Skip main navigation
Exchanges

A Place for Critical Race Theory and Wokeness in Diversity Strategies

    Accepted by Geoffrey Wood
    Published Online:21 May 2024https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2023.0015

    Abstract

    In this exchange, we respond to David A. Waldman and Jennifer L. Sparr’s (2023; henceforth referred to as W&S) assertion that critical race theory (CRT) is incompatible with the goal of diversity and unity. Other responses in this exchange have noted that W&S’s critique of CRT is based on opinion pieces that misrepresent CRT rather than on CRT scholarship. We extend those rebuttals by elaborating what CRT positively contributes to diversity strategies and how it is relevant to future research. We first discuss the core tenets of CRT, which W&S do not critique in their paper. We then explain why, contrary to W&S’s article, paradox theory and positive organizational behavior (POB) do not provide a rationale for rejecting CRT in diversity management. Specifically, we explain why a paradox perspective requires learning from CRT, and how POB prevents examination of negatively oriented behaviors like discrimination and racism that make diversity management challenging and paradoxical. We explain why the aforementioned limitations make W&S’s recommendations inappropriate for organizations that pursue diversity management for equity and inclusion (DE&I) not just for unity. We conclude with a discussion of how CRT can inform evidence-based management of DE&I and guide future research.

    REFERENCES

    • Academy of Management. 2022. September 30: Anti-“woke” diversity strategies. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6arxZ1XtdoQ. Accessed May 9, 2024. Google Scholar
    • Academy of Management Insights. 2022. September 1: U.S.-China rivalry|Anti-woke diversity efforts|Instagram influencers. Retrieved from https://1drv.ms/b/s!AmLgifZqO6ThjPUmRms3gVPqewi-Vw?e=3Ug332 Google Scholar
    • Avery, D. R., Darren, K. B., Dumas, T. L., George, E., Joshi, A., Loyd, D. L., van Knippenberg, D., Wang, M., & Xu, H. 2022. Racial biases in the publication process: Exploring expressions and solutions. Journal of Management, 48: 7–16. Google Scholar
    • Bandura, A. 1991. Social cognitive theory of moral thought and action. In W. M. Kurtines, J. Gewirtz, & J. L. Lamb (Eds.), Handbook of moral development and human behavior (1st ed.), vols. 1–3: 45–103. New York: Psychology Press. Google Scholar
    • Bandura, A. 2002. Selective moral disengagement in the exercise of moral agency. Journal of Moral Education, 31: 101–119. Google Scholar
    • Bayne, B. C. 2022. February 2: Opinion How “woke” became the least woke word in U.S. English. Washington Post. Google Scholar
    • Bell, D. A. 1980. Brown v. Board of Education and the interest convergence dilemma. Harvard Law Review, 93: 518–533. Google Scholar
    • Bernstein, R. S., Bulger, M., Salipante, P., & Weisinger, J. Y. 2020. From diversity to inclusion to equity: A theory of generative interactions. Journal of Business Ethics, 167: 395–410. Google Scholar
    • Bonaccio, S., Connelly, C. E., Gellatly, I. R., Jetha, A., & Martin Ginis, K. A. 2020. The participation of people with disabilities in the workplace across the employment cycle: Employer concerns and research evidence. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35: 135–158. Google Scholar
    • Bruton, G. D., Lewis, A., Cerecedo-Lopez, J., & Chapman, K. 2022. A racialized view of entrepreneurship: A review and proposal for future research. Academy of Management Annals, 17: 492–515. Google Scholar
    • Castilla, E. J. 2015. Accounting for the gap: A firm study manipulating organizational accountability and transparency in pay decisions. Organization Science, 26: 311–333. Google Scholar
    • Castilla, E. J., & Benard, S. 2010. The paradox of meritocracy in organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 55: 543–576. Google Scholar
    • Chin, M. H., & Chien, A. T. 2006. Reducing racial and ethnic disparities in health care: An integral part of quality improvement scholarship. BMJ Quality & Safety, 15: 79–80. Google Scholar
    • Dean, S., & Bhuiyan, J. 2020. June 24: Why are Black and Latino people still kept out of the tech industry? Los Angeles Times. Google Scholar
    • Dobbin, F., & Kalev, A. 2016. Why diversity programs fail and what works better. Harvard Business Review, 94: 52–60. Google Scholar
    • Donahoo, S., & Smith, A. D. 2022. Controlling the crown: Legal efforts to professionalize black hair. Race and Justice, 12: 182–20. Google Scholar
