Diverging Impacts of Organizational DEI Practices: the Role of Objective and Subjective Group Status

Authors

• Julia Oberlin, Universite Libre de Bruxelles
• Claudia Toma, Universite Libre de Bruxelles
• Tessa L. Dover, Portland State UniversityFollow

Published In

Equality Diversity and Inclusion

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-14-2026

Subjects

DEI practices, Group-based disparities, Group status

Abstract

Purpose – While DEI practices aim to enhance the outcomes of disadvantaged groups, their impact remains uncertain, with disparities often persisting. This paper examines whether the accumulation of DEI practices helps reduce psychological and work disparities between employees, considering both their objective (e.g. gender and race) and subjective (or perceived) (dis)advantage.

Design/methodology/approach – Study 1 surveyed 602 employees to assess the impact of perceiving their organization as having many orfew DEI practices on theirsense ofinclusion and job satisfaction. Study 2 used an experimental design (N 5 739) to extend the findings of Study 1 by manipulating the number of DEI practices. Findings – Study 1 showed that the effects of DEI practices on work experiences depended on gender and subjective disadvantage: more practices increased inclusion and job satisfaction for subjectively disadvantaged women but decreased them for subjectively disadvantaged men. Study 2, in which the number of DEI practices was manipulated again found that more DEI practices predicted worse anticipated outcomes for subjectively disadvantaged men. Study 2 also found that White participants,regardless ofsubjective disadvantage, had worse anticipated outcomes when there were more DEI practices. Originality/value – These studies emphasize the importance of both objective and subjective (dis)advantage in understanding the signaling effect of DEI practices, offering insights into designing policies that address group disparities in light of status dynamic

Rights

Copyright (c) 2026 The Authors

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Locate the Document

https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-04-2025-0238

DOI

10.1108/EDI-04-2025-0238

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44635

Citation Details

Oberlin, J., Toma, C., & Dover, T. L. (2026). Diverging impacts of organizational DEI practices: the role of objective and subjective group status. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 45(9), 175–197. https://doi.org/10.1108/edi-04-2025-0238