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HOW TO INSPIRE, RATHER THAN INSTRUCT,
RECRUITERS TO SELECT DIVERSE ETHNICITIES
Simon A. Moss1, Gretchen Ennis2, Kerstin K. Zander3,
J. Mark Davis1, Samuel G. Wilson4, & Nektarios Alexi1
1School of Psychological and Clinical Sciences, Charles Darwin University,
Australia
2School of Health, Charles Darwin University, Australia
3Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University, Australia
4Swinburne Leadership Institute, Swinburne University of Technology,
Australia
Abstract:
Recruiters often reject a candidate who belongs to another ethnic community.
Arguably, initiatives that motivate people to develop capabilities, rather than prevent failures,
might foster positive attitudes towards diverse communities. To asses this possibility, 198
participants read two job applications. The name of one applicant indicated this person belonged
to a different ethnic community to the participants. Participants evaluated these applicants and
then completed measures of goal orientation. Individuals who reported a motivation to develop
capabilities expressed more favorable attitudes towards the person whom belonged to a different
ethnic community. Arguably, recruiters and managers who are granted more time to develop
their capabilities might not be as likely to discriminate against diverse ethnic communities.
Key words:
Discrimination, Goal orientation, Openness to diversity, Recruitment, Tolerance
Hellenic Journal of Psychology, Vol. 13 (2016), pp. 116-130
Address:
Dr. Simon Moss, Charles Darwin University, Ellengowan Dr, Casuarina NT 0810
Australia. E-mail: simon.moss@cdu.edu.au
Inspiring selection of diverse ethnicities
117
INTRODUCTION
In many nations, job candidates cannot be excluded because of their ethnicity, age,
gender, or sexual orientation. Yet, many employees breach laws, policies, and regu-
lations that prohibit discrimination (e.g., Dolton, O’Neill, & Sweetman, 1996;
MacEwen, 1994; Makepeace, Paci, Joshi, & Dolton, 1999), mainly because of three
reasons: First, when instructed to embrace diverse ethnic communities, managers and
recruiters who belong to the dominant culture tend to respond defensively, as they
strive to reinforce their status (e.g., Dover, Major, & Kaiser, 2015). Consequently,
they might feel resentment towards people who belong to other ethnicities. Second,
individuals tend to underestimate their prejudices towards other cultures or demo-
graphics (Perry, Murphy, & Dovidio, 2015). Because of these unconscious biases,
managers and recruiters inadvertently discriminate against people from diverse com-
munities or constituencies. Third, after managers and recruiters employ one person
who does not belong to the dominant culture, they feel they have demonstrated their
integrity called moral credentials (Monin & Miller, 2001). Consequently, they later
become more inclined to discriminate against other cultures or demographics.
Rather than depend solely on laws, policies, and regulations to prevent discrimi-
nation, organizations could explore other initiatives. To preclude defensive responses,
managers and recruiters should not be explicitly directed to employ members of di-
verse communities (cf. Dover et al., 2015). Instead, organizations could, somehow,
foster positive attitudes towards members of diverse communities, without frequent,
explicit allusions to diversity.
This study provides some insight into how organizations can achieve this goal. In
particular, as this study shows, when individuals in an organization are inspired to de-
velop, rather than to demonstrate, their capabilities sometimes called a learning ori-
entation (VandeWalle, 1997) they experience positive attitudes towards members of
diverse communities.
Determinants of positive attitudes towards diverse communities
In recent years, many studies have explored the characteristics of individuals that in-
crease the likelihood of positive attitudes towards diverse communities. Three key
themes have emerged from this literature.
First, people who report an openness to experience –a personality trait that, for
example, entails curiosity– develop positive attitudes towards diverse communities
(e.g., Butrus & Witenberg, 2013; Yakunina, Weigold, Weigold, Hercegovac, & El-
sayed, 2012). Second, people who tolerate, and even embrace, uncertain, unpre-
118
S. A. Moss, G. Ennis, K. K. Zander, J. M. Davis, S. G. Wilson, & N. Alexi
dictable, and ambiguous circumstances also develop positive attitudes towards di-
verse communities (Strauss, Connerley, & Ammermann, 2003). Third, people who re-
port agreeableness –or related traits such as empathy, sympathy, understanding of
other people and communities– also exhibit these positive attitudes (Butrus & Witen-
berg, 2013; Unruh & McCord, 2010).
