Conscious and Unconscious Gender Bias in Competence Evaluations: Mental Representations of Project Managers

Organizational systems are inherently complex, with decision-making processes influenced by interactions between individual perceptions, social norms, and systemic structures. In project management, unconscious gender biases represent a hidden layer of complexity, subtly shaping evaluations of compe...

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Authors: Poveda Bautista, R., Diego-Mas, Jose Antonio, Gonzalez-Urango, Hannia, Corona-Sobrino, Carmen
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2025
Country:España
Institution:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repository:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/405787
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/405787
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Competences
Gender
Noise-based reverse correlation
Project management evaluations
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spelling Conscious and Unconscious Gender Bias in Competence Evaluations: Mental Representations of Project ManagersPoveda Bautista, R.Diego-Mas, Jose AntonioGonzalez-Urango, HanniaCorona-Sobrino, CarmenCompetencesGenderNoise-based reverse correlationProject management evaluationsOrganizational systems are inherently complex, with decision-making processes influenced by interactions between individual perceptions, social norms, and systemic structures. In project management, unconscious gender biases represent a hidden layer of complexity, subtly shaping evaluations of competences and leadership potential. This study explores how unconscious gender biases emerge as part of the complex dynamics within organizational decision-making systems. It investigates the interplay between individual cognitive biases and systemic factors in defining what constitutes a “good project manager” and how these biases influence hiring and promotion decisions. Using a sample of project management professionals, we applied noise-based reverse correlation (NBRC) to reveal participants’ unconscious mental representations of an ideal project manager by generating faces that best represented project managers. The study then compared these representations with conscious competence evaluations based on the International Project Management Association (IPMA) Competence Baseline, incorporating statistical methods to identify patterns of bias and preference. The findings reveal that unconscious gender biases align with entrenched stereotypes, favoring traits associated with masculinity in leadership roles. However, when consciously evaluating specific competences, participants displayed preferences that challenged these biases, suggesting a misaligned relationship between unconscious perceptions and explicit decisions. Unconscious gender bias operates as a hidden variable within the complex system of organizational decision-making, creating feedback loops that reinforce traditional stereotypes. Understanding these dynamics requires a system-level approach that integrates cognitive and organizational perspectives. Our findings highlight the need for interventions that address both individual biases and structural factors to foster equitable decision-making in complex organizational environments.Peer reviewedJohn Wiley & SonsConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72]202520252025info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501Publisher's versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10261/405787reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSICinstname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)Ingléshttps://doi.org/10.1155/cplx/7974362Síinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:digital.csic.es:10261/4057872026-05-22T06:33:51Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Conscious and Unconscious Gender Bias in Competence Evaluations: Mental Representations of Project Managers
title Conscious and Unconscious Gender Bias in Competence Evaluations: Mental Representations of Project Managers
spellingShingle Conscious and Unconscious Gender Bias in Competence Evaluations: Mental Representations of Project Managers
Poveda Bautista, R.
Competences
Gender
Noise-based reverse correlation
Project management evaluations
title_short Conscious and Unconscious Gender Bias in Competence Evaluations: Mental Representations of Project Managers
title_full Conscious and Unconscious Gender Bias in Competence Evaluations: Mental Representations of Project Managers
title_fullStr Conscious and Unconscious Gender Bias in Competence Evaluations: Mental Representations of Project Managers
title_full_unstemmed Conscious and Unconscious Gender Bias in Competence Evaluations: Mental Representations of Project Managers
title_sort Conscious and Unconscious Gender Bias in Competence Evaluations: Mental Representations of Project Managers
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Poveda Bautista, R.
Diego-Mas, Jose Antonio
Gonzalez-Urango, Hannia
Corona-Sobrino, Carmen
author Poveda Bautista, R.
author_facet Poveda Bautista, R.
Diego-Mas, Jose Antonio
Gonzalez-Urango, Hannia
Corona-Sobrino, Carmen
author_role author
author2 Diego-Mas, Jose Antonio
Gonzalez-Urango, Hannia
Corona-Sobrino, Carmen
author2_role author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72]
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Competences
Gender
Noise-based reverse correlation
Project management evaluations
topic Competences
Gender
Noise-based reverse correlation
Project management evaluations
description Organizational systems are inherently complex, with decision-making processes influenced by interactions between individual perceptions, social norms, and systemic structures. In project management, unconscious gender biases represent a hidden layer of complexity, subtly shaping evaluations of competences and leadership potential. This study explores how unconscious gender biases emerge as part of the complex dynamics within organizational decision-making systems. It investigates the interplay between individual cognitive biases and systemic factors in defining what constitutes a “good project manager” and how these biases influence hiring and promotion decisions. Using a sample of project management professionals, we applied noise-based reverse correlation (NBRC) to reveal participants’ unconscious mental representations of an ideal project manager by generating faces that best represented project managers. The study then compared these representations with conscious competence evaluations based on the International Project Management Association (IPMA) Competence Baseline, incorporating statistical methods to identify patterns of bias and preference. The findings reveal that unconscious gender biases align with entrenched stereotypes, favoring traits associated with masculinity in leadership roles. However, when consciously evaluating specific competences, participants displayed preferences that challenged these biases, suggesting a misaligned relationship between unconscious perceptions and explicit decisions. Unconscious gender bias operates as a hidden variable within the complex system of organizational decision-making, creating feedback loops that reinforce traditional stereotypes. Understanding these dynamics requires a system-level approach that integrates cognitive and organizational perspectives. Our findings highlight the need for interventions that address both individual biases and structural factors to foster equitable decision-making in complex organizational environments.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025
2025
2025
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
Publisher's version
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10261/405787
url http://hdl.handle.net/10261/405787
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://doi.org/10.1155/cplx/7974362
Sí
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv John Wiley & Sons
publisher.none.fl_str_mv John Wiley & Sons
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
instname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
instname_str Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
reponame_str DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
collection DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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