without consideration of the content of their ideas. The researchers noted that this
could result in hiring uncreative individuals simply because they fit the creative stereo-
type, and failing to hire truly creative individuals who did not fit the stereotype. A sim-
ilar example is provided in the book Blink,in which trombone players auditioned for a
seat in an orchestra from behind a curtain so that their gender would not be appar-
ent.^21 While the interviewers all agreed on who was the best trombone player, they
were shocked to discover that they had chosen a woman because in their view, “women
don’t play the trombone.” In organizations, we frequently hear comments that represent
stereotypes based on gender, age, race, ethnicity, and even weight:^22 “Women won’t
relocate for a promotion”; “men aren’t interested in child care”; “older workers are
more reliable”; “Asian immigrants are hard-working and conscientious”; “overweight peo-
ple lack self-discipline.” From a perceptual standpoint, if people expect to see these
stereotypes, that is what they will see, whether or not the stereotypes are accurate.
Obviously, one of the problems of stereotypes is that they are widespread, despite the
fact that they may not contain a shred of truth or that they may be irrelevant. Perhaps
they are widespread only because many people are making the same inaccurate perception
based on a false premise about a group. Stanford Graduate School of Business professor
John Jost has uncovered another problem with stereotypes: They can be used to support
the status quo.^23 He notes that when people buy into stereotypes about disadvantaged
groups, they are less likely to challenge the consequences of the stereotype. For instance,
subjects exposed to stereotypes such as “poor but happy,” were less likely to respond neg-
atively to ideas of social inequality. One implication of Jost’s research is that we need to
be aware of the effects of stereotypes on how we evaluate the world around us. Stereotypes
can lead to strong negative reactions, such as prejudice, which we describe below.
Prejudice
Prejudiceis an unfounded dislike of a person or group based on their belonging to a
particular stereotyped group. For instance, an individual may dislike people of a particular
religion, or state that she does not want to work with someone of a particular ethnicity.
Prejudice can lead to negative consequences in the workplace and, in particular, to dis-
crimination.^24 For instance, an individual of a particular ethnic group might be passed
over for a management position because of the belief that employees might not see
that person as a good manager. In another instance, an individual in his fifties who is
looking for work but cannot find a job may be discriminated against because of the
belief that younger workers are more appealing than older workers. Prejudice gener-
ally starts with stereotypes and then has negative emotional content added.
WHYDOPERCEPTION ANDJUDGMENTMATTER?
The employees at the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) felt that Chief Commissioner
Michelle Falardeau-Ramsay was not living up to her role. They cited as evidence that she spent
meeting time describing entertainment details of the latest trip she had taken at taxpayers’
expense. This, and other perceptions of bad management, had led to high turnover at the
commission and low morale. About 63 percent of the employees had left in the previous two
years and 37 percent of those still working at the time of the survey were looking for other jobs.
Falardeau-Ramsay was unaware of employee unhappiness. She said she had regularly met
with employees and had never heard complaints of “managers openly showing favouritism, pro-
moting men over women, and nurturing ‘an anti-union culture.’”^25 Thus her perception led her
to the judgment that there was nothing she needed to fix at the CHRC. It had not occurred to
her that perhaps employees would be reluctant to share bad news with her. Did perceptions and
judgments by both Falardeau-Ramsay and her employees lead to actions that were harmful
to the organization?Chapter 2Perception, Personality, and Emotions 39prejudice An unfounded dislike of
a person or group based on their
belonging to a particular stereotyped
group.