Conceptualization and Empirical Examination of Diversity Training Backlash: The Role of the Moral Credentialing Process

Abstract

My dissertation seeks to promote the transition of “diversity training backlash” from a general concept that means different things to different researchers to a scientific construct regarding which there is a significant consensus, and to experimentally examine when and how such backlash unfolds in the organizational context. To do so, I conducted a systematic review of the DT backlash literature that critically evaluates existing theorizing and empirical evidence addressing DT backlash. Based on my review, I propose a definition of DT backlash and conceptualize the DT backlash construct by theoretically explicating how it cognitively, affectively, and behaviorally manifests itself. Then, I propose and empirically examine how moral credentialing theory explicates a previously unexamined underlying psychological mechanism of DT backlash. I hypothesized that research participants’ recalling DT-related experiences may morally license trainees before participating in DT, thereby leading to a likelihood of expressing prejudice and discriminatory behavior against minority group members (i.e., increased DT backlash). I also tested how one’s justice perceptions regarding DEI values and the assignment of DT, and individual differences such as social dominance orientation, and belief in a just world moderate the hypothesized relationships. Theoretical and practical implications will be discussed.