How Identity Shapes the Workplace

What are people’s perceptions of female leaders who exhibit traits that are traditionally considered to be masculine, such as being assertive, confident or stoic? 

That question served as the foundation of the thesis Marilla Hayman, Ph.D., wrote as an undergraduate at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. In many ways, it was also a catalyst for the work she would go on to do as a scholar, researcher and teacher. Today Hayman is an assistant professor in the Department of Management and Leadership and Department of Human Resource Management at Le Moyne, where she continues to study the ways in which social identities such as gender, socio-economic status and religion impact people’s experiences in the professional world.

Hayman recently partnered with faculty members from Iowa State University, the University of Arkansas and Old Dominion University to examine the ways in which people’s socio-economic status during childhood influences their work, particularly whether or not they choose to become entrepreneurs. The researchers spent five years carefully investigating the topic, collecting data, analyzing their findings, writing a manuscript, and gathering feedback on it.

The team discovered that even if people’s socio-economic status changes as they age, their experiences during childhood remain imprinted on them. More specifically, they found that individuals who began life with fewer resources are less likely to take entrepreneurial risks, potentially robbing the world of important innovations. Their scholarship culminated in an article titled Founders’ Social Class Origin, Risk-Taking, and Venture Performance: A Bourdieusian Lens, which was published in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, a Financial Times Top 50 business journal. 

Hayman brings her scholarship on the impact of socio-economic status on the workplace into her classroom. She recently had the students in her Effective Supervision course play what is known as the privilege game. Each student was assigned certain traits, such as gender and citizenship status, and was awarded a different amount of money at the beginning of the game. Then they had to make choices related to things like education, career and housing. It served as a powerful reminder to the students that, in addition to ambition and work ethic, the circumstances into which individuals are born are extremely impactful. 

“I want my students to take these theories and to ask themselves what practical applications they can draw from them,” Hayman says.

It is a fascinating time to undertake this work. Artificial intelligence, remote and hybrid roles, and a rise in the number of “gig” jobs with companies like Uber, DoorDash and Instacart are changing and shaping workplaces around the world. Given that, Hayman believes that the most important skill she can impart on her students is the ability to think broadly and critically