Beauport's Pride in Controlling Hy Dairies: Self-Worth & Social Identity Theory - Essay Sample

Introduction

Beauport took pride in her controlling Hy Dairies product that affected its profitability. Her self-worth in the company was augmented by being at the center of brand management. She envisioned herself as a start in the company directly under the control of the 'company's primary product. According to social identity theory, 'one's social class, team, or grouping is an essential source of self-esteem and pride (Carter, 2014). Teams and groups give individuals a healthy and positive sense of belonging. It is critical to strengthening their status within the organization or group to which they subscribe to augment 'one's self-worth or Self-image. The marketing research coordinator post was considered as a "backroom" job, away from the 'company's central bottom-line activities of profitability. It was not the best strategy for moving to the top post of the company. Thus, according to 'Beauport's observation, it could not allow her to remain at the center of the 'company's activities.

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Despite being elevating her to a lucrative position that would help her quickly move to the top management positions, Beauport felt that she was being discriminated against-out of a group (out-group) that would enhance her image in the company. According to the social identity theory, being moved from an in-group to an out-group would lead to prejudiced views and negative aspects. It thus explains why Beauport was unhappy with the new position as a market research coordinator. According to Carter (2014) stereotype within social psychology describes "an over-generalized conviction concerning a given grouping. From the case study, Beauport was unhappy due to the common belief that the position of marketing research coordinator was a "technical support position" or a "backroom." The position thus alienated her from the primary activities of the company. The common perception about the status led many within the company to make wrong assumptions and generalizations that were not true. It thus led Beauport to develop a negative view of the promotion to a marketing research coordinator. As a department "removed" from the bottom-line activities of the company, the common belief held was a technical tag of confrontation between the main events and the responsibilities undertaken in the marketing research coordinator office. However, few realized or knew that 'Gilman's path to the top management of the company got a boost in his stint serving as a marketing research coordinator. The common perception held would deny her the opportunity to identify some of the advantages of working in the department.

Other Perception Errors

A perceptual error refers to the failure in making a proper judgment on situations, things, or humans accurately. Perception entails getting awareness about a subject matter or a way in which an individual interpret significance from their environment. There are various types of perception errors that include projection, contrast effect, stereotyping, halo effect, and selective perception. Others include self-fulfilling prophecy, self-serving bias, similar to me-effect, and fundamental attribution error. From the case study, Beauport is engaged in selective perception. She is basing her promotion to the marketing research coordinator position from her attitude, experience, background, and interest. She is not taking her time to observe all that is within her environment to learn the job and company in general. For example, if she took her time to learn more about the new position, she would realize that Gilman got a definite boost in his career after serving in the post. According to Carter (2014) selective perception is the inclination not to recognize other factors in a given situation.

On the other hand, the halo effect is seen in Gilman when he mistakes 'Beauport's surprise as a positive response. He uses a single trait or attributes to judge 'Beauport's reaction. The halo-effect is also seen in 'Gilman's decision to promote Beauport to the marketing research coordinator by relying on only her excellent sales performance. Gilman drew up a general impression of 'Beauport's single trait that since she was good in sales, she would be good in other dimensions too. At the same time, projection is seen when Gilman assumed that Beauport responded the same way he felt happy when he was promoted to the same position. Projection entails the inclination to see 'one's attributes in others. He projected his character into Beauport, but he was wrong since Beauport was not happy as he assumed. At the same time, an impression is a perception error in which one forms an opinion about others on the first meeting or sight. Gilman failed to observe 'Beauport's bewilderment and only assumed she was happy. Even before understanding 'Beauport's response and traits, he was quick to make an impression that led to perception distortion.

The recency effect is a perception error in which one uses the latest information to make a judgment (Carter, 2014). Beauport used the most recent information about the promotion to conclude that she had been sidelined. She had numerous sources of information to rely on before coming up with the notion that she had been sidelined. The common perception was that the "back-room" job that was far away from the "bottom-line" activities of the company.

Perceptual defense: Often, individuals protect their general perception of their environment (Rudstam et al., 2016). If established, how one perceives the world and the situation develops a high level of resistance to any adjustment brought forth. Beauport believes that the action of Gilman is a way of sidelining her because of her gender. In her previous employment, Beauport's employer emphasized that women "'couldn't take the heat" in marketing management. According to her employer, women were best placed in lower brand management tasks. Beauport believed that Hy Diaries and Gilman were following on the same path to sidelining women and putting her in a position that she could not move her career ahead. She believed that it was a racist and sexist strategy. Following the perceptual defense, Beauport view was highly resistant to any modification or change. Her line of thought remained the same as before due to her strong environmental perception.

