The OTTER framework: Willful ignorance as the greatest barrier to allyship at work and five steps to overcome it

Despite growing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) efforts in organizations, many socially advantaged individuals remain inactive as potential allies. To understand why, the present article introduces willful ignorance—the conscious avoidance of knowledge about inequality—as a core psychological barrier to allyship. Reviewing and synthesizing insights from existing research, we show how two forms of willful ignorance manifest at work (passively overlook among the “left” and actively turn away among the “right” on the ideological spectrum) and propose the OTTER framework to address them: Observe, Think, Talk, Examine, and Reorient. By illustrating how each intervention step disrupts willful ignorance among advantaged group members, we offer theoretical and practical guidance for advancing workplace EDI. This work further opens a pathway for future research on willful ignorance in allyship contexts.