ESDST’2026

Résumé

Despite the widespread adoption of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, many schools, institutions, and organizations struggle to achieve meaningful and sustainable outcomes. Although prior research suggests that schools and organizations often signal commitment to DEI, these efforts may lack sufficient resources or authenticity, limiting their effectiveness. However, little is known about the key antecedents shaping whether DEI policies are perceived as effective. The present study examines how perceived organizational commitment to DEI and employees’ ideological beliefs jointly influence evaluations of DEI policy effectiveness.

Organizational commitment was conceptualized as the allocation of financial and human resources to DEI management. We hypothesized that employees’ ideological beliefs would predict their evaluations of DEI policies and that perceived organizational commitment would moderate this relationship. Specifically, employees who strongly value diversity were expected to perceive higher policy effectiveness when commitment was high. In contrast, employees high in Social Dominance Orientation (SDO; an ideology reflecting support for group-based hierarchy and inequality) were expected to perceive DEI policies as less effective, particularly when organizations were seen as strongly committed.

Data were collected from 602 employees recruited via Prolific, all working in schools and organizations with DEI policies. Participants had a mean age of 40.53 years (SD = 11.98; range 18–73). The sample was predominantly U.S.-based (87%) and included substantial demographic diversity: 40% identified as White, 27% as Black, and the remainder represented various ethnic backgrounds. Women comprised 63% of the sample and men 36%, with 1% identifying as non-binary or other gender identities. Although largely composed of majority-group U.S. nationals, the sample included diverse educational, occupational, and demographic backgrounds.

Measures included diversity beliefs (α = .71), SDO (α = .81), perceived organizational commitment to DEI (α = .88), perceived demographic diversity (α = .79), and DEI policy effectiveness (α = .94). Policy effectiveness was assessed across four strongly correlated subdimensions—emotional reactions, evaluative judgments, personal consequences, and perceived organizational outcomes—which were combined into a single composite score. Correlational analyses revealed significant associations among all primary variables, except SDO and organizational commitment, which were unrelated.

Regression analyses supported our moderation hypothesis. Higher SDO predicted lower perceived policy effectiveness, and this negative association was significantly stronger under conditions of high perceived organizational commitment. The effect of SDO on effectiveness nearly doubled in magnitude when commitment was high (β = −.63 at +1 SD of commitment) compared to low (β = −.35 at −1 SD). Thus, when organizations were perceived as strongly committed to DEI, employees high in SDO judged DEI policies as even less effective.

These findings suggest that school and organizational commitment to DEI, while essential for implementation, may paradoxically intensify attitudinal polarization. Strong commitment amplifies positive evaluations among diversity-supportive employees but heightens resistance among those endorsing hierarchical ideologies. Limitations include reliance on self-report measures and cross-sectional design, raising concerns about common-method bias and causal inference. Yet, overall, the study does highlight organizational commitment as a critical yet double-edged antecedent of DEI effectiveness, capable of strengthening support while exacerbating ideological divides within schools and organizations.