Interracial Communication in the Interracial Communication in the Work Place Work Place During Conflict Resolution During Conflict Resolution Conversations Conversations

By Hillary White

A ScenarioA Scenario

Imagine you are an employee somewhere, and your supervisor needs to have a conflict resolution conversation with you. Now imagine your supervisor is a different race than you are. How is this conflict resolution conversation going to go?

Question:Question:Does having a

supervisor of a different race affect feelings of aggression for the subordinate during a conflict resolution conversation?

Does having a supervisor of a different race affect feelings of empowerment for the subordinate during a conflict resolution conversation?

VariablesVariablesIndependent- Race

◦Mexican American, Asian American, Caucasian, Native American and African American

Dependent- Feelings◦Empowerment or aggression

MethodMethodA total of 500 employees in

subordinate roles, equally representing each of the five races

Each will be prompted to image a scenario where their supervisor is of a different race

They will then fill out a survey to gage their feelings of empowerment or aggression

Why study this?Why study this?Several studies have focused on

conflict resolution strategies of different races, but none have studied how these groups respond to conflict resolution conversations

Few studies have focused on interactions between different races during conflict resolution