In general, these determinants of positive attitudes towards diverse communities,
such as openness to experience and agreeableness, are not especially modifiable.
These traits tend to endure over time and persist across many circumstances and en-
vironments (e.g., Hampson & Goldberg, 2006).
However, one likely determinant of these attitudes towards diverse communities,
namely goal orientation, is modifiable (Beck & Schmidt, 2013; Coad & Berry, 1998).
Goal orientation refers to the degree to which individuals feel motivated to develop or
to demonstrate their capabilities, including their knowledge, skills, and abilities. People
who exhibit a learning orientation feel inspired to acquire, develop, and refine these
capabilities (VandeWalle, 1997). People who exhibit a performance-approach orienta-
tion (Elliot, 1999) –sometimes called a performance-prove orientation (VandeWalle,
1997)– are motivated, instead, to demonstrate their capabilities and outperform their
peers or surpass targets. In contrast, people who exhibit a performance-avoidance ori-
entation (Elliot, 1999) –sometimes called a performance-avoid orientation (Vande-
Walle, 1997)– are motivated to conceal their shortcomings and prevent failures.
Although these tendencies differ across individuals, many features of the social envi-
ronment, such as the instructions of managers, can shape goal orientation (e.g., Coad
& Berry, 1998).
Figure 1 presents a conceptual framework to clarify how goal orientation might
foster positive attitudes towards diverse communities. Specifically, according to goal
orientation theory (Dweck & Leggett, 1988; Senko, Hulleman, & Harackiewicz, 2011;
VandeWalle, 1997), when individuals experience a learning orientation, they perceive
Figure 1. Schematic illustration of the framework that connects goal orientation to attitudes
to diverse communities in recruitment settings.
Inspiring selection of diverse ethnicities
119
challenging or uncertain circumstances as opportunities to develop (e.g., Stout &
Dasgupta, 2013; VandeWalle, 1997); they may thus seek, rather than shun, unpre-
dictable and uncertain settings.
In contrast, when individuals experience a performance-avoidance orientation,
they are concerned that challenging or uncertain circumstances could uncover and ac-
centuate their shortcomings (Stout & Dasgupta, 2013; VandeWalle, 1997). These in-
dividuals thus shun unpredictable or ambiguous settings. These observations imply
that a learning orientation should be negatively, and a performance-avoidance ori-
entation should be positively, associated with a need for closure defined as an aver-
sion to uncertain, unpredictable, and ambiguous circumstances (Kruglanski &
Webster, 1996; for a similar argument, see Cury, Elliot, Sarrazin, Fonseca, & Rufo,
2002). A performance-approach orientation neither promotes nor inhibits this sense
of challenge and, therefore, may not affect need for closure.
As many studies demonstrate, when people experience need for closure they tend
to report unfavorable attitudes towards other cultures (Kruglanski, Pierro, Mannetti,
& De Grada, 2006). That is, individuals who shun uncertainty perceive other cultures
as a source of unpredictable or erratic behavior (Kruglanski et al., 2006). Conse-
quently, recruiters who experience a performance-avoidance orientation, instead of
a learning orientation, and thus shun uncertainty should express more negative atti-
tudes towards diverse communities.
Preliminary evidence vindicates this possibility. One study, conducted by Pieterse,
Van Knippenberg, and Van Dierendonck (2013), examined the relationship between
diversity of ethnicities in teams and performance on some assignments. When the
members adopted a performance-avoidance orientation, diversity of ethnicities com-
promised performance. In contrast, when the members adopted a learning orienta-
tion, diversity of ethnicities enhanced performance. Nevertheless, this study did not
explicitly examine whether goal orientation affects attitudes towards diverse com-
munities.
Furthermore, past research has not verified the proposition that a learning ori-
entation diminishes a need for closure. Admittedly, Velden, Beersma, and De Dreu
(2009) did examine whether need for closure moderates the association between per-
formance goal orientation and anxiety; however, this study did not assess learning
orientation.
