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L’importance des schémas mentaux en matière de diversité : étude exploratoire auprès d’employeurs situés en région
***Résumé: L’implantation de mesures pour l’équité, la diversité et l’inclusion (EDI) gagne en popularité auprès des entreprises québécoises. Cependant, ses multiples influences (américaines, françaises, etc.) et conceptions (conformité légale, performance d’affaires, antiracisme, etc.) semblent à la fois difficiles à réconcilier et souvent confondues. Le présent essai pose un nouveau regard sur les pratiques de l’EDI, en entamant une réflexion sur la médiation interculturelle comme un possible vecteur d’innovation de la fonction en entreprise. Les convergences des champs « EDI » et « interculturel » semble en effet demeurer à définir. C’est dans cette perspective que l’on soumet ici comment la prise en compte des dynamiques interculturelles permettrait une mise en œuvre plus sensible et compétente de l’EDI en entreprise, en dégageant les prémisses d’un nouveau cadre opérationnel. Un tel cadre ferait œuvre utile auprès des entreprises, notamment au Québec, qui cherchent encore la manière d’aborder l’EDI efficacement, la médiation interculturelle semblant émerger comme le maillon manquant pour réconcilier ses approches variées et pour en assurer la pleine adoption en contexte. Mots-clés : affaires, antiracisme, Canada, diversité, EDI, égalité, entreprises, équité, gestion, gestion du changement, inclusion, interculturel, médiation, management, multiculturalisme, ressources humaines, Québec
***Abstract: The implementation of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) measures is gaining momentum among businesses in Quebec. However, its many influences (American, French, etc.) and conceptions (legal compliance, business performance, anti-racism, etc.) seem both difficult to reconcile and confusing. This essay takes a fresh look at DEI practices by exploring how ‘intercultural mediation’ approaches could possibly become vectors for innovation in a corporate setting. Indeed, it appears convergences between the fields of "DEI" and "interculturality" have yet to be defined. It is proposed here that taking better account of intercultural dynamics would enable a more sensitive and competent implementation of a DEI corporate function, by laying the foundation for a novel operational framework. Such a framework would be useful for companies, namely in Quebec, that are still looking for ways to approach DEI effectively, with ‘intercultural mediation’ emerging as the missing link to reconcile its various approaches, and to ensure its full adoption in context. Keywords: anti-racism, business, Canada, change management, companies, DEI, diversity, equality, equity, human resources, inclusion, intercultural, management, mediation, multiculturalism, Québec
Purpose
Drawing on the relational demography literature and a social identity perspective, several research propositions in which the authors postulate that demographic characteristics (e.g. gender and race) of senior leaders will influence the implementation and effectiveness of diversity management practices were presented. Specifically, the authors focus on the Chief Executive Officer/Chief Diversity Officer (CEO/CDO) dyad and explore independent and joint effects of CEO and CDO majority–minority group status on workplace diversity outcomes, outlining key identity-based and relational moderators (e.g. value threat, relational identity and leader–member exchange) of these relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
The literature on relational demography and leader–member exchange to develop propositions for future research was integrated.
Findings
This is a conceptual paper. There is no empirical data reported testing the propositions.
Research limitations/implications
The authors extended theory and research on relational demography by focusing on senior leaders in the organization and proposing that the influence of CEO and CDO demographic characteristics on the enactment of diversity practices may be contingent on key identity-based and relational processes.
Originality/value
The authors are not aware of any studies investigating how personal characteristics and relational processes relating to the CEO and CDO may influence the implementation and effectiveness of workplace diversity management practices. In a similar vein, the authors contribute to the research literatures on relational demography and social identity by extending the application of these theories to senior leaders in organizations and in relation to the work of CEOs and CDOs.
