The Moral Case Revisited: Moral Framing as a Double-Edged Sword for Motivating Majority Group Leaders to Support DEI
研究员工用道德理由说服多数群体领导者（如白人男性）支持多元平等包容（DEI）的效果，发现道德框架既能提升心理地位，也可能引发心理抗拒，而强调问题解决自主权可增强正面效应、削弱负面效应。
Employees’ use of moral frames to sell the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives is gaining popularity over business-case frames. Yet, it remains unclear when and why moral framing is effective at motivating majority group leaders (e.g., White, male leaders) to support DEI initiatives. Drawing on the focus theory of normative conduct, I argue that employees’ use of moral frames can be a double-edged sword for motivating majority group leaders to support DEI initiatives. On the one hand, moral framing can heighten majority group leaders’ psychological standing, thereby increasing their support for DEI initiatives. On the other hand, moral framing can trigger psychological reactance for majority group leaders, thereby reducing their support for DEI initiatives. To reconcile these competing pathways, I argue that, when employees emphasize majority group leaders’ problem-solving autonomy concerning how to address DEI issues, moral framing has a stronger effect on psychological standing and a weaker effect on psychological reactance, thus enhancing majority group leaders’ overall support for DEI initiatives. I find support for these predictions across several studies that cover racial and gender equity issues, and discuss theoretical and practical implications.