In contrast, the present study examined whether goal orientation affects evalua-
tions of job candidates. In this study, the participants indicated whether their grand-
parents were from the American, European, or Australasian continents but were not
indigenous to Australia and, hereafter, are referred to as Western individuals. These
participants evaluated the attributes of two comparable applicants. However, the
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S. A. Moss, G. Ennis, K. K. Zander, J. M. Davis, S. G. Wilson, & N. Alexi
name of one applicant was John Smith and thus Western, and the name of a second
applicant was Ahmed Haroo and thus Arabic. Furthermore, participants completed
measures of goal orientation and need for closure. According to the notion that goal
orientation affects responses to uncertainty, and the motivation to shun uncertainty
culminates in unfavorable attitudes towards diverse communities, the following hy-
potheses were formulated:
Hypothesis 1: A learning orientation should be positively, and a performance-
avoidance orientation should be negatively, associated with favorable evaluations of
the Arabic candidate.
Hypothesis 2: A learning orientation should be negatively, and a performance-
avoidance orientation should be positively, associated with need for closure.
Hypothesis 3: Need for closure should be negatively associated with favorable
evaluations of the Arabic candidate. Thus, need for closure should mediate the effect
of goal orientation on the evaluation of the Arabic candidate but not necessarily of
the Western candidate.
METHOD
Participants
To recruit participants, we utilized Microworkers, a crowdsourcing platform that is
similar to Amazon Mechanical Turk but available worldwide. Crone and Williams
(in press) demonstrated the suitability of this website to research in psychology. That
is, when this website was used to recruit participants, the validity and distribution of
psychological measures remained intact. The profile of participants was very similar
to the profile of internet users in general on a range of characteristics, such as age,
gender, and education.
The survey was available only to residents of nations in which English is the offi-
cial language. In addition, towards the end of this survey, participants were asked to
indicate the main nationality of their grandparents from a set of alternatives: Aus-
tralian, New Zealander, Australian Aboriginal, East Asian or South East Asian, In-
dian subcontinent, Middle Eastern, North American, South American, African,
European, or Other. Only participants who indicated their grandparents were Aus-
tralian, New Zealander, North American, South American, or European were in-
cluded in the final sample. These inclusion criteria were chosen to increase the
probability that participants believed they are more likely to belong to the same eth-
nic group as John Smith than Ahmed Haroo.
Inspiring selection of diverse ethnicities
121
Originally, 322 people began to complete the survey. Yet, seven of these partici-
pants did not complete all the measures and were thus excluded from the study. In ad-
dition, 23 participants completed the survey within 2.5 minutes, and nine participants
could not complete the survey within 40 minutes; the responses of these participants
were assumed to be unreliable and thus excluded from subsequent analyses. Finally,
the responses of 95 participants who were not classified as Western were omitted.
The final set of 198 participants included 122 men and 76 women. The age ranged
from 18 to 70 years, with a mean of 32 (
SD
= 10). Furthermore, 44% of participants
had completed a university degree; 28% of participants had not completed any stud-
ies since high school. The majority of participants were European or North Ameri-
can (84%).
Materials
Resumés of candidates
Every participant read the same two resumés. These resumés were similar to each
other: Both applicants had performed in the top quartile of their law degrees and had
attained some business certificates. They had also both completed internships in law
as well. Towards the top of each resumé was the name, home address, and email ad-
dress of the individual. One applicant was called John Smith; the other applicant was
called Ahmed Haroo. As a pilot study confirmed, these names were perceived by
Australian residents as Western and Arabic respectively. A similar procedure has
been utilized in past studies to assess biased attitudes towards other ethnicities or
genders (e.g., Jackson, Esses, & Burris, 2001; Levinson & Young, 2010; for a com-
parable procedure to manipulate assumed ethnicity, see Clark et al., 2013).
Attitudes towards the candidates
Participants indicated which of these two candidates they would employ in a govern-
ment policy role. Next, participants evaluated each participant on four attributes: ac-
ademic record, work experience, strength of candidacy, and suitability for the role. A
sample item is “John’s academic record is strong”. These items were adapted from a
study conducted by Levinson and Young (2010).
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S. A. Moss, G. Ennis, K. K. Zander, J. M. Davis, S. G. Wilson, & N. Alexi
Need for closure
Webster and Kruglanski (1994) developed a scale, comprising 42 items, to gauge need
for closure. Haughton and Grewal (2000) developed and validated a shorter version,
comprising only 20 items. Like the original scale, this version comprises five subscales:
preference for order and structure (e.g., “I find that a well ordered life with regular
hours suits my temperament”), preference for predictability (e.g., “I prefer to social-
ize with familiar friends because I know what to expect from them”), decisiveness
(e.g., “I tend to struggle with most decisions” (reverse scored), discomfort with am-
biguity (e.g., “I feel uncomfortable when I do not understand the reason why an event
occurred in my life”), and close-mindedness (e.g., “When thinking about a problem,
I consider as many different opinions on the issue as possible”).