Cette recherche qualitative vise à mieux comprendre les facteursqui favorisent ou qui entravent l’intégrationsocioéconomique des femmes immigrantes en région nordiqueau Québec. Résultats : le discours des femmesinterviewées montre que les facteurs ayant facilité leurintégration, après quelques années en solabitibien, sont : le fait de suivre des cours de langue, lavalidation de leurs diplômes, le fait d’être encouple, la présence d’un réseau d’amis,l’intégration des enfants et la sécuritééconomique procurée par leur conjoint. Àl’inverse, les obstacles ayant nui à cetteintégration sont : les barrières linguistiques, unmanque de formations variées pour les femmes immigrantes enrégion et la non-disponibilité des certains servicesmédicaux de troisième ligne. Conclusion : cetteétude démontre la nécessité de porter uneattention particulière à l’exosystème (parex. le monde du travail ainsi que l’organisation des servicessociaux, communautaires et éducatifs) et au macrosystème(les valeurs et normes de la société d’accueil)afin que les femmes immigrantes en région nordique connaissentune intégration plus harmonieuse.
The purpose of this study is to examine how potential applicants' exposure to an organization's social media page relates to their subsequent organizational attractiveness perceptions and word-of-mouth intentions. Based on signaling theory and the theory of symbolic attraction, we propose that potential applicants rely on perceived communication characteristics of the social media page (social presence and informativeness) as signals of the organization's employer brand personality (warmth and competence), which in turn relate to organizational attractiveness and word-of-mouth. Data were gathered in a simulated job search process in which final-year students looked for an actual job posting and later visited an actual organization's social media page. In line with our hypotheses, results show that the perceived social presence of a social media page was indirectly positively related to attractiveness and word-of-mouth through its positive association with perceived organizational warmth. Perceived informativeness was indirectly positively related to these outcomes through its positive association with perceived organizational competence. In addition, we found that social presence was also directly positively related to organizational attractiveness. These findings suggest that organizations can use social media pages to manage key recruitment outcomes by signaling their employer brand personality.
This article seeks to understand the responses of organizations and unions in terms of accommodation in the work environment, focusing on legal constraints, organizational practices, and stakeholders' perceptions. A qualitative approach has been used. The combination of tools for collecting data includes semi-structured interviews, observation of situations, and document analysis, which allow us to provide a fresh perspective on the experiences of employers, union representatives, and employees in terms of accommodation. The results reveal a gap between what the duty to accommodate is and the responses provided for by organizations and unions in this regard. On one hand, the lack of the stakeholders' knowledge of accommodation paves the way for organizational and union responses based on biased perceptions. On the other, the individualized nature of arrangements specific to accommodation does not prompt stakeholders to engage in managing diversity proactively.
Diversity is a popular topic among academics and practitioners alike. It is also a topic that is surrounded with controversies and passionate opinions. This makes understanding the ambiguous consequences of diversity a highly interesting and puzzling endeavor. To facilitate understanding of diversity's effects in workgroups, I present an overview of the state‐of‐the‐art in diversity research and discuss the potential problems and benefits that are associated with group diversity. Moreover, I discuss how research on diversity interventions uses this problems versus potential approach to distinguish moderators of diversity's effects. Based on this overview, I argue that similar to the importance of contingencies for predicting diversity's effects, contingencies also play a crucial role in predicting the effectiveness of diversity interventions. As such, the current overview stresses the lack of main effects of both diversity and diversity interventions. Finally, I discuss recent work illustrating these contingencies and conclude that positive diversity mindsets—favorable mental representations of group diversity—are a necessary prerequisite to prevent problems and promote potential of group diversity.
Although CEO commitment is recognized as being crucial to organizational diversity efforts, we know little about how CEOs signal their priorities and mobilize key organizational actors to implement diversity management. We tested an integrative model in which CEO beliefs about diversity were theorized to predict the implementation of organizational diversity practices through two consecutive mediating steps—via greater CEO engagement in pro-diversity behavior, and in turn, higher perceived CEO commitment by their HR manager. In this model, we also proposed a moderating effect such that when CEOs have less positive beliefs about diversity, CEOs espousing higher moral values will display greater pro-diversity behavior. Results supported the proposed model. Taken together, our findings indicate that a CEO’s words and actions alone are not sufficient for the implementation of diversity management practices. HR managers must view their CEOs as being committed to workplace diversity in order for diversity management practices to be implemented.
