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Averting the Motherhood Penalty
Whether they’re willing to admit it or not, hiring managers tend to doubt working mothers’ dedication to the job. Previous studies have revealed that the so-called “motherhood penalty” is rather rampant in the job market. People generally assume that working mothers are less committed, and therefore less capable, on their jobs. One of the most telling studies on this mindset was published in 2007, when a team of researchers had a group of women, some of them wearing a prosthesis to make them appear pregnant, pose as either job applications or customers at retail stores. Store employees were generally more rude toward pregnant applicants vs.
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Is Narcissism Essential for Success?
While narcissists are likely to garner leadership positions, there’s no evidence of a link between narcissism and a leader’s success.
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Can Having a Foreign Accent Hurt Your Career?
English is increasingly considered to be the global language of business. But people who speak it as a second language are generally passed over for top managerial jobs and executive positions, studies have shown. New psychological research reveals the factors underlying this glass ceiling. A trio of researchers led by Laura Huang, assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, hypothesized that non-native speakers of English are perceived as having weak political skills — which is considered essential for career success.
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Chris Christie and the Science of the Group Mind
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie finds himself in a position similar to many government and corporate leaders — apologizing for the misdeeds of his deputies, while at the same time claiming to have been misled by them. It is, in many ways, the safest position for an executive embroiled in an organizational scandal: Christie can cast himself as honorable by claiming responsibility, but not complicity. From Enron to the IRS, a number of companies and government entities have come under fire because of the missteps of senior executives. Like Christie, people at the top often plead ignorance to the actions of their deputies.
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The Perils of Performance Appraisals
Performance appraisals are sold as a tool to not only praise good work, but to help employees improve on their shortcomings. But often, the worker simply views the criticism as a proverbial slap across the face, and becomes so bitter or disoriented by the feedback that those improvements never come. What motivates employees to correct deficiencies in their performance? How can a manager deliver criticism without harming morale? In a recent study, a team of psychological scientists theorized that the way people react to negative work evaluations rests largely on their individual goal orientation.
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Why Apple May Struggle to Diversify Its Board
Under pressure from the public and from major shareholders, more and more companies are pushing to diversify leadership. Technology giant Apple emerged this week as the latest corporation promising to add more women and minorities to its board. “We live in an increasingly complex global marketplace, and the companies that can hire, attract, and retain women and people of color are better equipped to capitalize on global opportunities and avoid missteps that may not be apparent to a more homogenous group,” said Larisa Ruoff of the Sustainability Group -- which is one of Apple’s largest shareholders -- in a Bloomberg news article.