Cronbach’s alpha for these subscales resembled the psychometric properties of
the original measure (Haughton & Grewal, 2000), ranging from .62 to .81. Confir-
matory factor analysis, conducted by Haughton and Grewal (2000), generated GFI,
CFI, and NNFI indices that exceeded .90 and a root mean square error of less than
.05. Correlations between the subscales of the original scale and the corresponding
subscales of this reduced scale ranged from .83 to .92. For this study, the subscales
were aggregated to generate an overall measure of need for closure―a common prac-
tice in this field (Kruglanski & Webster, 1996).
Goal orientation
To measure goal orientation, the work domain goal-orientation instrument, devel-
oped and substantiated by VandeWalle (1997), was administered. This instrument
measures learning orientation (e.g., “I enjoy opportunities to develop new skills and
knowledge”); performance prove orientation (e.g., “ I like when other people at work,
university, or school are aware of how well I am performing”); and performance avoid
orientation (e.g., “Avoiding the embarrassment of failure is more important to me
than learning a new skill”). These three subscales comprise five, four, and four items
respectively. We adapted the items slightly to apply to work, university, or school.
Cronbach’s alpha was .89, .85, and .88 for the three subscales respectively (Van-
deWalle, 1997). Test-retest correlation coefficients, when calculated over a three-
month period, were .66, .60, and .57 for the three subscales (VandeWalle, 1997).
Confirmatory factor analyses, conducted by VandeWalle (1997), verified the three
factors are distinct, CFI = .99, GFI = .98.
Inspiring selection of diverse ethnicities
123
Procedure
The participants were all users of Microworkers. When users access this website, an
inventory of short jobs appears, such as proofreading a website or completing a sur-
vey. A short caption describes each job. For this study, the caption was “Survey: How
Do You Judge People?” Anyone interested in this survey clicked the corresponding
link, activating a series of instructions. Specifically, these individuals were instructed
to copy and paste a URL into their browser. This URL activated a survey, hosted by
Qualtrics (http://www.qualtrics.com).
The first page of this survey was a plain language statement. The plain language
statement specified the rights of participants, such as their prerogative to withdraw at
any time, as well as the aim of this study. In particular, to convey the aim, we included
the paragraph “Managers often need to decide how to improve the workplace? They
might, for example, need to decide… which job candidates to employ. This project is
designed to examine how the practices and culture of an organization affect whether
the changes are likely to be successful”.
The survey included resumés of two job applicants, both seeking a role in gov-
ernment policy. Then, participants indicated which applicant they preferred before
evaluating these individuals on academic record, work experience, strength of candi-
dacy, and suitability for the role. Next, individuals completed measures of need for
closure and goal orientation. Finally, the participants indicated their age, sex, level of
education, and main nationality of their grandparents.
For every question, unless specified otherwise, participants indicated the degree
to which they agree or disagree with each statement, on a five-point scale, ranging
from strongly disagree to strongly agree unless specified otherwise. After completing
the questionnaire, all participants received $1.00 US.
RESULTS
Table 1 presents the mean, standard deviation, range, and Cronbach’s alpha of each
measure, alongside the correlation between measures. For each measure, Cronbach’s
alpha exceeded .70 –and indeed exceeded .80 except for performance avoid orienta-
tion in which Cronbach’s alpha was .77– indicating adequate levels of internal con-
sistency (cf., Nunnally, 1978).
To assess whether need for closure mediates the association between a learning
orientation and attitudes to the Arabic candidate, a PROCESS model, consistent
with the algorithms that Preacher and Hayes (2008) advocated, was conducted. The
124
S. A. Moss, G. Ennis, K. K. Zander, J. M. Davis, S. G. Wilson, & N. Alexi
PROCESS model is an algorithm that utilizes ordinary least square, bootstrapping,
and Monte Carlo confidence intervals to estimate indirect effects (Preacher & Hayes,
2008). Specifically, the criterion variable was attitudes to the Arabic candidate. The
mediator was need for closure, and the predictor was learning orientation. In addi-
tion, attitudes towards the other candidate were included as a control variable; thus,
attitudes to the Arabic candidate actually indicates the degree to which attitudes de-
pend on the Arabic name. Furthermore, age, sex, education, performance prove ori-
entation, and performance avoid orientation were controlled too.
