The Dilution of Diversity: Ironic Effects of Broadening Diversity

Abstract

Diversity is one of the buzzwords of the 21st century. But who counts as diverse? We coded diversity statements to examine how organizations typically define diversity and whether oppressed-group members perceive some definitions as diluting diversity, or detracting from the original intention of diversity initiatives. Organizations most commonly opted for a broad definition of diversity (38%) that focused on diversity in perspectives and skills, with no mention of demographic group identities (e.g., race; Study 1). In Studies 2 and 3, people of color perceived broad statements as diluting diversity more than other diversity statements. They were also less interested in working at those organizations, and broad statements led sexual minorities to be less willing to disclose their sexual identity (Study 4). Thus, broadening the definition of diversity to include individual characteristics and skills may backfire, unless the importance of demographic diversity is also acknowledged.

Passion is key: High emotionality in diversity statements promotes organizational attractiveness

“…Our findings contribute to the literature about how individuals with minority versus majority group identities might react differently to diversity statements (e.g. Jansen et al, 2016;Kirby et al, 2023;Klysing et al, 2022). We extended previous research, which primarily focused on the content of the statements, by exploring if individuals with minority or majority group identities react differently to subtle language cues in diversity statements.…”

“…At the same time, broadening the concept of diversity to encompass all unique characteristics and viewpoints, rather than solely focusing on demographic differences, was not well received and detracted from efforts to promote diversity among those who face systemic discrimination (e.g. people of colour and sexual minority individuals in the United States; Kirby et al, 2023). It is important to recognize the complexities of diversity statements and their impact on how various groups view an organization's appeal.…”

“…Due to the limited space, we report these results in the Data S1. Finally, following previous research (Kirby et al, 2023;Montenegro, 2020;Point & Singh, 2003;Singh & Point, 2006;van Berkel, 2019), we were interested in how often different group categories are mentioned on diversity web pages; we investigated this in an exploratory manner.…”

To conceal or reveal: Identity‐conscious diversity ideologies facilitate sexual minority identity disclosure

“…1.1.1 Diversity ideologies and concealable stigmatized identities Relatively subtle symbolic cues can send messages about the safety of an organization and affect sexual identity disclosure (Cipollina & Sanchez et al, 2022;Kirby et al, 2023). Diversity statements are one example of these symbolic cues.…”

“…Diversity statements are often displayed prominently on organizations' websites and repeated in brochures and other documentation. Although these statements usually express support for a diverse workforce (Kirby et al, 2023), the expressed cultural beliefs about how diversity and difference should be managed (i.e., a diversity ideology) can differ. These cultural beliefs can shape the experience of minoritized groups (Plaut et al, 2009).…”