The Power of Positive Identities at Work: Implications for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice

The Power of Positive Identities at Work:
Implications for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice

Laura Morgan Roberts, Ph.D.
Professor of Practice, University of Virginia Darden School of Business

The desire to cultivate and sustain positive identities (i.e., to see oneself and to be regarded by others in a favorable or desirable way) can bring out the best and the worst in people. This presentation will review a compilation of research studies that demonstrate how positive identity motives affect diversity, equity, inclusion and justice.

For example, members of high status groups may revert to self-enhancing beliefs and practices in order to gain and preserve power, at the expense of lower status group members. They may also use positive identity rhetoric to justify dismissing or ignoring oppressive acts and systems, as in actively avoiding discussions of diversity, equity, inclusion and injustice in schools and workplaces that might threaten high status group members’ identities or challenge meritocratic beliefs.

By contrast, members of minoritized, marginalized and otherwise socially impacted groups may draw upon other narratives to cultivate and sustain positive identities, such as agency, ancestral lineage, spiritual connectedness and growth, which challenge problematic stereotypes, social comparisons, and self-enhancement biases.

After critically examining positive identity motives, tactics and outcomes for dominant and marginalized groups, I offer positive identity infusions that may bridge differences and lessen inequality in organizations.

This talk will be of particular interest to those committed to creating more positive climates in their units, especially for staff, students, and faculty from marginalized groups.

Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts is a Professor of Practice at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. Laura’s research and consulting focus on the science of maximizing human potential in diverse organizations and communities. She has published over fifty research articles, teaching cases, and practitioner-oriented tools for strategically activating best selves through strength-based development. She has also edited three books: Race, Work and Leadership, Positive Organizing in a Global Society, and Exploring Positive Identities and Organizations. Her influential publications on diversity, authenticity and leadership development have been featured in Harvard Business Review and several other global media outlets.