Political Correctness is not all it's cracked up to be

Political correctness can increase creativity, an NPR story reports.  The study found that when groups first discussed political correctness their brainstorming efforts that followed (compared to a control group that went directly to brainstorming) produced both more ideas and more creative ideas. Groups that were all male or all female did not show more creativity, but mixed groups did.  

The authors conclude that “men might be uncertain about what may be seen as sexist or inappropriate, while women might be uncertain about speaking up at all and if their ideas will be valued.  ‘But in both cases, by reducing this uncertainty, people were much more open—both men and women—to share more ideas,’ Duguid said.”

Michelle Duguid, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, is one of the authors of the study and this is the citation from her web page:

"Creativity from Constraint? How Political Correctness Influences Creativity in Mixed-Sex Work Groups", Administrative Science Quarterly, with J. Goncalo, J. Chatman, J. Kennedy

National Public Radio is a great source for daily news.  Locally, turn to 89.7 or 90.3 on your FM dial for WKSU or WCPN respectively and you will find NPR news programming on either station.  Best way to survive daily commutes, because the best news programming on both stations is during commuting hours in the morning and after work.