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Who says what (and how) to whom: A multilevel approach to improving workplace bias training

Multiple organizational and training content aspects are influential in determining whether racial discrimination and sexual harassment trainings are efficacious in achieving desired goals (Hayes et al., 2020). The goal of this commentary is twofold. First, we comment on the utility of setting attainable evidence-based organizational and training goals, contending that the most effective and achievable goals distill into the importance of increasing motivation to control prejudice at organizational culture (macro) and workplace training (micro) levels. Second, we comment on how social psychology research on persuasive communication and a focus on message source, message content, and consumer characteristics is a useful organizing framework for understanding the potential for organizational efforts in enhancing employee motivation to control prejudicial reactions at the macro and micro levels. Although possible in the short run (Olson & Fazio, 2006), implicit prejudice reduction is an unlikely outcome of racial discrimination or sexual harassment training (Forscher et al., 2019). Implicit attitudes emerge from hard-wired cognitive processes (Tajfel & Turner, 1986) and are socially learned through multiple sources (Olson & Fazio, 2002). Furthermore, they are selfperpetuated through confirmation bias tendencies and subtyping (Kunda & Oleson, 1995), and persevere even in the face of contradictory information (Ross et al., 1975). Instead, and consistent with the MODE Model of attitude–behavior relations (Fazio & Olson, 2014), we contend that more achievable organizational goals such as developing an inclusive organizational culture and social norms that restrict prejudicial expressions, which in turn encourage support for diversity initiatives, should be fostered. Indeed, this focus should lead employees to situationally compensate for the otherwise direct influence that implicit attitudes have in predicting discriminatory judgments and behaviors, provided that adequate time and mental resources exist to do so. Moreover, at the micro level, training workshops should focus on increasing motivation to control prejudice among attendees, not implicit prejudice reduction. One useful organizing framework for the multiple research topics elaborated on in the focal article by Hayes et al. (2020) is informed by seminal communications and social psychology research on persuasive communication. Specifically, the Yale Attitude Change Approach (i.e., “Who Says What to Whom; Hovland, Janis, & Kelley, 1953) stimulated research on how message source, message content, and consumer characteristics interact to influence the likelihood of successful persuasive communication. Interestingly, teaching embodies the core elements of the Yale Attitude Change Approach. Indeed, a teacher (i.e., who) must carefully consider what to teach his or her class and how, and those determinations stem in part from the characteristics of students in their class (i.e., whom). At a macro level, organizations attempt to persuade or “teach” their employees the importance of an inclusive culture in which prejudicial reactions are sanctioned. At a more micro level, presenter(s) at training workshops attempt to persuade or “teach” attendees the importance of diverse perspectives and imbue motivation to control prejudice. In this manner,