Political ideas in global
workplaces: Role of I-O inpolitically-charged environments
SIOP Select Session
In association with theAlliance for Organizational Psychology

Meet Your PanelKRISTEN SWIGART
Penn State University

KIRA FOLEY
George Washington University

Dr. M. GLORIA GONZALES-MORALESClaremont Graduate University

Dr. DANA BORN
Harvard Kennedy School

Dr. P MATTHIJS BALUniversity of Lincoln, UK

Dr. SARA WEINER
Independent Consultant

https://alliancefororganizationalpsychology.com/

https://alliancefororganizationalpsychology.com/
A Federation ofWork, Industrial, and Organizational Psychology
societies from around the worldhttps://alliancefororganizationalpsychology.com/• Advance the science and practice of organizational, industrial, and work
psychology internationally• Develop more effective communication and collaboration among thefederated societies• Enhance the contributions of organizational psychology to global society
through improvements to the quality of work life and the effectiveness ofindividuals and organizations

We hope you enjoy this Special Alliance Session!

Agenda• Introduction of the topic• Panelist introductions and opening statements• Panel Q&A• What we know from the literature• What we see in practice• Nuances (or not) within each – e.g., sector, culture, topic• SIOP’s role

• Closing thoughts

Anecdotal or Trend?
• A US marketing company told employees that it’s firm will no longer do business with anyone who is a registeredRepublican or Trump supporter• Numerous British employees who weren’t supportive of Brexit were threatened with their losing their jobs,
according to the Alliance of British Entrepreneurs• PepsiCo’s then CEO Indra Nooyi was asked about her reaction to the 2016 election just days after was quoted “I hadto answer a lot of questions, from my daughters, from my employees – they were all in mourning. Our employees
are all crying and the question they are asking is ‘are we safe’? I never thought I’d have had to answer thosequestions.” Such comments got her, and the company, negative media attention and highlights the risks forcorporate leaders who take political sides• Ogilvy, an advertising agency recently made headlines for being hired to do PR work for the US Customs and Border
Protection, which has been harshly criticized for failing to ameliorate, if not exacerbating, the humanitarian crisis
that is playing out on the US-Mexico border• A US employee was fired after a picture went viral on social media of her giving the “middle finger” as thepresidential motorcade passed by• COVID-19 crisis has created Asian-American bigotry, conspiracy theories, and divisiveness over when to open

Politics in the Workplace
A recent (2019) SHRM survey of a sample of working US employees found that:•

Over half say politics and the discussion of political issues have become more common in the last 4years•

Almost half have personally experienced political disagreements in the workplace•

1 in 10 say they have personally experienced either differential treatment because of their politicalviews or political affiliation bias•

Over a third say that their workplace is not inclusive of differing political perspectives••

Almost a third who said their workplace is not totally inclusive say their organization is notworking to become more inclusive

Only 24% said their organizations have a written policy and 8% have an unwritten policy about
political activities in the workplaceMeet Your PanelKRISTEN SWIGARTPenn State University

KIRA FOLEY
George Washington University

Dr. M. GLORIA GONZALES-MORALESClaremont Graduate University

Dr. DANA BORNHarvard Kennedy School

Dr. P MATTHIJS BALUniversity of Lincoln, UK

Dr. SARA WEINER
Independent Consultant

KRISTEN SWIGART• Doctoral Candidate at Penn State University• First author of Working While Liberal/Conservative: A Review of Political Ideology inOrganizations, published in the Journal of Management (February, 2020).
• Reviews all relevant research from political science, management & I/O psychology to answer thequestion ‘How does political ideology impact work’?
•Opportunities & Challenges for I-O• We can leverage our understanding of psychological processes to provide evidence-based
recommendations to organizations dealing with political ideologically-based conflict.
• However, we must be cognizant of how our own political ideologies – as researchers, practitioners, anddecision makers – influence the choices that we make.
• Includes: the questions that we ask, the interpretations that we draw, and the people that we hire, mentor, etc.

Kristen’s Opening Statement
Politics – “the activities associated with the governance of a country, especially the debate
or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power.”― Think: Issues that impact society on which people’s perspectives differ― Examples: Gun Control, Abortion, COVID-19 Response, Gay Marriage, etc.

