Signals from on High and the Power of Growth Mindset: A Natural Field Experiment in Attracting Minorities to High-Profile Positions

60 Pages Posted: 29 May 2021

See all articles by Jeffrey Flory

Jeffrey Flory

Claremont McKenna College - Robert Day School of Economics and Finance

Andreas Leibbrandt

Monash University

Christina Rott

VU University Amsterdam

Olga Stoddard

Brigham Young University

Abstract

We conduct a large-scale natural field experiment with a Fortune 500 company to test several approaches to attract minorities to high-profile positions. 5,000 prospective applicants were randomized into treatments varying a portion of recruiting materials. We find that self-selection at two early-career stages exhibits a substantial race gap. Importantly, we show that this gap can be strongly influenced by several treatments, with some increasing application rates by minorities by 40 percent and others being particularly effective for minority women. The heterogeneities we find by gender, race, and career stage shed light on the underlying drivers of self-selection barriers among minorities.

JEL Classification: J15, J16, C93, D22

Suggested Citation

Flory, Jeffrey and Leibbrandt, Andreas and Rott, Christina and Stoddard, Olga, Signals from on High and the Power of Growth Mindset: A Natural Field Experiment in Attracting Minorities to High-Profile Positions. IZA Discussion Paper No. 14383, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3855947 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3855947

Jeffrey Flory (Contact Author)

Claremont McKenna College - Robert Day School of Economics and Finance ( email )

500 E. Ninth St.
Claremont, CA 91711-6420
United States

HOME PAGE: http://https://sites.google.com/site/jfloryeconomics/

Andreas Leibbrandt

Monash University ( email )

23 Innovation Walk
Wellington Road
Clayton, Victoria 3800
Australia

Christina Rott

VU University Amsterdam ( email )

Netherlands

Olga Stoddard

Brigham Young University ( email )

984 West 980 North
American Fork, UT 84003
United States

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