Original Research Studies
Nextions’ original studies explore how gender, race, generation, LGBTQ+ identity, and neurodivergence shape people’s experiences at work and how those experiences intersect. We study the practices and assumptions that affect opportunity, recognition, and belonging, with the goal of helping workplaces work better for everyone. Our newest study, Closing the Evidence Gap, examines differences across race and gender in the evidence recorded in law firm performance evaluations.
Closing the Evidence Gap
How Law Firm Performance Evaluations Are Shaped by Race and Gender
Dr. Arin N. Reeves
This Nextions study examines 2,116 performance evaluations of first-, second-, and third-year law firm associates. It finds differences across self-reported race and gender groups in how often evaluations include concrete examples of work, individual credit, and detail about development. The study asks firms to examine the evidence they record about associates before relying on those evaluations to make decisions about potential and opportunity.
Written in Black & White
Exploring Confirmation Bias in Racialized Perceptions of Writing Skills
Dr. Arin N. Reeves
Published in 2014, this Nextions study examined whether confirmation bias affected how law firm partners evaluated identical legal writing. Sixty partners from 22 law firms reviewed the same memorandum, with only the perceived race of the associate changed. Reviewers identified more errors and evaluated the work more harshly when they believed the writer was Black. The study has since been cited in law reviews, scholarly books, educational materials, professional programs, and legal commentary addressing bias, evaluation, merit, and decision-making.
Mansplaining, Manterrupting, & Bropropriating
Gender Bias and the Dynamics of Interruptions in the Workplace
Dr. Arin N. Reeves
Published in 2015, this Nextions study examined how gender shapes interruption behavior and how those interruptions are experienced across panel discussions, meetings, and conference calls. It distinguished among mansplaining, manterrupting, and bropropriating to show how women’s ideas can be interrupted, reframed, or credited to others and how these patterns affect participation, authority, and recognition. The research has since been cited in academic work, professional education, and organizational resources addressing gender, communication, voice, and power.
Bring us the question your organization has not yet been able to answer.
We can help you find and interpret the research you need or work with you to create an original study that deepens your understanding of a complex question and clarifies what to do next.