Figure 2 summarizes the output of this analysis. As this analysis shows, and con-
sistent with Hypothesis 1, learning orientation was positively associated with attitudes
Table 1. Means, standard deviations, alphas, and correlations between the study variables
Mean
SD
1234567
1. Learning orientation 4.00 .75
.85
2. Performance prove orientation 3.49 .76 .40**
.77
3. Performance avoid orientation 2.90 1.01 -.27** .17*
.84
4. Need for closure 3.46 .64 .01 .21** .48**
.86
5. Attitudes to John 4.09 .73 .30** .11 -.04 .06
.84
6. Attitudes to Ahmed 4.01 .70 .27** .05 -.08 .02 .46**
.82
7. Choice of candidate - - .09 .10 -.06 -.05 -.12 .45* -
Note.
Cronbach’s alpha values (in italics) appear in the diagonal. For all measures, the possible range was
1 to 5.
* p < .05, ** p < .01
Figure 2. PROCESS model that represents the degree to which need for closure mediates the
association between learning orientation and attitudes towards diverse communities.
Inspiring selection of diverse ethnicities
125
towards the Arabic candidate. However, contrary to Hypotheses 2 and 3, need for
closure was not significantly associated with either a learning orientation or attitudes
towards the Arabic candidate. Therefore, the direct, but not indirect, effect of learn-
ing orientation was significant.
The second analysis was identical, except that performance avoid orientation was
the criterion variable and learning orientation was a control variable. Figure 3 outlines
the output of this analysis. Consistent with Hypothesis 2, performance avoid orien-
tation was positively associated with need for closure. Yet, contrary to Hypotheses 1
and 3, neither performance avoid orientation nor need for closure were related to at-
titudes towards the Arabic candidate.
The third analysis was identical, except performance prove orientation was the
criterion variable. However, performance prove orientation was not significantly as-
sociated with either need for closure or attitudes towards the Arabic applicant,
p
>
.05 respectively.
Finally, a logistic regression analysis was conducted to ascertain whether the meas-
ures of goal orientation predict which applicant participants were selected, after con-
trolling age, sex, and education. None of the subscales that measure goal orientation,
however, were significantly associated with which applicant participants chose.
Figure 3. PROCESS model that represents the degree to which need for closure mediate
the association between performance avoid orientation and attitudes towards diverse
communities.
126
S. A. Moss, G. Ennis, K. K. Zander, J. M. Davis, S. G. Wilson, & N. Alexi
DISCUSSION
Consistent with goal orientation theory (Dweck & Leggett, 1988; Senko et al., 2011),
the motivation of individuals to learn and to develop capabilities –an orientation that
managers and organizations can foster (Beck & Schmidt, 2013; Coad & Berry, 1998)–
is likely to diminish unease with uncertain, unpredictable circumstances. That is, peo-
ple who adopt this learning orientation might perceive these uncertain circumstances
as opportunities to learn (Stout & Dasgupta, 2013). Without a pronounced need to
seek certainty and closure, these individuals might be more willing to interact with
members of foreign communities, unconcerned the practices of these communities
might seem unpredictable and unfamiliar. Consequently, if organizations foster a
learning orientation, recruiters might report positive attitudes towards diverse com-
munities, diminishing the incidence of discrimination.
Some of the results of this study corroborate this account. Participants who re-
ported a learning orientation expressed more positive attitude towards the Arabic
applicant, after controlling attitudes towards the other applicant. Furthermore, par-
ticipants who were motivated to avoid failure, rather than to develop capabilities, re-
ported a greater need for closure and certainty.
These findings also align to the tenets of socio-emotional selectivity theory. Ac-
cording to this theory, proposed by Carstensen (1995), whenever individuals perceive
their identity as stable –rather than fragile or limited in time– their primary motiva-
tion is to accrue knowledge, skills, and other resources that could benefit their fu-
ture, comparable to a learning orientation. Their motivation to seek immediate
pleasure subsides. Consequently, when motivated to accrue knowledge, skills, and
other resources, individuals are not as inclined to bias their attention to information
that evokes positive emotions (Carstensen, 1995). Therefore, their biases, such as
their tendency to underestimate other communities, will tend to diminish. A learning
orientation should thus curb biases and discrimination.
