🎧 5 Minute Insights: How Trump-Supporting Managers Weaken Inclusion

Political perceptions in leadership impact workplace dynamics—especially for Black employees.

Our latest 5 Minute Insights segment unpacks groundbreaking research from Dr. Darryl Rice & team, revealing how managers perceived as Trump supporters create more challenging work environments for Black professionals.

🔹 Key Takeaways:

• Perceived Political Affiliation Matters – Managers viewed as Trump-supporting were rated lower on inclusive leadership.
• Black Employees Feel Less Supported – This perception reduces engagement, mentorship, and professional growth opportunities.
• Younger Black Professionals Are Most Affected – Early-career employees rely more on managers for guidance and advancement.
• Inclusive Leadership Is Key – Organizations must address implicit biases and foster psychological safety to create thriving workplaces.

🔹 Why It Matters:
 When employees don’t feel included, companies suffer lower retention, weaker engagement, and diminished performance. Leaders must recognize that it’s not just about what they do—but how they’re perceived.

📖 Full Research Article: Politics and race in the workplace: Understanding how and when trump‐supporting managers hinder black employees from thriving at work - Rice - 2025 

🎙️ Want more insights from Dr. Darryl Rice?
 Check out our full interview where we dive into DEI challenges and resilience with Dr. Rice. Listen here: Advocating for Equity – A Conversation with Dr. Darryl B. Rice

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Chapters

• 0:51 Introducing Five-Minute DEI Segment
• 1:19 Politics, Race, and Leadership Collision
• 2:11 Research Findings on Inclusive Leadership
• 3:37 Impact on Young Black Professionals
• 4:10 Solutions for Organizations
• 5:22 Closing Thoughts and Call to Action

Transcript

Dr. J: 0:26

Hey everyone, welcome to Top 5 DEI, the premier podcast for and about individuals who cultivate diversity, equity and inclusion in their craft. This is our five-minute DEI segment, where we break down groundbreaking DEI research or takeaways from current news events in around five minutes. I'm your host for today's five-minute DEI segment, dr J, and today we're going to dive into a fascinating and important study from the Human Resource Management Journal. This one's all about workplace politics literally about workplace politics, as we dive into a study that tackles a major workplace issue how politics, race and leadership collide in the office. So here's the big question how do managers perceive this Trump supporting impact Black employees in the office? So here's the big question how do managers perceive this Trump supporting impact Black employees in the workplace? Do political views, or even just the perception of those views, affect how managers lead and, more importantly, do they shape how Black employees experience the workplace? This is a heavy topic, but also an important one.

Dr. J: 1:30

The research team led by Dr Darryl Rice, who's actually been a guest on our show, him and his colleagues wanted to understand if and how political perceptions of managers shape workplace experiences, particularly for Black employees. They focus on how managers perceive this Trump-supporting influence workplace dynamics, particularly Black employees' ability to thrive at work. They base their research on social information processing theory, which means people pick up on cues from their environment. If an employee sees that their manager is inclusive, they feel comfortable, engaged and supported. But if the manager signals, intentionally or not, that diversity and inclusion aren't a priority, it sends a completely different message. And here's what they found out. It really does matter. First, black employees were significantly less likely to see Trump supporting managers as inclusive leaders, compared to managers perceived as Trump opposing. Second, a lack of inclusive leadership had a direct negative impact on Black employees' ability to thrive at work. In other words, they felt less engaged, less supported and less able to grow in their careers. And here's where it gets interesting this effect was stronger for younger Black employees. Interesting this effect was stronger for younger Black employees? Why? Well, maybe it's because younger professionals tend to rely more on their managers for guidance, mentorship and advancement opportunities, or just opportunities for other work that could enhance their professional trajectory and careers. In other words, if they don't feel included or supported, it can set them back early in their careers. And so why does this matter? Well, leadership isn't just about what a manager does. This study shows. It's also about how employees perceive them, and whether a manager realizes it or not, their perceived political stance can send powerful signals that affect workplace culture and inclusion. For companies, this is a serious wake-up call. Culture and inclusion. For companies this is a serious wake-up call.

Dr. J: 3:33

If Black employees feel excluded under certain types of leadership, that's not just a morale issue, it's a business issue. Retention, engagement and performance all take a hit when employees don't feel like they belong. So what can organizations do about it? First, train managers on inclusive leadership. This isn't about just changing political beliefs. It's about making sure every employee feels valued and supported, a perspective where they value and support all people. And inclusive leadership also, in some regards, relates to understanding how to treat a diverse workforce, because you're not looking at everyone monolithically, but you understand the unique needs of each individual employees. Second, build a culture of psychological safety. Employees should feel safe to be themselves and express concerns without fear of backlash. And third, pay attention to workplace trends. If marginalized employees consistently report lower engagement under certain leadership styles, that's a sign that something needs to change.

Dr. J: 4:44

At the end of the day, work isn't just about what we do. It's also about the environment in which we do it in. Employees pick up on cues and when leadership isn't inclusive about what we do, it's also about the environment in which we do it in. Employees pick up on cues and when leadership isn't inclusive, it can have serious consequences for their well-being and success. That's it for today's episode of 5-Minute DEI brought to you by Top 5 DEI Podcast, and if you found this discussion valuable, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, share it with your network and, if you're a professional in HR or management, take this research to heart, because having an inclusive workplace isn't just the right thing to do, it's also the smart thing to do. Thanks for tuning in and I'll see you next time for more insights on the latest research shaping our world. Until then, stay curious. Enjoy your day. Peace out from Dr J.