A new look at an old problem: A positive psychology lens on discrimination – identity builders and work-related outcomes

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Highlights

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    A Positive Organizational Scholarship lens on discrimination and work outcomes.

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    Positive identities favorably influence performance and turnover.

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    High self-efficacy aids in coping with discrimination.

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    African Americans' experiences form positive identities and favorable work outcomes.

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    Racial socialization and bicultural living favorably influence work outcomes.

Abstract

Although many scholars and practitioners continue to emphasize the benefits of a diverse workforce, discrimination remains an impediment to diversity and inclusion. For African Americans, who are uniquely stigmatized in the United States as descendants of enslaved people, merely having a “black name” or Afro-centric hairstyle can result in employment discrimination. Despite these outcomes, many African Americans remain resilient while facing discrimination. Utilizing positive organizational scholarship and the positive work-related identity typology as a framework, we propose a conceptual model that examines how African Americans' experiences enable them to shape a positive identity and serve as protective buffers against discrimination. Importantly, we suggest this identity process empowers African Americans to overcome discrimination, still perform well, and not voluntarily quit. We conclude with a discussion of our model's impact on African Americans and other stigmatized minorities and suggestions for future human resource management research and practice.

Section snippets

Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS)

At the root of POS is positive psychology. Positive psychology aims to shift researchers' mentality from a need to fix to a mindset that endorses and advocates building on positive human qualities and characteristics that capture the full spectrum of the human experience (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). “POS focuses on dynamics that are typically described by words such as excellence, thriving, flourishing, abundance, resilience, and virtuousness” (Cameron et al., 2003, p. 4, italicized in

Discussion

Utilizing POS and PWRIT, our aim in this article was to examine the mechanisms that enable African Americans to perform well and not voluntarily quit, despite the risk of or experience with discrimination. As such, we proposed a model that displays five identity builders—racial socialization, racial identity, bicultural life experiences, biculturalism, and resilience—which parallel perspectives from PWRIT and serve as buffers against the harmful effects of discrimination. More specifically, our

Conclusion

Although discrimination is a negative phenomenon, its adverse effects, as proposed in our model, may be mitigated through the lenses of POS and PWRIT. Our model illustrates how racial socialization, racial identity, bicultural life experiences, biculturalism, and resilience, deemed identity builders, cultivate a positive identity and serve as protective buffers against discrimination. Notably, we proposed that this identity process empowers African Americans to overcome discrimination, still

Declaration of Competing Interest

None.

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