When Allyship Backfires: How Nonnative Accent and Disclosure Agent Affect Evaluations and Decisions In An Entrepreneurial Context

Authors:

Abstract: Prior research has demonstrated that nonnative speakers tend to receive more negative perceptions, evaluations, and outcomes, when compared with native speakers in the workplace (e.g., Hosoda & Stone-Romero, 2010; Huang, Frideger, & Pearce, 2013). Despite these known effects of bias and discrimination toward nonnative speakers, there remains a dearth of research on effective strategies to help nonnative speakers mitigate these challenges. This research aims to address this gap in two ways: 1) examine whether disclosure (i.e., revealing personal information to others) could help mitigate negative evaluations of nonnative accents, and 2) explore whether the agent of disclosure (i.e., disclosure by self or another) would differentially affect evaluations and perceptions of nonnative speakers. Using an online experimental study design with 286 participants, we employed a start-up venture funding scenario as part of our experimental manipulations to examine evaluations and funding decisions. Preliminary results and insights from our research are also discussed.

Track: DEI

Keywords: Nonnative accents, bias reduction, disclosure, workplace conflict