March 5, 2021 Weekly Roundup: Focus on culture to overcome imposter syndrome

Today’s edition of the ADVANCE Weekly Roundup features an article from Harvard Business Review on ways an organization can support individuals to reduce imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome, coined in 1978, describes the feeling of doubting one’s abilities, second guessing one’s accomplishments, and having mild-anxiety about work success. Imposter syndrome places the blame for feeling this way on the individual rather than considering how the organization’s historical and cultural context sends signals to women, particularly women of color, about their professional contributions. Rather than seeking to correct the individual, the answer lies in creating organizations that position racial, ethnic, and gender diversity as the norm. Addressing systemic bias and toxic cultures can reduce experiences that lead to imposter syndrome and maximize the net productivity of all members of the community.

Today’s feature was shared with us by the Advocates and Allies Advisory Board. If you have an article you think we should feature, please email it to advance-mtu@mtu.edu and we will consider adding it to the ADVANCE Weekly Roundup.

The ADVANCE Weekly Roundup is brought to you by ADVANCE at Michigan Tech, which is an NSF-funded initiative dedicated to improving faculty career success, retention, diversity, equity, and inclusion. These articles are available on the ADVANCE Newsblog (https://blogs.mtu.edu/advance/). To learn more about this week’s topic, our mission, programming efforts, and to check out our growing collection of resources, contact us at (advance-mtu@mtu.edu) or visit our website: www.mtu.edu/advance.

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