Nevertheless, need for closure was not associated with attitudes towards the Ara-
bic applicant. One explanation is that people who experience a need for closure often
reach decisions rapidly and prematurely (Kruglanski & Webster, 1996). These indi-
viduals, therefore, might not have imagined themselves in the workplace, working
with the applicant. This sense of detachment from the scenario might have nullified
their usual suspicion of people who belong to other ethnic communities.
Other accounts could also explain the observed association between a learning
orientation and attitudes towards the Arabic candidate. For example, people who
adopt a learning orientation might perceive someone who belongs to another eth-
nicity as a better source of knowledge and insight than other candidates. Indeed, this
Inspiring selection of diverse ethnicities
127
perception is accurate: People who interact with a diversity of communities are indeed
more likely to develop more advanced cognitive skills (e.g., Hu & Kuh, 2003). Con-
sequently, Western individuals who report a learning orientation might be especially
motivated to interact with Arabic colleagues.
Goal orientation, however, did not significantly affect which candidate the par-
ticipants chose. This finding implies that positive attitudes towards diverse commu-
nities –attitudes that tend to coincide with a learning orientation– may not always
translate to selection decisions. That is, people who experience positive attitudes to-
wards one candidate might choose another candidate instead. They might, for exam-
ple, be concerned that an exceptional candidate could usurp their position and curtail
their opportunities (for similar reasoning, see Luxen & Van der Vijver, 2006).
Nevertheless, several limitations of this study should be acknowledged. First, be-
cause of cognitive dissonance, the evaluations of candidates could affect responses to
the subsequent measures of goal orientation and need for closure. To illustrate, to
prevent cognitive dissonance, if participants evaluate the Arabic candidate favorably,
they might feel the need to justify this evaluation. They might, for example, under-
score their motivation to learn from other cultures, manifesting as a learning orien-
tation. Thus, their evaluations of this candidate could affect goal orientation rather
than vice versa.
Second, participants might have discerned the purpose of the resumés. They might
have realized these resumés are similar, besides the ethnicity of these candidates.
Consequently, to conceal their prejudices, they might have shifted their evaluations
of these candidates.
Two measures could be included to overcome these limitations. First, future stud-
ies could conduct a randomized control trial to confirm that initiatives, designed to
promote a learning orientation, do indeed foster positive attitudes towards diverse
communities (e.g., Sherman, Stroessner, Conrey, & Azam, 2005). These results would
show that a learning orientation promotes attitudes towards diverse communities
rather than vice versa.
Second, these studies should explore whether these initiatives do indeed increase
the proportion of employees who belong to diverse communities. Ideally, the partic-
ipants of these studies should be representative of recruiters.
Indeed, future studies could also assess whether experience in recruitment affects
the association between goal orientation and attitudes towards diverse candidates.
To illustrate, when individuals experience a sense of power, their personal inclina-
tions are more likely to govern their decisions (Anderson & Berdahl, 2002). Conse-
quently, in experienced recruiters, goal orientation might be especially likely to
determine attitudes towards diverse candidates.
128
S. A. Moss, G. Ennis, K. K. Zander, J. M. Davis, S. G. Wilson, & N. Alexi
In addition, because the sample was confined to Western individuals, the results
might not generalize to non-Western individuals. Indeed, in many non-Western com-
munities, individuals are especially likely to adopt a collective self-construal, in which
they define themselves by their relationships or communities instead of their distinc-
tive qualities and characteristics (Markus & Kitayama, 1991). When people adopt a
collective self-construal, the norms of their community are more likely to govern their
decisions and behaviors than are their personal attitudes or inclinations (Markus &
Kitayama, 1991; Murray, Trudeau, & Schaller, 2011). Consequently, in non-Western
communities, the goal orientation of individuals might not be as likely to shape their
judgments of diverse candidates. Future research should thus examine whether or
not the association between goal orientation and attitudes towards diverse candidates
varies across communities.
In conclusion, laws, policies, and regulations that prohibit discrimination might
evoke resentment towards diverse communities (Dover et al., 2015) and will not im-
mediately redress unconscious biases (e.g., Perry et al., 2015). Instead, organizations
should also consider initiatives that foster a learning orientation. For example, poli-
cies and practices that diminish the workload of recruiters (Beck & Schmidt, 2013),
as well as leaders who promulgate an inspiring vision of the future (Coad & Berry,
1998), tend to promote this orientation and might thus curb the incidence of dis-
crimination, seamlessly and sustainably.
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