Burch, Katrina A

Davis, Shelby

English

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Dismantling Bias Conference Series An Investigation of Perceived Authenticity of Diversity and Black Lives Matter Statements and Their Influence on Applicant Attractiveness Shelby Davis Western Kentucky University, shelby.davis564@topper.wku.edu Katrina A. Burch Western Kentucky University, katrina.burch@wku.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgg Recommended Citation Davis, Shelby and Burch, Katrina A. () "An Investigation of Perceived Authenticity of Diversity and Black Lives Matter Statements and Their Influence on Applicant Attractiveness," Dismantling Bias Conference Series: Vol. 3 : Iss. 2, Article 4. Available at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgg/vol3/iss2/4 This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact epubs@purdue.edu for additional information.                                               An Investigation of Perceived Authenticity of Diversity and Black Lives Matter Statementsand Their Influence on Applicant AttractivenessThe social responsibility of organizations has been a widely explored concept. CorporateSocial Responsibility (CSR) refers to when organizations are concerned with the social problemsof the neighborhoods and communities they serve (Mueller et al., 2012). An organization’sattractiveness refers to the degree in which applicants perceive an organization as desirable. CSR actions and statements can influence applicant attractiveness and organizational development. Itis important for organizations to attract job applicants/ employees with the same values andbeliefs as the organizations core values. As explained by Lis (2012), job applicants look for cluesas to what working for an organization will be like. These clues can come in the form ofcorporate social responsibilities.Since 2020, companies have been left to confront the social injustices against Black livesand their stances on diversity initiatives and Black Lives Matter (BLM) have been shown in theirpublic diversity and/or Black Lives Matter statements. The aim of this study is to understand the perceived authenticity of those statements and their influence on applicant attractiveness. Specifically, we will address the following hypotheses:Hypothesis 1: Fortune-500 diversity statements that specifically mention race and actionstaken to promote diverse workplaces will be seen as authentic and those organizationswill be the most attractive for people who reflect those values. Hypothesis 2: Fortune-500 Social Justice (Black Lives Matter) statements thatspecifically mention systemic racism/ racial inequality and/or actions to make a change will be seen as authentic and those organizations will be attractive for people who reflectthose values.                                                           In order to address the influence of diversity and Black Lives Matter statements a mixed-method study will be conducted.MethodParticipantsThe participants of this study will be undergraduate students at [University in the South, blinded for review] in the Departments of Psychology and Psychological Sciences.Materials/ MeasuresThe student survey will be administered via Western Kentucky University’s study board research participation system. Organizational attraction will be assessed via Highhouse et al.’s(2003) scale, which is comprised of two subscales: general attractiveness (5 items) and intentionsto pursue (5 items). Perceived statement authenticity will be assessed using Moehl and Friedman’s (2021) scale (14 items). We will also collect diversity fatigue (Smith et al., 2021) andColor-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS; Neville et al., 2000) to assess participant’s value-based attitudes. Participants will provide ratings based upon a five-point Likert-type scale,ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).Procedure Diversity and Black Lives Matter statements were gathered from google, companywebsites, etc. The statements gathered were public statements and easy to locate. Undergraduate and first-year graduate students were utilized as coders and trained in the coding process. After undergoing training, coders began coding the statements. Coders determined if the diversitystatements were neutral (i.e., no specific mention of race or ethnicity), soft (i.e., still no mentionof race or ethnicity but does mention differences in cultures), moderate (i.e., specificallymentions race and ethnicity, but non-committal), or strong (i.e., specifically mentions race/                                                               ethnicity and provides examples of actions taken to promote a diverse workplace). Eachstatement was coded twice. Coders then determined if the Black Lives Matter statements were soft (i.e., simple, generic, noncommittal), moderate (i.e., only mentions racial inequality/ racism or actions to make a change), or strong (i.e., mentions systemic racism/ racial inequality andactions to make a change). Each statement was coded twice. The proposed survey to test studentperceptions of diversity and Black Lives Matter statements will include an example statementfrom each level with organization attractiveness and perceived authenticity questions to follow.The proposed analyses for this study are text analysis, and correlation and regression analyses. Black Lives Matter statements will be analyzed using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count to determine the percentage of words that reflect different emotions, thinking styles, and social concerns. Correlation and regression analyses will be conducted to determine if there is a correlation between an organization's CSR activities and an organizations attractiveness and if an organization's CSR activities are a significant predictor of an organization's attractiveness. DiscussionOrganizations have the resources and influence/ power to influence DEI efforts in societyand organizations with mature DEI programs have the potential to build equal access to opportunities and advancement for minority groups. We will review the future directions and practical implications of Corporate Social Responsibility efforts, including how diversity and BLM statements can help address the latest social injustices and social expectations oforganizations.                                                 ReferencesHighhouse, S., Lievens, F., & Sinar, E. F. (2003). Measuring attraction to organizations. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 63 (6), 986-1001.Lis, B. (2012). The relevance of corporate social responsibility for a sustainable human resource management: An analysis of organizational attractiveness as a determinant inemployees' selection of a (potential) employer. Management Revue, 23 (3), 279 – 295. https://doi.org/10.1688/1861-9908_mrev_2012_03_LisMoehl, S., and Friedman, B. A. (2021). Consumer perceived authenticity of organizationalcorporate social responsibility (CSR) statements: A test of attribution theory. SocialResponsibility Journal, http://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-07-2020-0296Mueller, K., Hattrup, K., Spiess, S., & Lin-Hi, N. (2012). The effects of corporate socialresponsibility on employees’ affective commitment: A cross-cultural investigation.Journal of Applied Psychology, 97 (6), 1186 – 1200. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030204Neville, H. A., Lilly, R. L, Duran, G., Lee, R. M., Browne, L.  (2000).  Construction and InitialValidation of the Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS). Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47, 59-70.Smith, J. L., McPartlan, P., Poe, J., & Thoman, D. B. (2021). Diversity fatigue: A survey for measuring attitudes towards diversity enhancing efforts in academia. Cultural Diversityand Ethnic Minority Psychology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000406

An Investigation of Perceived Authenticity of Diversity and Black Lives Matter Statements and Their Influence on Applicant Attractiveness

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An Investigation of Perceived Authenticity of Diversity and Black Lives Matter Statements and Their Influence on Applicant Attractiveness

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