Sticky Stereotypes

Research shows that U.S. employers still exhibit racial biases against Black job seekers, and Black employees in predominantly white workplaces often experience higher turnover rates and fewer promotions than their counterparts. However, limited research has examined whether and how the racial identity of business leaders may disrupt discriminatory practices and behavior. Evidence suggests that diverse leadership among high-ranking individuals in a company can lead to increased managerial and staff diversity. Our proposed study examines how Black leadership in the talent management process impacts the screening of diverse job candidates. To investigate this, we will post an authentic job opening for research assistants and recruit freelance hiring professionals to assist us in the initial round of application reviews. Prior to review, the hiring professionals will be randomly assigned to Black or White supervisor. Our experiment will investigate whether the racial identity of the supervisor influences how hiring professionals evaluate diverse talent and make hiring recommendations.