Immersive inequality: Virtual Reality as a tool to foster Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive workplaces
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2024-07-01
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en
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In exploring the complex dynamics within diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) trainings, this study examines how the application of virtual reality (VR) introduces novel perspectives on how participants engage with and perceive social inequality. Employing a theory of inequality beliefs, this study specifically aims to uncover how the interplay between meritocratic and structural inequality beliefs shapes participant motivation. It focuses on trainings conducted by NewBees INC., where participants are immersed in a 360-degree VR experience depicting a workplace exclusion scenario. In the analysis, VR emerged as a valuable educational tool, enhancing participant enjoyment, perspective-taking, and empathy. However, the pivotal post-VR discussions revealed variations in VR’s motivational impact. Participants demonstrating lower identification with the VR scenario tended to have meritocratic interpretations, viewing the VR scenario as an isolated incident rather than a systemic issue. However, when being confronted with voiced experiences of social inequality by colleagues in the post-VR discussions, motivation toward DEI initiatives did not invariably suffer from meritocratic approaches. Conversely, participants who expressed high identification with the VR scenario showed higher ability to contextualize social inequality as a structural problem, making their motivation less dependent on additional evidence from social inequality within their own organization. This shows how the impact of VR as a motivational tool in DEI trainings is dependent on contextual factors including scenario identification, organizational inequality beliefs, and the composition of the DEI training’s group.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen