In Short:
Research by GIWL Director Professor Michelle Ryan and a global team finds that impostor syndrome isn't an individual issue, it's fuelled by workplace cultures that pit people against each other – and it disproportionately impacts women and minoritised groups
Research overview
The study shows that people tend to feel like impostors more often when they work in an environment where they compete frequently with colleagues for promotions or recognition.
Co-author, GIWL Director Professor Michelle Ryan said that in competitive work environments people are more likely to compare themselves with higher-performing colleagues, which makes them insecure about their own abilities. This was true for both men and women of all ages and backgrounds.
The research was a collaboration between Vrije University, The University of Exeter and The Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at The Australian National University.
Contact
Michelle Ryan
Director
Intersectionality & identity, Leadership & the Glass Cliff, Relationships & the care economy, The workplace & working lives
Christopher T. Begeny
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