Stigma and Its Intersections

Abstract

The goal of this symposium is to further unpack the concept of stigma in relation to other types of social evaluation in the context of organizations and professions. Stigmatized actors are labeled by salient audiences as having a fundamental, deep-seated flaw (Devers, et al., 2009). This stigma discredits the actors, discouraging others from engaging with it. By discouraging engagement with the organization, the stigmatizing audience is able to exert social control over the stigmatized actor. Stigma is one of only a few negative social evaluations that have been examined in the management literature, and there is significant work to be done to both disentangle it from other evaluations and to build conceptual clarity around the intersections among various social evaluations. More specifically, we aim to make a first step towards understanding the differences and connections among the concepts of stigma, status, legitimacy, and reputation. Stigma and Status Hierarchies: Micro-Occupational Communities in the Sex Work Industry Presenter: Madeline Toubiana; U. of Alberta Presenter: Trish Ruebottom; Brock U. Organizational responses to stigma and social categorization processes Presenter: David Moura; Florida Atlantic U. Presenter: Bryant A. Hudson; IESEG School of Management The Cultural Contingency of Law: Evidence from the Introduction of the Automobile Safety Law Presenter: Simona Giorgi; U. of Bath Presenter: Massimo Maoret; IESE Business School When Stigma Doesnt Stick: Predicting Factors in Stigma Erosion Presenter: Karen Diane Walker Patterson; U. of New Mexico Presenter: Jo-Ellen Pozner; Santa Clara U.