How to increase support for social justice programs at work
New research is challenging the idea that advocates from minority groups are less effective than their allies when it comes to building support for change.
Social justice advocacy plays an important role in bringing about changes to systems that sustain oppressive and unfair conditions for some members of society.
Its role in the workplace is just as critical. Equal pay for equal work, preventing workplace discrimination and the promotion of diversity and inclusion are all examples of what can be achieved through social justice advocacy at work.
Recent research by Associate Professor of Management Deshani Ganegoda has now shed light on the most effective way to garner support for these initiatives, showing that the best person to spearhead the campaign depends on who the audience is and how closely they can identify with the disadvantaged group.
Appeals for social justice can come from one of two groups – the people directly affected by injustice, such as a woman calling for pay equity, or an ally, someone who doesn't belong to the disadvantaged group but is willing to advocate on their behalf.
Previous research had found that advocacy from members of a disadvantaged group tended to be less effective than advocacy from allies. For example, minority race advocates were found to be less effective at promoting diversity initiatives than members of a majority group. This was attributed to the fact that allies were more likely to be viewed as objective.
“A member of a disadvantaged group would often be labelled as self-interested – merely driving a campaign because it served them,” Associate Professor Ganegoda said.
That research also found that members of a disadvantaged group who advocated for themselves at work were sometimes labelled as ‘complainers’ or penalised in performance reviews.
However, in a recent paper published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Associate Professor Ganegoda and several colleagues found that allies aren’t always the most effective option for garnering support, and that choosing the most effective advocate depends on who the target audience is – or in the language of the research, the ‘appeal receivers’.
“We were able to show that in situations where the person receiving the appeal identified strongly with the disadvantaged group, minority advocates were actually the better choice,” Associate Professor Ganegoda said.
What’s more, the researchers were able to show that this identification doesn’t have to be based on demographics – the lived experience of the appeal receivers and their ability to empathise with the disadvantaged group’s feeling of being marginalised was enough.
“I think that is an important message,” Associate Professor Ganegoda said.
"There is a time and place for both minority advocates and allies to advocate for social justice."
Considering the audience’s perspective
While past studies indicated that allies were the more persuasive advocate, many failed to consider the audience. This was what the researchers set out to investigate further.
“We wanted to understand, does this apply to all appeal recipients? And we found that it just is not the case,” Associate Professor Ganegoda said.
The researchers found that, in successful social advocacy campaigns, there was a ‘chain reaction’ in appeal receivers that increased their empathy, as well as their trust that the information they were hearing was legitimate.
However, this reaction was triggered differently depending on the strength of their identification with the disadvantaged group.
“Appeal receivers who identified strongly with the disadvantage group, perceived themselves to be more similar to an advocate who was from the disadvantage group,” Associate Professor Ganegoda said.
“This perceived similarity would trigger a positive chain reaction, increasing their empathy and perceived credibility of the message.”
When the appeal recipient did not identify strongly with the disadvantaged group, an ally advocate was more effective.
“Those who identified weakly with the disadvantaged group had the same positive chain reaction of increased empathy and heightened message credibility triggered when they heard the appeal from someone outside the disadvantaged group – someone who they perceived to be more like them, an ally.”
Looking beyond demographics
One of the key findings of the research was that demographic attributes were not the only factor that determined whether or not an appeal recipient identified with a disadvantaged group.
“We were able to show that you don’t need to belong to a minority group in order to identify with the group’s experience of being a minority – you just needed to be able to relate to the disadvantaged group’s experience of being marginalised,” Associate Professor Ganegoda said.
That’s an important learning for members of disadvantaged groups, who may be able to connect with a broader audience than they realise.
“There’s often a belief by minority groups that someone not in their demographic won’t understand what it’s like to be marginalised – and we found this is not true,”Associate Professor Ganegoda said.
“We found that appeal recipients can relate to minority groups by drawing on a variety of life experiences.
“Even if these are not exactly the same as those experienced by the minority group members, they can still empathise with the feeling of being marginalised.”
Empowering minority group advocates
Overall, the research reverses the notion that you need to be part of a majority group for your views and advocacy initiatives to be well received.
“The old message was discouraging – it suggested that minority group advocates’ voices are not very powerful,” Associate Professor Ganegoda said.
“What we found is that both minority group advocates and allies can effectively advance social justice in different audience groups – there’s a role for everyone.”
The findings may also empower minority groups who have previously been encouraged to ‘toe the party line’ at work, or mask themselves to fit in.
“Previous studies show that minority group members who advocate for diversity initiatives get rated poorly on performance reviews,” Associate Professor Ganegoda said.
“Therefore, in order to make it into leadership, or be seen as high-performing, these employees had to ensure they didn’t challenge the status quo.
“These new findings show that there is opportunity for minority group members to stand up for their own causes without the fear of being penalised.”
How to determine which advocate to use
The findings highlight the importance of knowing your audience when looking to successfully garner support for change in a workplace.
But how do you know if the person you are appealing to identifies with the disadvantaged group whose welfare you are trying to improve?
Associate Professor Ganegoda suggests that advocates should first develop an understanding of who they are talking to.
“Have some conversations with these people first, understand their experiences – have they felt marginalised, what are their values, can they empathise with you? Gain some insight and perspective, then you can select the best advocate to move your cause forward,” she said.
The research is also relevant to people who are responsible for creating fairer workplaces, such as senior managers and HR leaders.
“These people should be aware of how they react to minority- versus majority-group advocates – and how that may impact the advancement of fairness in institutions they lead,” Associate Professor Ganegoda said.
Read the full article ‘Garnering Support for Social Justice: When and Why is “Yes” Likelier for “Allies” versus “Disadvantaged Group Advocates”?’ by Associate Professor Deshani Ganegoda, Assistant Professor Jigyashu Shukla from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and Dr Debra Shapiro from the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland.
To learn more about our academic research, strengths and insights, visit the Faculty and Research page.
To find out more about studying at Melbourne Business School, visit our Degree Programs and Short Courses pages, or learn about our range of services For Organisations.
