When do I want to stay? The roles of minority perspective-taking, social identity-based impression management strategies and authenticity climate

Devalued minorities have negative workplace experiences that influence their decisions to remain at their majority-dominated organizations. Our work explores whether minorities who perspective-take are more likely to use social identity-based impression management strategies (SIM), as well as how and when these strategies influence their desire to remain at their organizations. We suggest that minority perspective-takers use a host of social identity-based impression management strategies and certain strategies may have personal disadvantages. We contend that social recategorization behaviors unintentionally reduce minority perspective-takers’ desire to remain because they limit authentic identity expression; however, positive distinctiveness behaviors, by allowing them to highlight their authentic selves, will increase minority perspective-takers’ desire to remain. We propose that a key contextual factor, whether an organization allows for authenticity, alters our proposed effects. We used a mixed-method approach by interviewing and surveying Black accountants working at predominantly White organizations and find general support for our hypotheses.