    • Eden, D., & Shani, A. B. 1982. Pygmalion goes to boot camp: Expectancy, leadership, and trainee performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 67: 194–199. Google Scholar
    • Economist. 2021. July 30: How has the meaning of the word “woke” evolved? Google Scholar
    • European Commission. 2020. A union of equality: EU anti-racism action plan 2020–2025. COM (2020) 565 Final. Retrieved from https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/beb25da4-e6b9-459e-89f7-bcdbd3a8f0c8_en?filename=a_union_of_equality_eu_action_plan_against_racism_2020_-2025_en.pdf. Google Scholar
    • Ferdman, B. M. 2017. Paradoxes of inclusion: Understanding and managing the tensions of diversity and multiculturalism. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 53: 235–263. Google Scholar
    • Gasparino, R. 2021. October 2: Big Biz has found that Critical Race Theory is bad for business. New York Post. Google Scholar
    • Gramlich, J. 2020. May 6: Black imprisonment rate in the U.S. has fallen by a third since 2006. Pew Research Center. Retrieve from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/05/06/share-of-black-white-hispanic-americans-in-prison-2018-vs-2006/ Google Scholar
    • George, J. 2021. A lesson on critical race theory. Human Rights Magazine: 46. Google Scholar
    • Greene, D. W. 2012. A multidimensional analysis of what not to wear in the workplace: Hijabs and natural hair. FIU Law Review, 8: 333. Google Scholar
    • Harrison, D. A., Price, K. H., & Bell, M. P. 1998. Beyond relational demography: Time and the effects of surface- and deep-level diversity on work group cohesion. Academy of Management Journal, 41: 96–107.Abstract , Google Scholar
    • Harrison, D. A., Price, K. H., Gavin, J. H., & Florey, A. T. 2002. Time, teams, and task performance: Changing effects of surface- and deep-level diversity on group functioning. Academy of Management Journal, 45: 1029–1045.Link , Google Scholar
    • Hollenbach, S. J., Thornburg, L. L., Glantz, J. C., & Hill, E. 2021. Associations between historically redlined districts and racial disparities in current obstetric outcomes. JAMA Network Open, 4: 1–9. Google Scholar
    • Horton, J. 2021. May 24: George Floyd: How far have African Americans come since the 1960s? BBC News. Google Scholar
    • Kaplan, S. 2020. Beyond the business case for social responsibility. Academy of Management Discoveries, 6: 1–4.Link , Google Scholar
    • King, B. (@BerniceKing). 2020. August 26: It is divisive to call for unity without working for justice. Twitter. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/berniceking/status/1298660428990554114. Google Scholar
    • Kolivoski, K. M., Weaver, A., & Constance-Huggins, M. 2014. Critical race theory: Opportunities for application in social work practice and policy. Families in Society, 95: 269–276. Google Scholar
    • Konrad, A. M., Richard, O. C., & Yang, Y. 2021. Both diversity and meritocracy: Managing the diversity-meritocracy paradox with organizational ambidexterity. Journal of Management Studies, 58: 2180–2206. Google Scholar
    • Lee, J. Y., Bansal, P., & Barbosa, A. M. 2023. Seeing beyond the here and now: How corporate purpose combats corporate myopia. Strategic Science, 8: 302–310. Google Scholar
    • Luthans, F. 2002. The need for and meaning of positive organizational behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23: 695–706. Google Scholar
    • Luthans, F., & Avolio, B. J. 2009. The “point” of positive organizational behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30: 291–307. Google Scholar
    • Lynn, M.Dixson, A. D. (Eds.). 2013. Handbook of critical race theory in education. New York: Routledge. Google Scholar
    • Markowicz, K. 2021. June 28: Critical race theory is part of woke agenda—parents should fight it. New York Post. Google Scholar
    • Massey, D. 2007. Categorically unequal: The American stratification system. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Google Scholar
    • Merriam-Webster. n.d. Woke. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woke. Accessed January 13, 2023 Google Scholar
    • Mor Barak, M. E., Lizano, E. L., Kim, A., Duan, L., Rhee, M. K., Hsiao, H. Y., & Brimhall, K. C. 2016. The promise of diversity management for climate of inclusion: A state-of-the-art review and meta-analysis. Human Service Organizations, Management, Leadership & Governance, 40: 305–333. Google Scholar
    • Newman, A., Le, H., North-Samardzic, A., & Cohen, M. 2020. Moral disengagement at work: A review and research agenda. Journal of Business Ethics, 167: 535–570. Google Scholar
