Date of Award
2026
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Department
General Business
First Advisor
Emilija Djurdjevic
Abstract
This study examines the effect of CEO sociopolitical activism on Gen Z job seekers by conceptualizing the former as an identity-implicating experience that poses either an identity opportunity or identity threat. As part of a 3 x 3 experimental study, participants reviewed comments about a proposed transgender bathroom bill made by the CEO of a fictional potential employer. The experiment introduced features of organizational policies governing internal discussions of political and social issues in the workplace and measured the ability of the policies to influence the potential applicant’s perception of an opportunity or threat. Results examined the relationship between the participant’s sociopolitical identity, CEO sociopolitical activism and perceptions of identity opportunity and identity threat to organizational attractiveness and applicant job pursuit intentions. This research also investigated the role of identity centrality and job search self-efficacy in influencing when and how identity opportunity and threat impact organizational attractiveness and job pursuit intentions. The study found that conservative, liberal and moderate Gen Z job applicants revealed a preference for employment with an organization led by a CEO who shared their respective sociopolitical views, but that perceptions of identity opportunity and identity threat are likely to have a greater impact on outcomes for liberal Gen Z job seekers. Internal communication policies were generally not found to function as identity safety cues by potential applicants with views incongruent with those of the CEO. Contrary to what had been predicted, results showed that Gen Z applicants with low job search self-efficacy were less attracted to an organization and less likely to seek employment when faced with a perceived threat to identity from CEO sociopolitical activism. This study offers practical insight into the effects of CEO activism and forms of internal communication policies on an organization’s ability to attract workers from the fastest growing segment of the workforce.
Recommended Citation
Garrett, William Thomas, "ATTRACT OR REPEL: CEO ACTIVISM & GEN Z PURSUITS" (2026). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 4586.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/4586