Les organisations situées dans les régions périphériques québécoises sont préoccupées par leur capacité à attirer des travailleurs qualifiés. Toutefois, peu d’études s’intéressent aux déterminants de l’attraction régionale. L’objectif de cet article est de développer une mesure de l’attraction régionale et de confirmer sa structure factorielle chez une population de futurs travailleurs du savoir. Un questionnaire a été distribué aux étudiants de huit universités québécoises (n = 876). Une analyse factorielle confirmatoire ainsi qu’une vérification de l’invariance selon le sexe et la région d’origine ont été effectuées. Les résultats de l’analyse factorielle confirmatoire supportent la structure d’un modèle de l’attraction régionale à trois dimensions (S-B X2 = 156,76 ; DL = 33 ; CFI =, 956 ; NNFI =, 941 ; RMSEA =, 065 ; CAIC = -99,83), soit l’environnement économique, la qualité de vie et la culture régionale. L’analyse multigroupe confirme que l’échelle de mesure s’applique uniformément selon le genre et la région d’origine.
Snowball sampling is a commonly employed sampling method in qualitative research; however, the diversity of samples generated via this method has repeatedly been questioned. Scholars have posited several anecdotally based recommendations for enhancing the diversity of snowball samples. In this study, we performed the first quantitative, medium-N analysis of snowball sampling to identify pathways to sample diversity, analysing 211 reach-outs conducted via snowball sampling, resulting in 81 interviews; these interviews were administered between April and August 2015 for a research project on anti-dam movements in Southeast Asia. Based upon this analysis, we were able to refine and enhance the previous recommendations (e.g., showcasing novel evidence on the value of multiple seeds or face-to-face interviews). This paper may thus be of particular interest to scholars employing or intending to employ snowball sampling.
Employees bring their beliefs and religious values to work, and this can be a source of either positive performance or negative conflict. Social conflicts around religion impact more than societies and communities. They also impact organizations. 'Anti-religion' sentiments tend to be based on the perception that religion can be neatly separated from the 'more acceptable/palatable' spirituality, but this ignores the fact that - for most people - the two are intimately intertwined and inseparable. As religious identity is salient for a majority of the world's population, it is thus an important aspect of organizations - particularly those with a large and diverse body of employees. This handbook provides a timely and necessary analysis of religious diversity in organizations, investigating the role of national context, the intersections of religion with ethnicity and gender, and approaches to diversity management.
Prior literature paints an incoherent picture on the relationship between team diversity and performance. The current article investigates circumstances under which demographic diversity (gender and nationality) facilitates performance. Based on the categorization–elaboration model, we build a theoretical framework to demonstrate the crucial role of team learning and efficacy as mediators, and team identification as a moderator to understand how and when demographic diversity facilitates team performance. In a cross-sectional study among 72 project teams, data were collected from multiple sources (self-reports, database, and performance assessments) to obtain objective and subjective indices of team diversity and performance. Results from a multigroup structural equation model showed that team diversity facilitated performance for teams with a strong, but not a weak, collective team identity. Second, team diversity facilitated performance through increased team learning and team efficacy only for teams with a strong team identity. Finally, multisource data revealed a different pattern of results for objective and subjective measures. The objective diversity index seemed a more powerful predictor of performance compared with the subjective index, particularly for strongly identifying teams. These findings provide valuable insight for increasingly diversifying organizations, on the circumstances under which team diversity’s potential flourishes. Moreover, it underlines the importance of data triangulation as objective and subjective measures of diversity are conceptually different and show incoherent empirical findings in the diversity–performance link across extant literature.
