Securing manager approval for innovative ideas is often challenging. Research reveals that employees who have transitioned from working-class backgrounds into white-collar roles tend to communicate in ways that make their ideas more likely to be heard. These ‘upward transitioners’ are more prone to acknowledge potential gaps in their ideas, invite managers’ input, and remain open to revising their proposals. Surveys and behavioral experiments involving over a thousand participants, including a multinational engineering firm’s employees in India, indicate this communication style resonates particularly well with powerful managers. The openness reduces defensiveness, shifting the focus from who is right to what solutions might work, and encourages managers to take ownership of the ideas. This approach contrasts with the confident, firm pitches often used by employees with consistently higher-class backgrounds, which may be less effective with those in positions of power.
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