How Can organizations achieve their diversity goals? New theories and evidence

Many organizations set-up well-intentioned diversity goals but find that the reality falls short of their expectations. We take up this problem – how organizations can achieve their diversity goals – by illuminating how the behaviors of individual actors undermine ambitious goals and well-intentioned practices. In this symposium, we bring together four papers that explore novel mechanisms that elucidate how micro-level actions shape the efficacy of meso-level diversity initiatives and macro-outcomes of interest to DEI scholars. The papers’ approaches draw on several perspectives, including those rooted in psychodynamics, culture studies and social networks, and diverse methodologies, including longitudinal data, ethnography, experiments, and interviews. Jennifer Merluzzi is especially fitting as the discussant, as diversity in organizations is one of the major themes in her work. A Systems Psychodynamic Perspective on Racial Inequality in Organizations Author: Sanaz Mobasseri; Boston U. Questrom School of Business Act the Part: Race and Social Class in the Modern Workplace Author: Summer Jackson; Harvard Business School Constrained by Good Intentions: Unintended Consequences of Fair-Minded Hiring Rules Author: Jeraul Mackey; Rady School of Management, U. of California San Diego Do referrals disadvantage non-White applicants? Evidence from Silicon Valley tech firms Author: Elena Obukhova; McGill U.