Arete Volume One Fall 2022

Αρετή (Arete) Journal of Excellence in Global Leadership | Vol. 1 No. 1 | 2022

Figure 1 Various Marginalized Groups and the Microaggressions They Typically Experience

Source: Author’s Illustration, Copyright, 2022

However, the person who asked the question, “where are you from” (referring to a country outside of the United States) may be completely unaware of the inappropriateness of this question based on their own subconscious biases regarding Asians and Asian Americans. The person committing this microaggression thinks he or she is just being curious about the other person ’s cultural heritage, without realizing that they probably wouldn’t ask that question in the same manner to a person who looks more like they do. But why would a racial slight such as this negatively affect organizations as a whole and not just individuals, especially since it was not intended to be hurtful? The answer to this question can be summed up by the lack of “Psychological Safety” that microaggressions such as this can create in the workplace. This phrase was created by Amy Edmonson. She defines it as, “a climate in which people are comfortable expressing and being themselves...they feel comfortable sharing concerns and mistakes without fear of embarrassment or retribution” (2019, p. xvi). Another word to describe the feeling of psychological safety is “ b elonging”. Employees who feel that they “have a true sense of belonging” feel that they have a voice, they feel valued and seen, and they feel that they can show up authentically and be supported by others in their organization (Weber, 2022, as cited by Gonzales, 2022, para. 13). When psychological safety and a sense of belonging are lacking or missing altogether but high levels of productivity and creativity are expected, workers experience anxiety (see Figure 2).

64