Who Is the Weakest Link?
If you were given the chance to vote off the weakest link on your team who would you vote for?
The authors of a 2005 study entitled Games and Discrimination: Lessons From “The Weakest Link" felt that there were some clear similarities between the workplace and the game show. According to Kate Antonovics, one of the authors:
“It’s obviously difficult to mimic the exact structure of a competitive work environment, but our hope is that The Weakest Link captures the competitive pressures of the workplace,” she says. “The game is stressful, there is time pressure, performance is closely watched and the performance of those around you influences your success.”
The results of the study showed some interesting behavioral patterns. The study found that while contestants did not discriminate based on race, there was significant gender discrimination by women. Women were much more likely to vote against men than to vote against another woman.
The implications of the study on the workplace are unclear and the authors believe that more research is required in the area.
To read Sara E. Savage's article, Study: Women Discriminate Against Men, click here: Women Discriminate Against Men
What are your thoughts on the study and its results? Totally unrelated to the reality of the workplace? Mirrors reality? Who cares? It's women making up for their past treatment? Surprised? Not at all surprised?
We would love to have you weigh in with your thoughts on this subject. Please comment.
Posted by Denise Knutson, Senior Consultant, The H.S. Group
The authors of a 2005 study entitled Games and Discrimination: Lessons From “The Weakest Link" felt that there were some clear similarities between the workplace and the game show. According to Kate Antonovics, one of the authors:
“It’s obviously difficult to mimic the exact structure of a competitive work environment, but our hope is that The Weakest Link captures the competitive pressures of the workplace,” she says. “The game is stressful, there is time pressure, performance is closely watched and the performance of those around you influences your success.”
The results of the study showed some interesting behavioral patterns. The study found that while contestants did not discriminate based on race, there was significant gender discrimination by women. Women were much more likely to vote against men than to vote against another woman.
The implications of the study on the workplace are unclear and the authors believe that more research is required in the area.
To read Sara E. Savage's article, Study: Women Discriminate Against Men, click here: Women Discriminate Against Men
What are your thoughts on the study and its results? Totally unrelated to the reality of the workplace? Mirrors reality? Who cares? It's women making up for their past treatment? Surprised? Not at all surprised?
We would love to have you weigh in with your thoughts on this subject. Please comment.
Posted by Denise Knutson, Senior Consultant, The H.S. Group
posted by The H.S. Group at
11:45 AM
1 Comments:
It's interesting that women would vote against the men in favor of working with, or in the game show's example, playing against other women.
I would think it would be exactly the opposite as women can provide some of the fiercest competition in today's workplace and they don't always play fair (not to imply that men necessarily always do either).
But back to the topic of weakest link, what scale can you use to judge such a role? If you work in an organization of individualized, non-repetitive roles, who's to say which role is most valuable, or on the other end of the scale, who is disposable?
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Anonymous, at 12:59 PM
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