Context Norms Shape Perceived Motives of Organizational Diversity Statements

Diversity statements have become common practice for organizations; might this norm backfire for norm-adhering organizations? The present research examines if awareness of diversity statement norms across organizations leads to perceptions of an organization’s diversity statement as mere norm adherence. Across four experiments recruiting Black and LGBTQ+ U.S. participants (N = 1,326), we find that when diversity statements are the norm across organizations, an organization’s diversity statement is viewed as more externally motivated and marginalized group members report lower anticipated belonging and perceive the organization as less committed to diversity than when organizational diversity statements are not the norm. We further examine perceptions of organizations that violate a diversity statement norm and how the strength of the norm impacts perceptions. By incorporating research on attributions and egalitarian norm perceptions, the present research affords novel insights into perceptions of organizational diversity commitments with implications for marginalized group members’ anticipated belonging.