Aussi bien le Canada que le Québec ont connu durant les deux dernières décennies une croissance des flux migratoires afin de faire face notamment au vieillissement de la population active et à la pénurie de main-d’oeuvre. Depuis les accords Gagnon-Tremblay-McDougall, le Québec a adopté une politique d’immigration économique où la plupart des personnes sélectionnées ont un profil jeune, un niveau de qualification élevé et parlent le français ou l’anglais. Malgré la hausse du nombre d’immigrants, on observe une intégration professionnelle plus difficile pour les nouveaux arrivants. Plusieurs études et rapports gouvernementaux associent les difficultés d’intégration socioprofessionnelle principalement aux barrières linguistiques, à la non-reconnaissance des acquis et des compétences, aux pratiques discriminatoires et au manque de réseaux sociaux. Ces études évoquent souvent l’importance pour les nouveaux arrivants d’avoir une information pertinente les aidant à intégrer le plus rapidement possible le marché du travail en adéquation avec leurs attentes. L’objectif de cet article est alors d’asseoir une réflexion sur la nature, le rôle et l’impact des flux informationnels véhiculés par les différents réseaux sociaux sur l’intégration socioprofessionnelle des nouveaux arrivants. L’article tente de répondre à un certain nombre de questions : Quelles informations sont indispensables au succès de l’intégration socioprofessionnelle ? Quels sont les facteurs qui peuvent accentuer les lacunes informationnelles ? Comment les flux informationnels véhiculés par ces différents réseaux influencent-ils le processus d’intégration socioprofessionnelle des immigrants ? Pour tenter de répondre à ces questions, nous décrivons d’abord les principales difficultés rencontrées par les nouveaux arrivants au Québec. Ensuite, nous analysons les flux informationnels qui orientent le processus d’intégration sociale et professionnelle des immigrants et repensons le rôle que jouent les réseaux sociaux dans la diffusion des informations. En conclusion, nous suggérons des pistes de recherche en matière de politiques publiques d’immigration et d’intégration.
In this article, I argue that practice theory should be mainly conceived as a theoretical orientation towards the study of the social where the methodological element remains central. Practice theory, therefore, should be conceived as the pragmatic effort to re-specify the study and re-presentation of social phenomena in terms of networks, assemblages and textures of mediated practices. In arguing for the value of practice theory as an inseparable package of theory, method and vocabulary, I articulate four strategies that can be used to conduct practice-based studies. These are the analysis of the concerted accomplishment of orderly scenes of action; the examination of how scenes of action have been historical constituted; the study of the development and disappearance of individual practices; and the inquiry into the co-evolution, conflict and interference of two or more practices. I argue that these strategies, which build on the different traditions, which fall under the umbrella term of practice-based approaches, provide different affordances and allow practice theory to present a view of the social that is richer, thicker and more convincing than that of competing paradigms. I conclude by noting that several open issues still stand in the way of the development of practice theory as a package of theory, method and vocabulary. These should constitute the tropic of future research and debate.
In the last 22 years, research on diversity in teams has been propelled by information processing and social categorization theories, and more recently, by theories of disparity/(in)justice and access to external networks. These theories stress different diversity processes, treating team diversity respectively as variety of information, as separation, as disparity, and as variety of access. We appraise this literature by identifying major problems in the way these four foundational theories are used either alone or in combination, arguing that the related theoretical models are inherently incomplete and static. In an attempt to resolve these problems, we introduce a metatheoretical framework that relates these four foundational theories according to the metadimensions of group boundary and diversity mindset. We also propose a metatheoretical model that identifies interactions among the four diversity processes and specifies diversity response patterns to team success or failure over time. Our metatheoretical approach resolves significant omissions in the literature and penetrates into the dynamic nature of team diversity in more complex, temporally sensitive and synthetic ways.
