Exploring Leaders’ Discriminatory, Passive-Aggressive Behavior Toward Protected Class Employees using Diversity Intelligence

Abstract

The Problem. As there is diversity in many workplaces, diversity intelligence (DQ) needs to be integrated alongside intellectual, emotional, and cultural intelligences to be effective. DQ requires leaders to have knowledge to understand protected class employees and the legal mandates and executive orders established to protect those employees from discriminatory practices at work. Irrespective of the billions of dollars invested in diversity or antidiscriminatory practices training, many protected class workers remain underutilized or marginalized due to leaders' unfamiliarity with these groups of workers and/or incompetence to harness their talents to achieve organizational goals. DQ deficiencies trigger some leaders to apply passive-aggressive behaviors as a coping mechanism. These passive-aggressive behaviors can lead to a toxic and hostile work environment as evidenced through high attrition, unrealized productivity, feelings of frustration, fear, disappointment, resentment, among other adverse responses from both leaders and employees. The Solution. To efficiently and effectively integrate protected class employees to contribute at their optimum levels, leaders need to possess DQ. Leaders in this study need to be educated or reeducated so that they understand who protected class employees are in the workplace. The Stakeholders. Implications for human resource development professionals and researchers are offered. Opportunities for workplace leaders and protected class employees are presented.

The Diversity Intelligent Servant Leader: Developing Leaders to Meet the Needs of a Diverse Workforce

“…This article answers that call and begins to examine the relationship between diversity intelligence and servant leaders. Although several tools exist to assess servant leadership, currently there are no instruments available to assess diversity intelligence (Hughes & Brown, 2016; Laub, 1999; van Dierendonck & Nuijten, 2011). Thus, there is a need to develop diversity intelligent assessments.…”

Diversity Intelligence: Is This the Solution Human Resource Development Needs?

“…Wittmer and Hopkins (2018) additionally suggested that leaders having a solid foundational knowledge of EQ and DQ and an understanding of their biases, thoughts, emotions, and blind spots, leaders would be able to have real behavioral changes and performance increases in themselves, their teams, and their organizations. Hughes and Brown (2018) suggested a lack of DQ leads to some leaders being passive-aggressive toward their employees. Both Sims (2018) and Hughes and Brown (2018) concluded that DQ needs a tool to assess this attribute in a leader and empirical research is needed to determine if a leader with DQ can reduce structural inequities in the workplace and stop the mistreatment of employees.…”

“…Hughes and Brown (2018) suggested a lack of DQ leads to some leaders being passive-aggressive toward their employees. Both Sims (2018) and Hughes and Brown (2018) concluded that DQ needs a tool to assess this attribute in a leader and empirical research is needed to determine if a leader with DQ can reduce structural inequities in the workplace and stop the mistreatment of employees.…”

Special Issue: Women of Color and Leadership Journal: Advances in Developing Human Resources Expanding Our Voices? A Review of Human Resource Development Literature on Women of Color Leaders Over the Last Decade

“…Leadership has historically privileged White, middle class, men, and marginalized others who are socially categorized according to a protected class status (i.e., race, color, religion, sex, and national origin as established by the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964) (M. Y. Byrd, 2009; Hughes & Brown, 2018; U.S. EEOC, 2021).…”