Deviant Men at Work: A Social-Motivational Theory for Change

Abstract

This paper proposes a motivational theory of deviance from gender norms that recognizes, understands and purposely develops working men´s communal behavior. Combining key streams of analysis that integrate organizational and psychological research, I provide an overarching approach about specific routes to facilitate change from men with testable propositions that inform future research. I explore the critical role of accommodating social and organizational patterns that reinforce men´s communal orientations. These contexts enable a psychological process of discrepancy reduction that allow identity-restructuring processes and facilitate gender deviance by changing meaning and importance of the masculine identity. These contexts also serve as motivational mechanisms that increase perceptions that gender-deviant efforts: (a) are feasible, (b) lead to a fair balance of positive and negative rewards and (c) are personally desirable. Evidence from research corroborates that explicit representations of deviant men and the value of communion at work are necessary steps to assist these psychological processes and allow men engage in fruitful forms of gender deviant behavior. This transformation is critical for both gender equality and organizational functioning.