    • Nishii, L. H. 2013. The benefits of climate for inclusion for gender-diverse groups. Academy of Management Journal, 56: 1754–1774.Link , Google Scholar
    • Opie, T. R., & Phillips, K. W. 2015. Hair penalties: The negative influence of Afrocentric hair on ratings of Black women’s dominance and professionalism. Frontiers in Psychology, 6: 1311. Google Scholar
    • Pearce, J. A. 2012. Revising manuscripts for premier entrepreneurship journals. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 36: 193–203. Google Scholar
    • Phillips, K. W., & Loyd, D. L. 2006. When surface and deep-level diversity collide: The effects on dissenting group members. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 99: 143–160. Google Scholar
    • Ray, V. 2019. A theory of racialized organizations. American Sociological Review, 84: 26–53. Google Scholar
    • Rosenthal, R. 2010. Pygmalion effect. In I. WeinerW. Craighead (Eds.), The Corsini encyclopedia of psychology (4th ed.): 1398–1399. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Google Scholar
    • Rufo, C. F. 2021. The woke defence contractor. City Journal. Google Scholar
    • Sachdev, I., & Bourhis, R. Y. 1991. Power and status differentials in minority and majority group relations. European Journal of Social Psychology, 21: 1–24. Google Scholar
    • Saxenian, A. 2002. Silicon Valley’s new immigrant high-growth entrepreneurs. Economic Development Quarterly, 16: 20–31. Google Scholar
    • Sima, R. 2023. February 16: Racism takes a toll on the brain, research shows. Washington Post. Google Scholar
    • Smith, W. K., & Lewis, M. W. 2011. Toward a theory of paradox: A dynamic equilibrium model of organizing. Academy of Management Review, 36: 381–403.Link , Google Scholar
    • Steinmetz, K. 2017. June 15: The Oxford English Dictionary just added “woke.” It’s older than you might think. Time. Google Scholar
    • Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. 1979. An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. AustinS. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations: 33–47. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole. Google Scholar
    • Taylor, B. 2015. June 1: Supreme Court rules for woman denied Abercrombie & Fitch job over headscarf. NPR. Google Scholar
    • Thomason, B., Opie, T., Livingston, B., & Sitzmann, T. 2023. “Woke” diversity strategies: Science or sensationalism? Academy of Management Perspectives. Doi: 10.5465/amp.2022.0181 Google Scholar
    • Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. 1974. Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases. Science, 185: 1124–1131. Google Scholar
    • Twine, F. W. 2018. Technology’s invisible women: Black geek girls in Silicon Valley and the failure of diversity initiatives. International Journal of Critical Diversity Studies, 1: 58–79. Google Scholar
    • Waldman, D. A., & Sparr, J. L. 2023. Rethinking diversity strategies: An application of paradox and positive organization behavior theories. Academy of Management Perspectives, 37: 174–192.Link , Google Scholar
    • Wax, A. L., & Vedder, R. 2021. July 9: The real problem with critical race theory. Independent Institute. Retrieved from https://www.independent.org/news/article.asp?id=13653 Google Scholar
    • Wayne, S. J., Sun, J., Kluemper, D. H., Cheung, G. W., & Ubaka, A. 2022. The cost of managing impressions for black employees: An expectancy violation theory perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 108: 208–224. Google Scholar
    • Wikipedia. 2022. Corner case. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corner_case. Google Scholar
    • Wiley, M. G., & Eskilson, A. 1982. The interaction of sex and power base on perceptions of managerial effectiveness. Academy of Management Journal, 25: 671–677.Link , Google Scholar
    • Winter, J., & Colón, R. 2011. Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates. New York: Simon and Schuster. Google Scholar
    • Zavattaro, S. M., & Bearfield, D. 2022. Weaponization of wokeness: The theater of management and implications for public administration. Public Administration Review, 82: 585–593. Google Scholar
    • Zernike, K. 2023. The exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the fight for women in science. New York: Simon and Schuster. Google Scholar
    Academy of Management
      Academy of Management
      100 Summit Lake Drive, Suite 110
      Valhalla, NY 10595, USA
      Phone: +1 (914) 326-1800
      Fax: +1 (914) 326-1900
    © 2024 Academy of Management
    Powered by Atypon® Literatum