Despite the centrality of managing diversity effectively in contemporary organizations, existing literature gives disparate and incomplete accounts of how managers actually manage diversity in practice. The prevailing managerial literature focuses on what diversity activities should be involved in managing diversity but does not identify how managers actually undertake these activities in practice. The growing interpretive/critical literature focuses on how people's understandings define managing diversity, but is silent on how managers translate their understandings into specific diversity activities in practice. We applied a practice perspective in conjunction with phenomenography as a methodological approach to investigate how managers actually manage diversity in practice in the empirical context of professional services firms. The results show that managers' practice of managing diversity is constituted by four understandings of managing diversity that distinguish and organize diversity activities into four different and progressively more comprehensive ways of managing diversity. This practice-theoretical account transcends the existing literature's partial accounts in significant ways by offering a new and considerably broader and more precise conceptualization of managers' practice of managing diversity, including which ways of managing diversity may be more effective than others.
International migration to rural areas has become an increasingly important process in Europe, with the potential to act as a key driver of change in the localities concerned. Research has started to document patterns of international migration and the experiences of migrants, but this emergent body of literature is partial and fragmented between regionalscale studies focused on specific types of migration. This paper aims to construct a more holistic perspective by drawing on evidence from three research projects that collectively have examined multiple dimensions of migration in several case study regions across Europe. It distils overarching characteristics of contemporary international migration to rural areas that emphasize the complexity of migration processes and impacts and which challenge established perceptions of migration in rural areas. It then proceeds to focus on the impact of international migration for recipient localities and in particular considers the potential contribution of international migration to regional development. © 2016, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. All rights reserved.
When migrants move from one country to another, they carry a new range of skills and perspectives, which nurture technological innovation and stimulate economic growth. At the same time, increased heterogeneity may undermine social cohesion, create coordination, and communication barriers, and adversely affect economic development. In this article we investigate the extent to which cultural diversity affects economic growth and whether this relation depends on the level of development of a country. We use novel data on bilateral migration stocks, that is the number of people living and working outside the countries of their birth over the period 1960– 2010, and compute indices of fractionalization and polarization. In so doing, we explore the effect of immigration on development through its effect on the composition of the destination country. We find that overall both indices have a distinct positive impact on real GDP per capita and that the effect of diversity seems to be more consistent in developing countries.
'Diversity management has become fashionable as an extension of equal opportunity and affirmative action policies, but placing the emphasis more on organizational development and change. This Handbook covers no less than sixteen countries with a diverse range of issues, ranging from the caste system in India to the problems of migrants in the Netherlands. Each country is placed in an historical context and a range of policies dealing with gender, ethnic minorities, migrants, age, disability and sexuality are discussed. This Handbook will be essential reading for anyone concerned with human resources.'
This authoritative text sets UK and European practices of diversity and inclusion firmly within a global context. Key features: International and cross-cultural case studies, examples and comparisons from a range of countries including the emerging economies Case study approach illuminates complex theories by showing how they are applied in practice. Criticality is central to the book with each chapter including critical analysis, critical questions and boxed critical insights and reflections Companion website with free full text journal articles.
