Transforming How Ambivalence About DEI Work is Managed in Organizations

Although debates around diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work might suggest a polarized population, many people feel ambivalent or hold mixed positive and negative feelings about such work. While ambivalence can be beneficial or harmful, scholars have overlooked the idea that bringing ambivalence about DEI work into conscious awareness may help to transform it from a potentially harmful emotion into a constructive one. In this paper, I conceptualize a ‘vicious system’ in which ambivalence about DEI work is unconsciously suppressed and contrast it with a ‘virtuous system’ where ambivalence about DEI work is consciously acknowledged and embraced. The model highlights three key forms of emotional work necessary for shifting from a vicious to virtuous system: discursive work, relational work and organizational body work. Ultimately, this paper advances theory in DEI, social‐symbolic work and organizational ambivalence by demonstrating how engaging with ambivalence about DEI work can lead to more constructive outcomes.