The Problem with Pigeonholing

by Barbara "BJ" Hateley

The human brain is a wonderful thing -- an amazing "computer" with capabilities and potential that we understand only a little. This computer organizes the non-stop sensory data it receives in such a way that our day-to-day world becomes comprehensible and manageable. Like millions of file folders, the brain has categories in which it files away incoming data very rapidly, so that we can navigate our workplace and our lives as easily as possible. We have categories, such as: desk, chair, computer, budget, meeting, conference room, coffee, memo, ringing phone, pager -- all categories of things. We also have categories, such as: engineer, salesperson, clerk, blonde, Asian, techie, executive, pretty female, middle-aged white male, smart, dumb, yuppie, Hispanic, Caucasian, athlete -- all categories of people. While simple categories in our brains may be quite adequate in understanding the things around us, these categories are disastrously insufficient to understand the people around us. Hence, the problem of pigeonholes.

Pigeonholes are the categories in which we put people, often with very little information. They then tend to get stuck there, much to their detriment -- and frequently to ours, too.

We know that discriminating against people on the basis of race, gender, age, and so on is illegal -- but stereotyping isn't. It occurs all the time, and it isn't limited to these issues. For instance, there is the labeling that comes early in a person's career. Although he or she outgrows the position, that person can't move up or transfer into another area with growth opportunities because others within the organization continue to associate that person with his or her first job.

Pigeonholing is also problematic in companies with well-developed functional silos. These places allow people to move up within their silos, but never to cross-functional lines. Hence, people ultimately rise to a certain level, but can never move into general management. The organization, instead, has to recruit senior executives from outside because their homegrown talent is too narrow. Because of the pigeonholing, no one has been able to gain the generalist experience required for senior executive positions.

Pigeonholing can be based on a variety of things: occupation, education and training, geographical background, gender, age, personality, race, physical characteristics such as height or weight or appearance, perceived intelligence, and so on. We can all think of examples:

Engineers are logical and analytical. Computer people are nerds. Blondes are dumb. African-Americans are good dancers and good athletes. Extraverts are good at sales. Older workers can't learn computers. Pretty women are not smart. Short men have a "Napoleon complex." Southerners are red necks. Women are sensitive and nurturing. Asians are smart. Finance people are quiet and detail oriented. Human resource people can never become CEOs. New Yorkers are intense.

Some of these stereotypes are positive; some are negative. But they are all problematic -- because they blind us to the multifaceted nature of human beings and the incredible complexity of each individual. When we pigeonhole people, we see them in overly simplistic terms. We deprive them of opportunities to contribute, and we deprive our organizations of their talent, skill and creativity.

Women have an especially difficult time breaking out of pigeonholes in the workplace. Employers look at two things when they are considering someone for a new job or a promotion -- they look at past experience and at future potential. When evaluating men, employers tend to look more at potential, as in, "I think Charlie is ready to take this on. He can meet the challenge of this new position." But when considering women, employers tend to look more at experience, as in, "But Sarah has never held a job like this one before. She doesn't have the experience." In other words, women are more like to get pigeonholed based on their past jobs, while men are more likely to break out of their pigeonholes because bosses see their future potential.

Smart employers should be looking at future potential more than past experience in all their candidates for employment and promotions. Assessing generic transferable skills, rather than specific job experiences, can help focus on people's true potential for a position. People who take on challenging jobs that they have to grow into are going to be much happier for a longer period of time in those jobs. After all, if you've already done a job once or twice in your past, why would you want to just do the same job again? Boredom and lack of challenge will stifle professional growth in no time at all. People should be hired and promoted into jobs that are a little too big for them -- much as we buy clothes that are a little too big for our young children. If the clothes fit perfectly when we buy them, they will very quickly be outgrown. Likewise, if we put people in jobs that are a perfect fit today, chances are they will very quickly be outgrown tomorrow.

It pays to liberate people from their pigeonholes. It pays off for them and for the organization. We can do this in formal ways, such as developing a skills inventory, implementing cross-training, appointing people to special projects that will require them to learn new skills, design a pay for skills or pay for knowledge program, and other such structured approaches. We can also address the pigeonholing problem in informal ways, by talking to people to find out if they have skills and talents that aren't being utilized in their present jobs; designing work spaces that encourage conversation, dialogue and cross-pollination of ideas; and so on. We all have a stake in addressing the problem of pigeonholes. We need to work to create organizations where all people can spread their wings, fly free and show their true colors!

BJ Hateley is a Los Angeles consultant, trainer, and speaker, and the co-author of Pigeonholed in the Land of Penguins: A Tale of Seeing Beyond Stereotypes (AMACOM, May 2000). Hateley heads up Peacock Productions and can be reached at Peacock Productions or PeacockHq@aol.com.