1572: Toward a Better Understanding of the “Ally” Identity (12879)

Organizer(s)

• CS

  Claire Sandman Malcomb

  ILR, Cornell U., United States

Participant(s)

• ES

  Elad Sherf

  Kenan-Flagler Business School, U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States

Organizer(s)

• JC

  James Carter

  Cornell U., United States

Discussant(s)

• JL

  Jamie Ladge

  Boston College, United States

Presenter(s)

• MP

  Melanie Prengler

  U. of Virginia, Darden School of Business, United States
• AC

  Aastha Chadha

  NYU Stern School of Business, United States

Participant(s)

• LP

  L Taylor Phillips

  NYU Stern, United States

Presenter(s)

• JR

  Jacob Roberson

  USC Marshall School of Business, United States

Participant(s)

• ST

  Sarah Townsend

  U. of Southern California, United States

Presenter(s)

• AT

  Alyssa Tedder-King

  Kenan-Flagler Business School, U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States

Existing work on ally development recognizes that self-identification as an ally does not make a person an ally (Carlson et al., 2020; Salter & Migliaccio, 2019), but simultaneously often treats identifying as an ally as an outcome rather than a unique and flexible social identity. However, some recent work has started to reconceptualize ally as an identity that individuals may or may not adopt for themselves that may change over time (Martinez et al., 2023). Importantly, in their ally identity development model, Martinez and colleagues (2023) argue that how an individual conceptualizes their identity as an ally influences the kinds of ally behaviors they may engage in and the effectiveness of those behaviors. Therefore, while ‘ally’ is not an identity that individuals can (or should) self-identify as, developing one’s identity as an ally may have important implications for engagement in effective ally behaviors and increasing positive outcomes for people with marginalized identities. Given this paradox, this symposium aims to provide novel theoretical and empirical insights that advance our collective understanding of how individuals construct, change, and navigate their own identity journeys as allies and the specific ways this ally identity may influence both perceptions of ally behavior from allyship targets (i.e., marginalized groups) and enacted ally behavior by allies themselves (i.e., privileged groups). This symposium synthesizes management research at the cutting edge of allyship scholarship with the aim of transforming how we think about allyship in the workplace and society more broadly.

Presentations:

• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1572: Am I the Bad Guy?: An Emergent Theory of Idealized Identity Reckoning in Worker Allyship (12879)
  

  Author: Melanie Prengler – U. of Virginia, Darden School of Business
• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1572: Collective Self-Esteem and Advantaged Group Allyship (12879)
  

  Author: Aastha Chadha – NYU Stern School of Business

  Author: L Taylor Phillips – NYU Stern
• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1572: Motivating Allyship Behavior: Overcoming Barriers to Allyship via Cognitive Appraisal (12879)
  

  Author: Jacob W. Roberson – USC Marshall School of Business

  Author: Sarah S M Townsend – U. of Southern California
• 15:00 – 16:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  1572: From Blanket to Targeted Actions: Sacrifice and Consequences of Allyship Behaviors (12879)
  

  Author: Alyssa Tedder-King – Kenan-Flagler Business School, U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  Author: Elad Netanel Sherf – Kenan-Flagler Business School, U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill