MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Tackling the Allyship Gap at Work

In recent years, calls have increased for people to be better allies to coworkers who are members of marginalized groups. Millions of people believe they have heeded those calls. In a LeanIn.Org and SurveyMonkey survey conducted in June 2020 — as protests over police killings of unarmed Black people were sweeping across the country — more than 80% of White people said they see themselves as allies to people of other races and ethnicities.

But people who are supposed to be on the receiving end of such support often see things differently. Of Black women respondents to the survey, only 45% said they have strong allies at work, and only 26% said they believe Black women have strong allies at work in general.

About the Author

Katie Mehnert (@katiemehnert) is CEO and founder of Ally Energy, ambassador to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Equity in Energy initiative, and author of Grow With the Flow: Embrace Difference, Overcome Fear, and Progress With Purpose (Wise Ink Creative Publishing, 2020).

Learn more about MIT SMR.