Most of us have had the frustrating experience of being in a group that overlooked certain people’s ideas or didn’t give credit to the right person. In a recent study documenting this phenomenon, researchers sat in on 78 team meetings to see what happened to ideas — and the group members who contributed them — over time. They found that the group frequently overlooked ideas that members suggested, and sometimes revisited ideas later but gave credit to the wrong people. These findings are of particular concern to women, people of color, and members of other underrepresented groups, all of whom are especially likely to be dismissed or spoken over.
Research: Amplifying Your Colleagues’ Voices Benefits Everyone
Why you should always throw your weight behind a teammate’s good idea.
June 17, 2021
Summary.
Amplification, or a public endorsement of someone’s idea with proper attribution of credit, can help ensure that team members’ ideas don’t get overlooked or attributed to the wrong person. In three studies involving more than 2,760 participants in the U.S., the authors found that amplification can accomplish three important things: Make someone else’s contribution seem better, make the amplifier (the person doing the amplifying) look good as well, and help underrepresented voices be heard. In other words, amplification benefits everyone involved. This is especially beneficial for women, people of color, or members of other underrepresented groups, who may be especially likely to be dismissed or spoken over.
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Writing Skills Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Writing Skills. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Capture your audience's attention with smarter emails, Slacks, memos, and reports.