Abstract
AbstractColorblind and multicultural diversity strategies may create identity management pressure, leading minorities to assert or distance from their racial identity. In two experiments (N = 307, 279), Asian and Asian American participants in the United States completed racial identification measures, contemplated employment at a company expressing a multicultural, colorblind, or control strategy, and completed measures assessing ingroup similarity and comfort in the company. In the colorblind condition, participants who were strongly identified with their racial ingroup downplayed similarity to the ingroup and expressed less comfort relative to multicultural and control conditions. Participants who were weakly identified reported more similarity (but inconsistently) and more comfort in the colorblind relative to multicultural and control conditions. Thus, diversity strategies convey different meanings to strongly and weakly identified Asian individuals, with the former responding to colorblindness with identity distancing and the latter with identity assertion. Multiculturalism does not alter the typical pattern expected, with strongly identified asserting their identity more than weakly identified.
Highlights
In majority White organizations, people of color contend with chronic concerns about belonging and impression management (Schmader & Sedikides, 2017; Steele, Spencer, & Aronson, 2002)
For hypotheses by identification level, we expect little responsiveness to diversity strategies among people of color who are strongly identified with their racial ingroup, such that there will be no difference in racial identity assertion/distancing across conditions (Hypothesis 1a)
2 | STUDY 1 In Study 1, Asian American and Asian participants learned about a multicultural, colorblind, or control company context and responded to measures assessing racial identity assertion, including self-reported racial ingroup similarity, stereotypical self-descriptions, and interest in stereotypical activities
Summary
In majority White organizations, people of color contend with chronic concerns about belonging and impression management (Schmader & Sedikides, 2017; Steele, Spencer, & Aronson, 2002). On the other hand, are more likely to strategically assert or distance from their identity in response to environmental norms or other strategic concerns For hypotheses by identification level, we expect little responsiveness to diversity strategies among people of color who are strongly identified with their racial ingroup, such that there will be no difference in racial identity assertion/distancing across conditions (Hypothesis 1a). We expect people of color who are weakly identified to comply more strongly with contextual cues, such that those in the multicultural condition assert their ingroup identity more (i.e., distance less) than those in the colorblind and control conditions (Hypothesis 1b)
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