Perspective-Taking, Information Processing and Workplace Verbal Abuse: A Bangladesh Factory Manager Field Experiment

Abstract

A randomized controlled trial analyzing perspective-taking on processing information concerning verbal abuse was conducted with factory managers in 16 Bangladesh factories. Managers’ modal perception of the prevalence of verbal abuse was inconsistent with worker reports, indicating managers’ resistance to acknowledging verbal abuse. Perspective-taking improved information processing but the response was heterogeneous. Acknowledgement of the prevalence of verbal abuse increased only in those managers for whom there was consonance between personal beliefs and the data. Among managers who engaged with the exercise or viewed verbal abuse as inappropriate, treatment increased interest in and willingness to make changes based on the data.

Keywords: Verbal Abuse, Dehumanization, Apparel Factories, Perspective-Taking

JEL Classification: D22, J81, O15, O31