Political Ideology – “a schema of interconnected attitudes, beliefs, and values that people
use to organize and process social and political information”― Think: Values― Examples: liberalism = egalitarianism & social change; conservativism = meritocracy & traditionalism― Think: Social Identities & Group Affiliations― Examples: Liberal vs. Conservative, Political Parties (e.g., Democrat vs. Republican in USA)

Kristen’s Opening Statement
How does Political Ideology influence our thoughts & actions? Glasses as a Metaphor• Often forget that you are wearing your glasses (they are mostly invisible
to us, but are always there)•

Easy to see other’s glasses on them (stereotyping/recognition of other’sbias, but not our own)

•Our prescriptions (e.g., the ‘thickness’ of our lenses) differ (strength ofour identities/values may differ by individual)

KIRA O. FOLEY• Doctoral Candidate, The George Washington University• Research Fellow, U.S. Army Research Institute for Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI)• Connection to Topic: Interested in political ideology as an observable, social category that may invite
discrimination and interpersonal conflict at work. For example, conducted master’s thesis on employees’
perceived similarity with their supervisor’s political ideology as an issue of person-supervisor fit.
• Opportunities & Challenges for I-O• There are many opportunities for future organizational research at the micro-level (e.g., political ideology as asocial identity relevant to diversity and inclusion) and macro-level (e.g., how do global politics, such as politicalpolarization, shape business ethics?).
• As both researchers and practitioners, IOs will be challenged by their own ideological biases, the need to be
more proactive and less reactive, and ambiguity in political ideology as a social & value-based characteristic.

Kira’s Opening Statement• Politics has always been divisive• “Man is by nature a political animal.” –Aristotle• But we’re more polarized than ever before• Today, politics is named a key source ofstress (at least for Americans) by:• 52% of Americans before 2016 election• 57% (Dem: 55%, Rep: 59%) after Trump’s win• 56% before 2020 election• Politics is no longer a taboo topic• Home  Work: Now we’re talking about
politics at work, which leads to arguments
and avoidance of coworkers with politicaldifferences.

• What does this mean for workplace
diversity and inclusion?

M. GLORIA GONZALEZ-MORALES• Associate Professor, Organizational Psychology• Connection to the topic:• Research on workplace incivility and interpersonal work stressors• Diversity and inclusion• Initial thoughts on challenges and/or opportunities for I-O• Diversity and inclusion are a political issue• Inclusion paradox: do we include exclusionary views?
• Political rights vs. basic human rights (equality, discrimination)• Civility vs Respectful engagement (HQC, Dutton, 2003)

DANA H. BORN
Current Positions• Co-Director, Center for Public Leadership, Kennedy School of Government• Retired Brigadier General, United States Air Force
Connection to the Topic• Teach and research Authentic Leadership and Public Narrative influences• Faculty Chair for a Senior Executive Fellows program for global senior federal employees• Interested in workplace wellness, stress, growth mindset, self-concept clarity, and purpose in life
• Provide workshops on negotiating Difficult and Courageous Conversations
Thoughts Opportunities & Challenges for I-O• We seem to focus on “this vs. that” (how might that impact polarization?)• What might happen if we focused on the “and”(i.e., “this & that”)• There is also importance in “bridging” navigating the “messy middle”• How do we develop and measure, “curiosity” “reflective engagement” “learning stance”?

Dana’s Opening Statement• “Learning & Leadership are Indispensable to Each Other.” – JFK• Power of “AND” and the value of the middle• Parents are more supportive of a child marrying some one of different
race/ethnicity/religion than Political Party.

Dana’s Opening Statement (con’t)• WHY to find a way to bridge differences• Expectations• Authenticity• WHAT topics to not discuss at the dinnertable• Sex, Religion, Politics• HOW to navigate the “messy middle”• “Reflective Engagement” / “Curiosity” /“Learning Stance”• Perceptions (What Happened; Feelings;Identities)• 3rd Story; Their Story & Yours; “Win-Win” /“Compromise”• What works? “Political Correctness”?

P MATTHIJS BAL• Matthijs Bal, professor of Responsible Management, LIBS, Lincoln, UK• Interested in politics and ideology in the workplace (Bal & Doci, 2018:Neoliberal ideology in work and organizational psychology)• ‘Classic’ distinctions between conservative-progressive-liberal do not
suffice anymore• But we are also confronted with post-neoliberal society, workplace, noclear-cut neoliberalism anymore

Matthijs’s Opening Statement• Globally, we are confronted with the absurdity and its normalization inboth society and the workplace (e.g., racism, misogyny etc.).
• Covid-19 shows the incompetence of absurd leaders (US, Brazil, UK,Russia…)• So there is no ‘neutral’ question about ‘politics in the workplace’ – not amatter of Democrat/Republican – but about our core values in society andthe workplace.
• This is simply a matter of life and death• The question for IO Psychology is: what are fundamental (human) values
that can be agreed upon?
• Eg. APA Ethics code: “respect for the integrity and dignity of individuals” (Bal, 2017)

SARA P. WEINER• Independent Consultant and Advisor with Glint and Uplevel• Advisory Board for the University of Arizona Psychology Department• APA Council of Representatives for SIOP, and SIOP Executive Board• Career: IBM, Kenexa, IBM/Kenexa, and Glint• Connection: an observer and participant in a workforce embedded in an explosive
political environment. Clear camps have formed worldwide in support of or against
political leaders, political policies, and the handling of Covid-19.
• Thoughts, Challenges, and Opportunities for I-Os: study the effect of this external
environment on behavior at work; advise company leaders on communications andACTIONS to support camaraderie, teamwork, engagement, and performance.

