Project info
Work package
- Inclusion
- Work
Sustainability threat
- External Shocks
Challenge
- Dealing with diversity
- Reshaping organizational forms
Study info
Related studies according to other researchers
“Are They Just Putting Up With Me”? How Diversity Approaches Impact LGBTQ+ Employees’ Sense of Being Tolerated at Work
Description of Study
Organizations vary in diversity approaches. Some recognize and celebrate group differences (identity consciousness), while others deem these differences as unimportant and deemphasize them (identity blindness). Research on diversity approaches' impact on workplace perceptions and experiences of marginalized groups has grown but focuses mainly on “visible” groups (e.g., racial minorities, women) while largely overlooking the potential impact on “invisible” groups (e.g., LGBTQ+ individuals). Integrating the diversity approaches paradigm with signaling and identity safety theory, this research addresses this oversight. Three pre-registered studies (Ntotal=1,318) investigate whether LGBTQ+ individuals prefer identity conscious organizations for employment because they perceive this approach as a signal of safety and acceptance for their identity. Findings reveal that identity consciousness (vs. identity blindness) is associated with increased attraction towards organizations among prospective (Study 1 & 2) and lower turnover intentions among incumbent (Study 3) LGBTQ+ workers. Identity safety (measured through employees’ sense of authenticity, belonging and justice) mediates these relationships. Exploratory analyses indicate that, compared to their cisgender counterparts, transgender participants generally report more negative workplace experiences and expectations (Studies 1-3). Furthermore, there is suggestive evidence that transgender individuals who publicly disclose their identity may exhibit an even more positive response towards diversity-conscious organizations. We discuss the implications of these findings and conclude that identity consciousness signals and creates an identity safe working environment for LGBTQ+ individuals, improves their workplace experiences and enhances organizations’ ability to attract and retain LGBTQ+ talent.
Study research question
Study 1 -
What diversity ideology is found to be more attractive by LGBTQI+ individuals?
Hypothesis: On average LGBT+ individuals will find an identity-conscious diversity ideology more attractive than an identity-blind diversity ideology.
Study 2 -
Why do LGBTQ+ individuals find identity-conscious diversity ideology more attractive?
Hypothesis 1: LGBTQ+ individuals will expect more identity safety in an identity-conscious organization, and identity safety (measured through authenticity, belonging and justice) will mediate the relationship between diversity ideology and organizational attractiveness.
Study 3 -
How does organizational diversity ideology relate to turnover intentions for LGBTQ+ employees?
Hypothesis 1: Perceived identity-consciousness in own organization will be associated with decreased turnover intentions for LGBTQ+ employees.
Hypothesis 2: The relationship between organizational diversity ideology and turnover intentions will be mediated by components of perceived identity safety: perceived authenticity, belonging and justice.
Collection provenance
- Collected during project
Collection methods
- Experiment
- Questionaire
- Vignette survey
Personal data
-
External Source
Source description
File formats
Data types
- Structured
Languages
- English
Coverage start
Coverage end
Spatial coverage
Collection period start
01/11/2021
Collection period end
01/11/2022
Variables
Unit
Unit description
Sample size
Sampling method
Individuals
LGBTQ+ Individuals over the age of 18, who lived in the UK
1,318
Prolific Sample
Hypothesis
Theory
LGBTQ+ individuals will find identity conscious organizations to be more attractive than identity blind organizations.
Signaling Theory; Diversity Ideology/Approach
The relationship between organizational diversity ideology and organizational attractiveness will be mediated by the anticipated identity safety (i.e., anticipated authenticity, belonging, and justice).
Identity Safety
Perceptions of organizational identity consciousness will be negatively associated with turnover intentions among LGBTQ+ employees.
Diversity Ideology/Approach
The relationship between organizational identity consciousness and turnover intentions will be mediated by perceived identity safety (i.e., perceived authenticity, belonging, and justice).
Diversity Ideology/Approach, Identity Safety
Variable type
Variable name
Variable description
Independent variable
Organizational Diversity Ideology was manipulated in study 1 and 2 using a vignette design. Participants are randomly assigned to one of the two conditions. participants are shown one of two company statements ostensibly presented on the company website. In the identity-blind condition, the statement reads that the company believes in deemphasizing group differences and encourages its employees to focus on similarities, regardless of their group membership. In the identity-conscious condition, the statement reads that the organization prides itself on its diversity and believes in celebrating differences (for exact statements see appendix). Besides the diversity approach, every other aspect of the statement and webpage is kept consistently the same across both conditions
Independent variable
Organizational Diversity Ideology
Organizational Diversity Ideology was measured in study 3 using questions adapted from Dang et al (2022).
Dependent variable
Organizational Attractiveness
Organizational attractiveness was measured using the five-item attractiveness subscale by Highhouse and colleagues (2003)
Dependent variable
Anticipated/Perceived Justice
Anticipated and perceived justice (6 items) was measured using an adapted version of the Perceived Overall Justice scale by Ambrose and Schminke (2009).
Dependent variable
Anticipated/Perceived Belonging
Anticipated/Perceived belonging (4 items) was measured using an adapted version of the subscale from Perceived Group Inclusion scale by Jansen and colleagues (2014)
Dependent variable
Anticipated/Perceived Authenticity
Anticipated/Perceived authenticity (4 items) was measured using an adapted version of the subscale from Perceived Group Inclusion scale by Jansen and colleagues (2014)
Dependent variable
Tolerance
We measured tolerance by a one item measure adapted from Cvetkovska, Verkuyten, Adelman, and Yogeeswaran (2020).
Dependent variable
Turnover Intentions
Turnover intentions were measured using two items from the MOAQ (Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire) by Lawler and colleagues (1975)
Discipline-specific operationalizations
Conflict of interest
No conflict of interest
Data packages
Publications
Celebrating the “Invisible”: The Role of Organizational Diversity Approaches on Attracting and Retaining LGBTQ+ Talent
Journal of Business and Psychology, 40(3), 593–617
Documents
Filename
Description
Date
Ethics
Ethical assessment
Yes
Ethical committee
Faculty Ethics Review Board - Social and Behavioral Sciences