Prejudices and procedures for dealing with anonymous allegations: What research organisations can do right and what they can do wrong

Abstract

In recent years, female senior scientists at universities and research institutions have repeatedly been accused, completely anonymously, of "leadership misconduct" or "abuse of power". In leadership positions, women are in the minority, in general as well as academic contexts. Their behaviour has been shown to be evaluated differently by superiors, colleagues, employees, and students than that of men in similar positions due to unconscious bias. In this paper, we argue that as a result of unconscious bias, female senior scientists are at increased risk of becoming involved in conflictual processes as a result of complaints because there is a mismatch between gender expectations and professional roles. This is especially true for organisations that have inadequate structures, processes, and procedures for dealing with complaints and conflict. Based on this, we provide recommendations for the development of procedures for dealing with conflicts at universities and research organisations that constitute viable and better alternatives to anonymous complaints.