policy resistance
Definition
Policy resistance refers to attitudinal, behavioral, or combined opposition to organizational diversity and inclusion efforts, ranging from outright rejection to more ambiguous forms of disengagement such as behavioral passivity or ambivalence. It is not a unitary phenomenon. Among 2,639 employees in a Dutch organization, distinct resistance-adjacent profiles emerged, including Opponents who rejected D&I in both attitude and behavior, Ambivalents who showed low engagement across both domains, and Bystanders who endorsed policy attitudinally while remaining behaviorally inactive. The reasoning patterns underlying resistance varied systematically: Opponents drew on meritocratic beliefs or reported unawareness of policy, while Ambivalents cited unawareness or inaccessibility as barriers to engagement. Minority-status employees were disproportionately represented in more critical profiles, including both Reluctants and Opponents, and showed higher rates of advocacy-oriented critique in their reasoning.
Sources: Bokern et al. (2026)
Related Terms
- leadership (1 shared article)
- diversity (1 shared article)
- D&I policy (1 shared article)
- inclusion (1 shared article)
- policy support (1 shared article)
Applications
Policy Resistance and Meritocratic Beliefs
Meritocratic beliefs are a primary reasoning pattern among employees classified as Opponents, the profile characterized by resistance in both attitude and behavior toward D&I policy. In a sample of 2,639 employees, the reasoning pattern labeled Rejecting D&I Based on Meritocratic Beliefs accounted for 9% of respondents and aligned most strongly with the Opponent profile, indicating that meritocratic ideology functions as a substantive rationale for outright policy rejection rather than mere disengagement.
Sources: Bokern et al. (2026)
Policy Resistance and Organizational Position
Managerial status shapes the distribution of resistance-related profiles. Managers were underrepresented among Opponents and Ambivalents relative to non-managerial employees, a difference confirmed by a significant chi-square test across profile categories. Because managers occupy roles that require translating intended D&I policy into enacted practice, their relative absence from resistant profiles has direct consequences for whether organizational policy moves from design to implementation.
Sources: Bokern et al. (2026)
Policy Resistance and Minority Group Membership
Perceived minority status is associated with membership in more critical D&I support profiles, specifically Reluctants and Opponents, and with a higher likelihood of advocacy-oriented critique in open-ended reasoning. This pattern suggests that resistance among minority-group members is often grounded in constructive concern about policy implementation rather than ideological rejection, distinguishing it motivationally from the meritocratic resistance more common among majority-group members.
Sources: Bokern et al. (2026)
