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  5. Sincere Solildarity or Performative Pretense? Evaluations of Organizational Allyship

Sincere Solildarity or Performative Pretense? Evaluations of Organizational Allyship

File(s)
Carter1 Sincere Solidarity.pdf (698.8 KB)
Permanent Link(s)
https://hdl.handle.net/1813/118134
Collections
Faculty Publications - Organizational Behavior
ILR Articles and Chapters
Author
Ponce de Leon, Rebecca
Carter, James T.
Rosette, Ashleigh Shelby
Abstract

Although organizations increasingly seek to communicate allyship with the Black community, their ally statements can receive vastly different responses from Black observers. We develop and test a theoretical model outlining key drivers of allyship evaluations among these perceivers. Drawing from signaling theory and integrating insights from the literature on identity safety, we reveal the costliness and consistency of ally statements as critical determinants of Black perceivers’ evaluations of organizations as allies. Two studies—the first leveraging statements released by Fortune 500 companies and the second a more controlled follow-up experiment—demonstrate the interactive effects of cost and consistency on these assessments. Specifically, the most positive allyship evaluations emerged for organizations whose statements conveyed both high cost and high consistency. Our findings have implications for organizations and business leaders who aim to communicate allyship. To be recognized as allies, devoting resources and incurring costs is not enough; organizations must also signal a consistent commitment to supporting marginalized communities.

Date Issued
2024-01
Publisher
Elsevier
Keywords
allyship
•
signaling
•
dentity safety
•
authenticity
•
intergroup relations
•
collective action
Related DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2023.104296
Previously Published as
Ponce de Leon, R., Carter, J. T., & Rosette, A. S. (2023). Sincere solidarity or performative pretense? Evaluations of organizational allyship. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 180
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Type
article

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