Diversity in the Workplace: Multi‐Disciplinary and International Perspectives

Citation

Hughes, L.W. (2012), "Diversity in the Workplace: Multi‐Disciplinary and International Perspectives", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 33 No. 6, pp. 609-611. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437731211253064

There seems to be a gap between the strategic importance ascribed to diversity issues and the research activities in this area (p. 66).

The above comment from Chapter 5 of Diversity in the Workplace captures a theme stated again and again throughout this edited collection. In Diversity, a group of known experts from leading academic institutions across Europe provide chapters widely varied in their contributions. A common theme addressed throughout is how diversity management endeavors and initiatives fall short of addressing true diversity in organizations.

In Chapter 1, the editor briefly launches the book‐long discussion of workplace diversity. Here, Groschl provides the conceptual foundation for the book, including the theoretical development and framework building on diversity with a “European view.” He outlines the shortcomings of extant research on workplace diversity and most importantly (according to the editor) a “a discussion of the very concept of diversity” (p. 4). The remaining six chapters of “Part I – Conceptualizing Diversity” contain a variety of arguments for the reframing of diversity study in the European workplace.

Laurent Bibard's work, “Integrating diversity: identities replayed,” wastes few words in getting to the crux of where the problem is thought to lie: managers spontaneously reacting to diversity needs without understanding the need to fully integrate individuals’ differences into the organization. In short, this is the purpose of diversity management and without this focus the goal of inclusion cannot be achieved. Bibard illustrates this proposition with an example of disability, which he posits as difficult to integrate because it demonstrates to those who aren’t disabled an “alternate possibility of the self” (p. 10). Despite legal obligations and organizations’ need to integrate diversity, the author believes that key challenges and barriers have not been effectively dealt with. Bibard concludes the chapter with a call for greater responsibility on behalf of organizations, a theme not uncommon throughout the book.

Chapter 3, “The dubious power of diversity management,” by Yvonne Benschop is a treatment of how forces within organizations hinder diversity management, but can resolve inequity by emphasizing individual contributions. Two empirical studies are employed to illustrate the author's position.

Chapter 4 is entitled “Diversity – a strategic issue” and is written by Karsten Jonsen, Susan C. Schneider (who also contributed Chapter 7), and Martha L. Maznevski. These seasoned diversity researchers investigate barriers to managing important strategic issues such as diversity and discuss societal implications of diversity management. These barriers include successful performance (or “why mess with success”), conflict avoidance, and lack of knowledge, among several. A case study method is employed to illustrate these challenges.

A study of “diversity management at business schools and universities” is the focus of Pedersen, Gardey, and Tywuschik's work in the fifth chapter. A quotation provided early on draws the reader's focus to the roles and responsibilities of business schools in developing ethical leaders, especially those who place strategic importance on diversity management. The quotation implicates colleges and universities in not providing an appropriate ethical framework in business education and thus potentially contributing to the fraud scandals at the turn of the millennium. This chapter, really a study, explores whether or not those who train and prepare managers and leaders also place importance on diversity management.

Chapter 6 is entitled “Multicultural identities and culture work.” Here Junko Takagi takes a micro‐perspective in exploring how individual organization members perceive and then experience their identities. The author accomplishes this through a grounded theory research study in which interviews were conducted with multicultural individuals. Three common themes that emerged from the research were a self‐definition of cultural identity, the role of language, and interactions with others. From these themes was revealed a sort of self‐homogeneity on the part of those multicultural individuals, especially with regard to language. The results support the unfortunate dilemma of organization members who comprise the diverse element of the firm in that aspect of self are often in compromise.

In the final chapter of “Part I – Conceptualizing Diversity,” Susan C. Schneider, who co‐contributed to Chapter 4, delivers “Globalization: on being different.” Here, the author focusses on the value of framing and embracing globalization as an inclusive process rather than one of exclusion, which is the current state and typically breeds distrust. In the contemporary global environment there are concerns about cultural homogeneity and loss of identity. While there is an important need to clearly define and differentiate between various groups for the purpose of maintaining identity, this should not create a series of homogeneous silos that create an antithetical outcome to the purpose of diversity management.

Chapter 8 is the launch point of “Part II – Contextualizing Diversity.” Here, Boxenbaum, Bjuvsland, and Leon explore the evolution of diversity management in Denmark by prefacing the importance of adapting diversity management to social contexts. In this study‐based chapter the authors use Denmark as social context. Despite the premise and stated context the authors argue that their findings reveal themes that are generalizable to other social contexts, but will certainly yield somewhat different results under specific investigation. The results of their case studies reveal a number of implications, the most salient of which is the importance of linking unfamiliar diversity management practices to other successful practices in the host organization. By tying a new initiative to a previously successful practice managers increase the potential of successful implementation considerably.

Anne‐Marie Green and Gill Kirton share their wealth of prior research in “The value of investigating stakeholder involvement in diversity management.” As a launch point, the authors provide a rich and interesting perspective of diversity management during the time they have explored the phenomenon. It segues into a discussion of why a more inclusive industrial relations paradigm than the more exclusive “managerialist” human resources paradigm. The former is more appropriate for considering all stakeholders of diversity and inclusiveness than the latter management‐focussed approach because the objectives of each may differ widely. Following a discussion of the stakeholder perspective Green and Kirton close with an acknowledgement that much diversity research appears pessimistic, but that healthy skepticism is necessary to balance sometimes unrealistically optimistic views of diversity management from the perspective and study of top management.

Gender diversity is the focus of Hearn and Louvrier's Chapter 10 “The gendered intersectional corporation and diversity management.” These authors provide a cross‐national research study with participants from a total of 19 organizations in Finland and France. The issues explored were naming/non‐naming of gender and inclusion/exclusion of gender, diversity, and intersectionality. The roles of context, transnational issues, and historical perspectives are discussed.

Diversity provides opportunity, but also inherent risks. A challenge of studying and providing diversity management solutions in Europe is that one‐size necessarily cannot fit all situations and scenarios. The diversity of Europe itself is considerable across its nations. Inéz Labucay explores this in her study entitled “Diversity management between ‘Myth and ceremony’ and strategic economic rationale,” provides another context‐specific investigation in Germany. Writing from a human resources management paradigm, Labucay presents an argument for this work followed by an empirical study on differences across age cohorts, the only chapter in this book that does so. The study revealed mixed findings across age differences in the sample.

Chapter 12, “The dark side of the rainbow,” by Davidson, explores occupational stress among lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) members in organizational life. Although in extant literature there are research studies and theory papers dealing with career barriers and discrimination, this work addresses an overlooked area of LGB research, which is the situational unwillingness of these groups to disclose their orientation and occupational stress. The authors found that those willing to disclose their sexual orientation experience lower levels of occupational stress and, in some cases, more productive provided the work environment exemplifies a supportive culture.

The final chapter is contributed by Cedomir Nestorovic who explores “Ethic and religious diversity in the Balkan area,” a region the author labels the most fragmented in Europe. Ethnicity and religion are the two areas of diversity under scrutiny. In this chapter the author provides a brief history of the region with a discussion of the variety of ethnicities and religions extant.

Despite a few structural shortcomings, this volume is a clarion call to academics who should focus on the study of diversity and to practitioners who should focus on the strategic adoption of diversity management endeavors.