"Our research, published in the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, suggests that people often hesitate to intervene when co-workers are mistreated because they themselves feel disempowered in their organizations and experience distrust and polarization. Our findings run counter to the common assumption that people don't step up to support marginalized colleagues because they don't care or are unmotivated. Not seeing much action against inequity and injustice can drive this cynical idea."
"We are psychology researchers interested in how people can use their strengths to effectively support others who are marginalized. We surveyed 778 employees in Michigan and 973 employees across all provinces of Canada, representative of urban and rural areas, working-class and professional jobs, and across all demographics, including gender, race and sexual orientation. We asked them, "What makes it hard for you to be an ally for underrepresented and marginalized people (e.g., people of color, women, persons with disability) in your organization?""
Surveys of 1,751 employees across Michigan and Canada found that distrust and tension between people are the most common barriers to allyship. Many employees reported lacking the power, opportunity, or resources to make a real difference for colleagues. Low motivation accounted for only about 8 percent of reported barriers, and lack of awareness of inequities accounted for about 10 percent. People described feeling disempowered within organizations and influenced by polarization. Diversity, equity, and inclusion approaches that rely mainly on persuasion, guilt, or shaming risk missing the structural and relational obstacles to ally behavior.
Read at Psychology Today
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