African American and European American women's visions of workplace conflict: A metaphorical analysis

This study continues a research program focusing on the intersections of race and gender in the context of workplace conflict (R. Shuter & L. H. Turner, 1997). The current investigation examined African American (AA) and European American (EA) women's perceptions of workplace conflict. Results from this exploratory study indicate that although all women's attitudes toward workplace conflict, as measured by their metaphors for it, were predominately negative, AA women's were more negative, more passive, and less focused on resolution than were EA women's. AA women's metaphoric language was also more intense than EA women's. These findings strengthen our argument for the use of examining organizational communication through the prism of race and gender.