Sara’s Opening Statement
I-Os contribute by:• using employee surveys to monitor employee sentiment and levels ofengagement• ensuring issues are identified and encouraging leaders toTAKE ACTION THAT MATTERS, COMMUNICATE, and REPEAT FREQUENTLY(continuous listening and action taking)• study the effect of the politically-charged external environment on behavior at work
• study how COVID-19 is affecting workers: e.g., telework benefits and challenges;
work/life navigation; personal illness or anxiety about others’ illnesses or risks ofillness; anxiety about economic fallout; confidence in organization’s future• provide guidance for company leaders on policies/communications/interventions• promote adherence to diversity, inclusion, and belonging practices even when it comesto political ideology that does not align with one’s own

Sara’s Examples
Examples from the trenches:• An intern displayed a Trump poster in his cubicle in 2016. A leader in thatcompany said the intern was offending people; HR said free speech waswelcomed but asked if the intern wanted to make that a ”personal brand.”• Would it have been the same reaction to a Hillary Clinton poster?
• Should HR remind everyone not to bring divisive politics into the workplace?

• CEO in one company stated his support of Trump in an all-hands meeting• Should any company leader state their support of one candidate oranother in employee meetings? Or one political position or another(e.g., Brexit)?

Sara’s Examples
Examples from the trenches:• At height of #MeToo movement one company focused communication efforts
on being a more inclusive company, with adjusted wording for different cultures• One company CEO added a vague sentence in his quarterly webcast about
worker safety and did not directly mention a recent mass casualty shooting intheir state for fear of a backlash regarding different political camps on gun
regulations and laws
• Should the CEO have directly addressed the incident and then spoken about
increased efforts in worker safety?

• Refusing to wear masks in public because one feels one’s liberty is being
infringed or feeling the virus is exaggerated or even a hoax

Sara’s Examples
Statement options:• Example from one company: “We choose not to remark on political issues
that are not related to the business dealings of the company or the wellbeing of our employees.”• Example from one employee to another: “I won’t talk about politics at work
because it’s too distracting and makes me uncomfortable.”Recommended reading• Bal, P. M., & Dóci, E. (2018). Neoliberal ideology in work and organizational psychology. European
Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 27(5), 536-548.
• Blankenhorn, D. (2018). The top 14 causes of political polarization. The American Interest.
https://www.the-american-interest.com/2018/05/16/the-top-14-causes-of-political-polarization/• Johnson, A. F. & Roberto, K. J. (2018). Right versus left: How does political ideology affect theworkplace?. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(8), 1040-1043.
• Kanter, R.M (2020). Leading your team past the peak of a crisis. Harvard Business Review, April30, 2020.
• Roth, P. L., Goldberg, C. B., & Thatcher, J. B. (2017). The role of political affiliation in employment
decisions: A model and research agenda. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(9), 1286-1304.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/apl0000232• Swigart, K., Anantharaman, A., Williamson, J., Grandey, A. (2020). Working whileliberal/conservative: A review of political ideology in organizations. Journal of Management.

Additional Reading & References• Brown, B. (2017). Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone. New York: RandomHouse.
• Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House.
• Bohnet, I. (2016). What Works: Gender Equality by Design. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2016.
• Carrell, S.E., Fullerton, S.E. & West, J.E. (2009). "Does Your Cohort Matter? Measuring Peer Effects in College Achievement,"
Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 27(3), pages 439-464, 07.
• Stone, Douglas, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen. Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most. New York, N.Y:Penguin Books, 2000.
• Born, D. H., Hendrix, W.H. & Hartley, J. (Summer 2019) Moral Maturity. Journal of Character and Leadership Development (JCLD).
6(2) 151-160. https://www.hks.harvard.edu/publications/empirical-assessment-two-facets-moral-maturity• Born, D. H., & Megone, C. (February, 2019) Character & Leadership: Ancient Wisdom for the 21st Century. Journal of Character andLeadership Development (JCLD). 6(1): 68-87. https://www.hks.harvard.edu/publications/character-and-leadership-ancientwisdom-21st-century