This study investigated a key question involved with attracting and retaining a diverse workforce: Should recruiters provide race-related realistic organizational previews (ROPs) to job candidates from historically-marginalized groups during the offer consideration phase? Colorblind (i.e., race ignoring) socialization practices are likely motivated by several fears. Yet, a colorblind strategy may also miss potential advantages afforded by race-acknowledging ROPs. Black and African-American (N = 338) individuals participated in a three (colorblind, implicit, or explicit ROP-type) × two (Black or White recruiter) message processing experiment. Statistical analyses revealed that implicit race-acknowledged ROP messages were comparable to a colorblind condition in terms of organizational attraction and motivation to join the organization. Furthermore, an implicit race-acknowledged ROP message was associated with higher intention to accept a job offer than an explicit race-acknowledged ROP. Analyses also revealed that participants perceived recruiters as credible and polite, regardless of recruiter’s racial identity or the race-related explicitness of the ROP message. Implications of the study conclude the paper.
CITATION STYLE
Austin, J. T., & Bisel, R. S. (2023). The Influence of Colorblind and Race-Acknowledged Organizational Socialization Messages During Offer Consideration. International Journal of Business Communication, 60(3), 892–911. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884221118909
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