as how to handle potential pitfalls.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, May 1, 2023

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Sep 1, 2022

Current opinion in psychology, Dec 1, 2022

Journal of Business Ethics, Aug 8, 2017

Scholars have assumed that trust is fragile: difficult to build and easily broken. We demonstrate... more Scholars have assumed that trust is fragile: difficult to build and easily broken. We demonstrate, however, that in some cases trust is surprisingly robust-even when harmful deception is revealed, some individuals maintain high levels of trust in the deceiver. In this paper, we describe how implicit theories moderate the harmful effects of revealed deception on a key component of trust: perceptions of integrity. In a negotiation context, we show that people who hold incremental theories (beliefs that negotiating abilities are malleable) reduce perceptions of their counterpart's integrity after they learn that they were deceived, whereas people who hold entity theories (beliefs that negotiators' characteristics and abilities are fixed) maintain their first impressions after learning that they were deceived. Implicit theories influenced how targets interpreted evidence of deception. Individuals with incremental theories encoded revealed deception as an ethical violation; individuals with entity theories did not. These findings highlight the importance of implicit beliefs in understanding how trust changes over time.

Academy of Management Discoveries

Academy of Management Proceedings, 2012

We examined whether women and men react differently to taboo trade-offs, which involve the sacrif... more We examined whether women and men react differently to taboo trade-offs, which involve the sacrifice of sacred values (e.g., the well-being of others, honesty) for secular values (e.g., money and s...

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2017

A social-cognitive approach to understanding gender differences in negotiator ethics: The role of... more A social-cognitive approach to understanding gender differences in negotiator ethics: The role of moral identity.

California Management Review, 2017

The reasons for women’s relatively slow ascension in the workplace have been a matter of consider... more The reasons for women’s relatively slow ascension in the workplace have been a matter of considerable debate. This article explores why so much remains misunderstood about the challenges women face and why negative stereotypes—specifically, the view that women are innately poor advocates for themselves—persist. In fact, women possess unique advantages as negotiators, including greater cooperativeness and stronger ethics. But often those strengths are overlooked or severely undervalued. This article presents practical strategies for managers and negotiators of both genders to close the performance gaps and calls for changing the narrative on what it means to be a successful negotiator.

Research on Managing Groups and Teams, 2009

... Jane's loss might elicit the thought, '&amp... more ... Jane's loss might elicit the thought, ''If only she hadn't changed seats she would have won.'' To activate this mind-set at the group level, participants are asked to read the scenario together and jointly determine some thoughts going through Jane's mind (eg, Galinsky & Kray ...