Abstract:

Despite recent corporate backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, some CEOs continue to publicly voice commitments to DEI. Yet it remains unclear whether such communication reflects internalised DEI values or strategic impression management. We develop a motivation-based framework distinguishing authentic from performative CEO DEI discourse and examine whether authentic communication is associated with organisational diversity outcomes. Study 1 draws on interviews with 31 Fortune 500 CEOs to theorise how the personal relevance of DEI values fosters internalisation and shapes a promotion-focused orientation toward DEI. We conceptualise authenticity as the alignment between these internalised motivations and public communication. CEOs who internalise DEI as personally meaningful are more likely to adopt an action-focused stance that is reflected in concrete commitments and sustained DEI engagement. Building on this framework, Study 2 applies natural language processing to a large corpus of CEO public interview transcripts to derive theory-driven indicators of discourse authenticity. These indicators are then linked to independent organisational DEI outcomes, including LGBTQ+ inclusion ratings and minority representation. This research contributes to leadership and organisation scholarship in three ways. First, it offers a theoretically grounded account of how personal DEI values of CEOs shape public discourse. Second, it provides a scalable method for distinguishing genuine commitment to DEI from symbolic signalling. Third, it demonstrates that value-internalised communication is associated with measurable organisational diversity outcomes.

Please choose your submission type: Developmental Paper

Primary Track: Leadership and Leadership Development

Keywords: Strategic leadership;Emerging leadership theories

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Dr. Ksenia Keplinger