LGBTQ Supervisors’ Equity Practices and Organizational Constraints

• In Event: Organizations, Occupations, and Work Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 17: Discrimination Contexts

Abstract

Background
Quantitative research suggests that the presence of LGBTQ supervisors helps make work organizations more equitable for LGBTQ and other employees, but past studies rarely examined specific actions LGBTQ supervisors take to increase organizational equity. To this end, an emerging body of qualitative research in leadership studies has provided important insights by describing LGBTQ supervisors’ accounts of their equity practices. Nonetheless, the literature conceptualizes these practices as outcomes of LGBTQ supervisors’ leadership capacity, and it has paid limited attention to how supervisor responsibilities enhance or constrain their equity practices. The present study seeks to answer the question by drawing on sociology and organization studies literatures.
Methods
We analyzed data from in-depth interviews with LGBTQ young adults who held supervising positions at work.
Results
LGBTQ supervisors engaged in several key equity practices including normalizing LGBTQ identities, developing close relationships with LGBTQ subordinates, correcting subordinates’ discriminatory behaviors, demonstrating authenticity, and writing antidiscrimination policies. They incorporated these practices into their responsibilities as supervisors. At the same time, they faced constraints on their equity practices due to the meanings attached to LGBTQ identities as personal, political, biased, unprofessional, and irrelevant to organizational productivity. These meanings contradicted other supervisor responsibilities to maintain work unit productivity, keep their relationships with employees formal, make fair decisions in hiring and operation, look professional, and represent the organizations in politically neutral ways.
Conclusions
The study contributes to the literature on equity practices by demonstrating the conflicting implications of supervising responsibilities and the importance of understanding meanings attached to supervisors’ identities. The wide prevalence of organizational constraints on equity practices represented a possible explanation why workplaces remain heteronormative, despite the increasing number of LGBTQ supervisors. Overall, the results suggested that LGBTQ supervisors’ equity practices need to be conceptualized as organizational behaviors, moving beyond seeing them as outcomes of individual leadership capacity.

Authors

• Koji Ueno, Florida State University

• Tomas Sanjuan, Florida State University

• Hope Mimbs, Florida State University

• Elias Goeckel, Florida State University

• Parker Johnson, Florida State University

• Skyler K. Bastow, Florida State University

• Rachael N. Dominguez, Florida State University