How to Minimize Misperceptions Within the Workplace

Misperception refers to an opinion or belief about someone or something inaccurate or wrong (Haslam, Van Knippenberg, Platow, & Ellemers, 2014). For example, it is a misperception to believe that women cannot handle the heat of marketing management within a company. Another example of misperception within the workplace is the common tendency to keep women of color away from the top management. MacNeill and Psyc (2015) postulated that misperceptions arise majorly due to lack of proper communication and bias tendencies. At the same time, misperceptions occur due to lack of knowledge, poor judgment, and the inability to undertake a comprehensive analysis of a situation or environment.

According to Emerson and Murphy (2014) many problems can be avoided by improving communication and understanding of subject matters within the workplace. It is important to practice active engagement and listening. By concentrating and asking questions, it is possible to avoid unwanted perceptions and views. For example, instead of Beauport concluding that Hy Dairies and Gilman are racist and sexist, she should have inquired more about the department. She could also have asked more about the chances of climbing the corporate ladder and opportunities of women in the company. Haslam et al., (2014) argued that active listening and research is essential and would help employees understand how their workplace operate and handle thorny issues such as racism, gender, and promotions. By asking and making in-depth inquiries concerning the above, she could not have made the many assumptions about her new promotion.

Employees should also be encouraged to discuss their opinions, perceptions, and views about their duties and responsibilities (Emerson & Murphy, 2014). For example, in the case study, Beauport was not allowed to ask or make any further inquiries about her new position as a marketing research coordinator. After being informed of the promotion, Gilman congratulated her and saw her off with the assumption that she was happy. Gilman should have allowed her to make any inquiries about the new department, a strategy that could have dispelled most of her misperceptions, such as racism connotation. If employees are encouraged to discuss their expectations, opinions, and views, it can go a long way in helping create a better understanding.

It is also important for persons in authority to take responsibility for making sure that the people they are addressing or talking to understand what they are communicating fully. According to Brandenburg (2015) doing this in a non-confrontational way, in trust, the other party will no doubt take responsibility on their part by asking for clarification and greater understanding. For example, in the case study, Gilman assumed that Beauport was happy and never bothered to inquire if she was comfortable with the arising situation. Gilman never took responsibility on his part to ensure that Beauport understood everything about the marketing research coordinator position.

At the same time, paying attention to all relevant points in addition to providing a clear and direct point of communication play a critical part in minimizing misperceptions. Brandenburg (2015) maintained that in-depth engagement and encouraging active communication are also critical strategies of minimizing misperceptions. For example, in the case study, if Gilman could have been keen to 'Beauport's body language, he could have realized that something was unclear. Improving communication strategies, focusing on building trust and taking a proactive approach to engagement with others are critical strategies for minimizing misperceptions in the workplace.

References

Brandenburg, L. C. (2015). Testing the recognition and perception of errors in context. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 78(1), 74-93.

Carter, M. (2014). Gender socialization and identity theory. Social Sciences, 3(2), 242-263. chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/https://res.mdpi.com/d_attachment/socsci/socsci-03-00242/article_deploy/socsci-03-00242.pdf

Emerson, K. T., & Murphy, M. C. (2014). Identity threat at work: How social identity threat and situational cues contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in the workplace. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 20(4), 508. chrome extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/https://icos.umich.edu/sites/default/files/lecturereadinglists/Emerson%20%26%20Murphy%202014.pdf

Haslam, S. A., Van Knippenberg, D., Platow, M. J., & Ellemers, N. (2014). Social identity at work: Developing theory for organizational practice. Psychology Press.

MacNeill, K., & Psyc, R. WORKPLACE. chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/https://plus.telushealth.co/blogs/health-benefits/wp-content/uploads/07-Approaches-to-tackling-mental-health-in-the-workplace-Karen-MacNe.pdf

Rudstam, H., Golden, T., Bruyere, S., Van Looy, S., & Gower, W. S. (2016). Beyond Handicap, Pity, and Inspiration: Disability and Diversity in Workforce Development Education and Practice. In Developing Workforce Diversity Programs, Curriculum, and Degrees in Higher Education (pp. 280-303). IGI Global.