Regulatory Fit and Equal Opportunity/Diversity: Implications for the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI)

DEOMI is the primary provider of human relations, equal opportunity EO, and diversity training for the military. The primary mission of DEOMI is to foster acceptance of beliefs and proactive engagement in behaviors that foster non-discrimination, diversity, and social justice as legallymorally appropriate, and to achieve these goals without harm to the primary goal of mission readiness. However, creating permanent attitudinal and behavioral change is complex, especially in the controversial areas of equal opportunity and diversity. It is argued that the theory of regulatory focus Higgins, 1997 and the associated principle of regulatory fit Higgins, 2000 provide a conceptual framework of EO and diversity and that when regulatory fit is properly managed, it will create greater attitude change and willingness to positively engage EOdiversity. The purpose of the current paper is to explicate regulatory focus and regulatory fit in relation to EOdiversity and to discuss managing fit in terms of both day-to-day training operations and broader strategic issues for DEOMI.