Orientation to the Public Image Assessment Exercise

Robin J. Ely

Exercise | December 2004 (Revised August 2005)

Orientation to the Public Image Assessment Exercise

Abstract

The Public Image Assessment exercise acquaints students with the ideal images they hold of themselves, the actions they engage in to convey these images, and the benefits and costs of these behaviors to themselves and to others. Social psychologists call this process impression management. Although managing others' impressions of us is a natural part of life--and there are good, pragmatic reasons for being concerned with the images we present to others--problems arise when people are driven by concerns about others' assessments of them. When the goal of validating one's image becomes more important than others, the task, or a group's mission, it becomes difficult to learn, take risks, and experiment.

Keywords: Reputation; Perception;

Format: Print

5 pages

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Citation:

Ely, Robin J. "Orientation to the Public Image Assessment Exercise." Harvard Business School Exercise 405-057, December 2004. (Revised August 2005.)

Why have women failed to achieve parity with men in the workplace? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not because women prioritize their families over their careers, negotiate poorly, lack confidence, or are too risk averse. Meta-analyses of published studies show that those ideas are myths—men and women actually have similar inclinations, attitudes, and skills. What does differ is the way they are treated on the job: Women have less access to vital information, get less feedback from supervisors, and face other obstacles to advancement. To ensure gender equity, the authors recommend that managers (1) question the stereotypes behind their practices, (2) consider other factors that might explain the achievement gap, (3) change workplace conditions accordingly, and (4) keep challenging assumptions and sharing learning to create a culture in which all employees can reach their full potential.

Any list of top CEOs reveals a stunning lack of diversity. Among the leaders of Fortune 500 companies, for example, just 32 are women, three are African-American, and not one is an African-American woman. What’s going on? The authors studied the careers of the roughly 2,300 alumni of African descent who have graduated from Harvard Business School since its founding, focusing on the 67 African-American women who have attained top positions in corporations or professional services firms. These women thrived, they found, because of three characteristics that are key to resilience: emotional intelligence, authenticity, and agility. The women were adept at reading interpersonal dynamics and managing their own reactions; crafting their identities; and transforming obstacles into opportunities. Beyond personal strengths, the authors say, another factor was critical: nurturing relationships with mentors who recognized the women’s talent and made it their business to support them. The insights gleaned are important not just for African-Americans and women; they’re essential for any manager who recognizes that an organization’s diversity is its strength.

Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2016

Explaining the Persistence of Gender Inequality: The Work-Family Narrative as a Social Defense against the 24/7 Work Culture

Irene Padavic, Robin J. Ely and Erin M. Reid

It is widely accepted that the conflict women experience between family obligations and professional jobs’ long hours lies at the heart of their stalled advancement. Yet research suggests that this “work-family narrative” is partial at best: men, too, experience work-family conflict and nevertheless advance; moreover, mitigating the conflict through flexible work policies has done little to improve women’s advancement prospects and often hurts them. Drawing on an in-depth case study of a professional service firm, we offer two connected explanations for the work-family narrative’s persistence. We first present data suggesting that this belief has become a “hegemonic narrative”—a pervasive, status-quo-preserving story that is uncontested, even in the face of countervailing evidence. We then take a systems psychodynamic perspective to show how organizations use this narrative and attendant policies and practices as an unconscious “social defense” to help employees fend off anxieties raised by a 24/7 work culture. Due to the social defense, two beliefs remain unchallenged—the necessity of long work hours and the inescapability of women’s stalled advancement. The result is that women’s thin representation at senior levels remains in place.

Keywords: 24/7 work culture; hegemonic narrative; social defense; work-family conflict; systems psychodynamic theory; Equality and Inequality; Organizations; Gender;

Citation:

Padavic, Irene, Robin J. Ely, and Erin M. Reid. "Explaining the Persistence of Gender Inequality: The Work-Family Narrative as a Social Defense against the 24/7 Work Culture." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 17-038, October 2016. View Details

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Orientation to the Public Image Assessment Exercise

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