Document Type
Article
Source Publication Title
International Journal of Business Communication
DOI
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/23294884231216952
Abstract
Despite annual investments of $8 billion by U.S. organizations on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training, many DEI programs are derailed by resistance from members whose attitudes and behaviors the programs are intended to address. The current study tested the effectiveness of a narrative-based inoculation strategy designed to mitigate resistance attributable to psychological reactance. Participants (N = 273) were randomly exposed to either a single-message assignment-to-DEI-training notification or a dual-message inoculation condition in which they received a pro-DEI-training message before receiving the assignment-to-DEI-training notification. The inoculation condition produced lower levels of reactance and greater positive attitude change in favor of DEI training, with reactance mediating the effects of the message conditions on change in attitude toward DEI training and political ideology moderating the effects of reactance. The results contribute to the field by demonstrating the potential utility of inoculation strategies for promoting DEI training and other organizational initiatives.
Publication Date
12-14-2023
Language
English
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Gans, Roger and Zhan, Mengqi Monica, "Let’s Influence That Attitude Before It’s Formed: Inoculation Against Reactance to Promote DEI Training" (2023). SAGE Open Access Agreement Publications-Archive. 39.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/utalibraries_sageoapubs/39