Managing Diversity and Inclusion

An International Perspective

Jawad Syed, Mustafa Ozbilgin

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781526485847
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Human Resource Management
• Index: Business

Written and edited by leading experts in the field, this authoritative account sets UK and European practices firmly within a global context. Itoffers an in-depth and contextual account of enduring, contemporary and cutting edge theories and approaches to diversity and inclusion management. With workforce demographics changing rapidly, high-profile cases of discrimination in the news and new legislation coming into force, it is more crucial than ever that organisations understand and effectively manage workplace diversity – not only to increase business outcomes, but to create an inclusive workplace in a socially responsible manner.

This second edition includes an engaging new chapter on social class and diversity, as well as a range of new mini case studies on contemporary issues and themes such as intersectionality and autism employment.

Packed with learning features to encourage critical analysis and help you link theory to real-world practice, Managing Diversity and Inclusion offers an in-depth and contextual account of enduring and cutting edge discussions and approaches to diversity and inclusion management.

Part I Concepts

Part I Contents

• 1 Social and psychological perspectives on diversity (Lilian Otaye-Ebede and Loliya Akobo) 15
• 2 Leadership and diversity management in a global context (Clifford Lewis and Ahu Tatli) 42
• 3 Policy and practice of diversity management in the workplace (Darren T. Baker and Elisabeth K. Kelan) 81

1 Social and Psychological Perspectives on Diversity

Lilian Otaye-Ebede

Loliya Akobo

Intended learning outcomes

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

• Define the concepts of equality, diversity and inclusion from multiple perspectives
• Understand the key sociological and psychological concepts of diversity
• Explain the dominant social psychological theories utilised by scholars in understanding diversity
• Discuss cultural diversity and its practices in Africa
• Identify good diversity practice initiatives within organisations

Introduction

Diversity as a concept has evolved over decades from affirmative action in the United States to present day inclusion strategies to ensure every individual is treated with respect and dignity. Its evolution as a concept and practice has been tumultuous and remains a controversial topic.

In this chapter, we will explore the concept of diversity from a social and psychological perspective (i.e. the affect, behaviours and cognitions relating to diversity). More specifically, we will look to explore how feelings, thoughts, beliefs, intentions and goals are constructed and how they in turn influence the behaviours of individuals towards diverse social groups (such as ethnic minorities, women, individuals from varying social classes). By so doing, we aim to develop our understanding of the concept of diversity through historically linking it to equality. Of particular interest is understanding diversity within the workforce and exploring how individuals across different diversity categories (such as race, gender, age, class) could be disadvantaged as a result of belonging to these groups. Psychological processes such as prejudice, unconscious bias, stereotyping and microaggression that contribute to discriminatory attitudes and behaviours towards diverse individuals in and out of the workplace are explored. Next, we present the dominant underpinning social psychological theories of diversity (e.g. social identity theory, social categorisation theory, similarity–attraction theory and embedded intergroup relations theory) that help us to understand how differences in groups are created, managed and affected by workplace policies and practices, and their implications. The chapter concludes with an introduction to cultural diversity within an African context and explains how culture differences shape individual behaviour, influence intergroup relationships and affect thought and actions.

What is ‘diversity’?

Scholars and practitioners have defined the term ‘diversity’ in a variety of ways. Nkomo and Cox (1996) reviewed the broad range of diversity research and looked at the various ways in which diversity has been conceptualised. They concluded that there were broadly two ways in which diversity has been defined – narrow and broad/expansive. While narrow definitions mainly focus on race, gender, religion, etc., broad or expansive definitions tend to look at both visible and non-visible characteristics and differences in individuals. Examples of narrow definitions include Cross et al. (1994: xxii), who defined diversity as focusing on issues of racism, sexism, heterosexism, classism, ableism and other forms of discrimination at the individual, identity group and systems levels. Similarly, Lai and Kleiner (2001: 14) define diversity as ‘not only formed by sex, but also by race, color, religion, and national origin’. Conversely, examples of broad/expansive definitions include Thomas (1991: 10), who defined diversity as ‘…everyone, it is not something that is defined by race or gender. It extends to age, personal and corporate background, education, function and personality…’. And Shackelford (2003: 53) noted that ‘the new definition of diversity includes the traditional categories of race and gender, in addition, it includes people with disabilities, gays and lesbians, and other non-traditional categories … such as – diversity of thought’.

What unites both the narrow and broad forms of definition is the concept of ‘difference’. Hence, diversity can be defined as the variety of visible and non-visible differences (e.g. gender, ethnic, social class, age, religion) inherent amongst individuals and groups (Otaye-Ebede et al., 2017). However, an evaluation of extant diversity research shows more emphasis given to social groups that have been historically subjected to discrimination such as by gender, age, ethnicity, race, disability, sexual orientation and hence have been protected by laws across the globe. An example is the UK’s Equality Act 2010, which offers protection to people with ‘protected characteristics’ – race, age, sex, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, sexual orientation and religion/belief. These social characteristics are amongst the dominant diversity strands protected by law in the majority of countries such as the USA, Australia, South Africa, the Netherlands (see Mor Barak, 2014: 48–51 for an extensive overview), and hence will be the focus of this chapter.

Historical underpinning concepts

Extant theorisation of diversity is built on the foundations of certain concepts. They include social constructivism, universalism versus cultural relativism/historical specificity, and postmodern and postcolonial insights.

Social constructivism versus essentialism: Social constructivism is a term based on Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann’s (1991) work where they state that ‘social order is not part of the “nature of things”, and it cannot be derived from the “laws of nature”. Social order exists only as a product of human nature’ (p. 52). Their argument is that our perception of reality is based on our social interactions. Within the context of diversity, these social interactions determine the social construction of groups/categories such as race/ethnicity, class, gender and sexuality. Simply put, we learn about social categories through our interaction and are given meanings of these categories through our social institutions such as families and friends. On the other hand, essentialism is a belief...