Our Current Research
Building Culturally Inclusive and Humanizing Workplaces
U.S. workplaces are more culturally diverse than ever before. Today’s leaders play a pivotal role in shaping environments where respect and dignity are upheld for all. Their ability to foster a positive and inclusive climate not only boosts team performance but also enhances their ability to attract and retain top talent.
Our research delves into this pressing issue. We’ve discovered that the way people perceive cultural differences significantly impacts the success of multicultural teams. Specifically, embracing the idea that cultural traits are socially learned and adaptable—as opposed to being fixed and unchangeable—enables individuals to build trust within diverse groups and draw inspiration from a variety of perspectives.
Additionally, our work addresses damaging perceptions that can lead to harmful consequences in the workplace. For instance, our studies reveal that Asian American employees are often unfairly labeled as ‘robotic’—a perception that dehumanizes them and is linked to workplace exploitation and a lack of social support. By shedding light on such biases, we aim to combat these misperceptions and pave the way for a more supportive and humanizing work environment.
Read more at Publications
Fostering Understanding and Grace in Difficult Communication and Disagreement
Difficult conversations come in many forms, and one area our research focuses on is the delicate process of giving and receiving negative feedback. Negative feedback often feels threatening to the recipient, leaving feedback givers unsure of how to communicate it effectively. Our studies reveal a common pattern: both laypeople and experienced supervisors tend to soften the delivery of negative feedback by increasing indirectness—choosing phrases like “your work is not good” instead of “your work is bad.” This indirectness communicates support.
Our research also examines the role of wise reasoning in navigating socio-political disagreements and conflict. Wise reasoning encompasses five key elements (humility, observer’s viewpoint, perspective-taking, (recognizing) evolving situations, and search for compromise; HOPES). Wise reasoning has been shown to reduce attitude polarization, increase tolerance, and lead to better conflict outcomes, even during heightened societal conflicts such as protests and anti-Asian prejudice during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more at Publications
Managing Multiple Goals for Success
Balancing multiple goals—such as advancing your career, nurturing your family, and maintaining your health—is a challenge familiar to many. The pursuit of multiple goals not only impacts your ability to achieve them but also has profound effects on long-term outcomes like productivity and overall well-being.
While extensive research has explored how individuals manage single goals, the dynamics of managing multiple goals are not well understood. How do people organize their goals and goal conflicts? Can their beliefs about goal organization influence how they self-regulate? First, our lab seeks to answer these questions through a fresh perspective by studying laypeople’s mental models of goal systems: Goal models. We have identified three distinct organizing principles that shape how people conceptualize their goals: hierarchical, network, and sequential. Second, through literature review and testing, our team has gathered evidence to support a new framework that summarizes varied strategies people use to manage goal conflicts (e.g., goal integration, avoidance, compromise) These different strategies are linked to varying levels of goal success and satisfaction. They hold promises to both explain individual differences and serve as a tool to train more effective goal management for success.
Read more at Publications