Reviews:
The book edited by our colleagues, Jawad Syed and Mustafa Ozbilgin, is quite refreshing and gives some important critical reflections on the issue of diversity in our contemporary organizations and societies. It deserves to be read by all of us who are interested and deal with Diversity Issues. -- Jean-François Chanlat, Full Professor and 'Management et diversité' co-chair, P.S.L Research, Université Paris-Dauphine
This book is an invaluable resource to help employers, managers and policy makers understand the challenges of moving forward in the diversity and inclusion space, and the ways in which to respond to different cultural contexts. It is a much needed piece of work which draws together various experiences and perspective on diversity and inclusion, to help really start thinking, reflecting and moving forward in a way that is not only socially responsible and ethical but also business-oriented. Combining academic work across various disciplines and cultures with numerous organisational examples, the book provides fresh insight to scholars and practitioners to understand this topic and be more confident, proactive and inclusive in their approach to diversity, rather than being constrained and limited to minimal legal compliance. -- Dianah Worman, OBE Chartered FCIPD, Diversity lead for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
Understanding of the depth and complexity of diversity management has grown considerably over the last decade. From a discourse which focused primarily on individualised rights and treatment, academic and professional thinking and writing has built on growing perspectives of workplace and societal cultures and hegemonies so as to inform discussion on addressing some of the more chronic, long-standing issues of under-representation and disadvantage. It is increasingly understood that successful strategies to improve the breadth and depth of diversity in organisations requires pro-active and compelling thinking and understanding, not just a list of dos and don’ts! The authors of this book have detailed and long-standing work and experience of these issues. The book brings together a variety of approaches which will add important context to current issues and debate. -- David Ruebain, Chief Executive of Equality Challenge Unit
To account for the double-edged nature of demographic workplace diversity (i.e,. relational demography, work group diversity, and organizational diversity) effects on social integration, performance, and well-being-related variables, research has moved away from simple main effect approaches and started examining variables that moderate these effects. While there is no shortage of primary studies of the conditions under which diversity leads to positive or negative outcomes, it remains unclear which contingency factors make it work. Using the Categorization-Elaboration Model as our theoretical lens, we review variables moderating the effects of workplace diversity on social integration, performance, and well-being outcomes, focusing on factors that organizations and managers have control over (i.e., strategy, unit design, human resource, leadership, climate/culture, and individual differences). We point out avenues for future research and conclude with practical implications. Copyright
The concept of identity, although quite recent in the social sciences (it was popularized by Erikson in the 1950s; see Gleason, 1983), is one of the few concepts to have been so widely studied and theorized. Psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, even political philosophers, have used the term to shed light on a variety of sociopolitical phenomena, ranging from belonging to exclusion and from stability and homogeneity to social change and cultural pluralism. As such, identity has acquired an array of conflicting meanings, from essentialist notions which focus on unity and distinctiveness to conceptions which emphasize the fragmentation of the modern subject (Brubaker and Cooper, 2000). The challenge in defining identity stems from the fact that it refers to both an individual's sense of self as well as to an individual's relations with others. It is, in other words, a concept that resists the individual–social dichotomy which has traditionally dominated the social sciences in general, and social psychology in particular. In this chapter we adopt a social representations perspective to theorize identity at the social–individual interface. We focus on national identities which have been particularly problematized in the context of growing cultural diversity within nation-states and are often seen as declining or changing. The chapter is structured as follows: we start with a brief account of the theory of social representations and then present our main argument of identity as a social representation embedded in strategic projects. Then, in two different sections, we discuss national identity projects in culturally diverse societies with a particular focus on Britain and Greece. We conclude with a brief discussion of the implications of these national identity projects for the integration of migrants. A brief account of the theory of social representations The theory of social representations introduced by Serge Moscovici in 1961 has had a major impact on social psychological research. The theory has been used to understand a series of psychological phenomena, such as minority influence (Moscovici, 1976), public understanding of science (Bauer and Gaskell, 2002), cognitive development (Psaltis and Duveen, 2006), intercultural relations and communities (Jovchelovitch, 2007; Howarth et al., 2013), and health and risk (Joffe, 2003).
As change becomes a constant in organizational life, middle managers charged with interpreting, communicating, and implementing change often struggle for meaning. To explore change and managerial sensemaking, we conducted action research at the Danish Lego Company. Although largely absent from mainstream journals, action research offers exceptional access to and support of organizational sensemaking. Through collaborative intervention and reflection, we sought to help managers make sense of issues surfaced by a major restructuring. Results transform paradox from a label to a lens, contributing a process for working through paradox and explicating three organizational change aspects-paradoxes of performing, belonging, and organizing.
Résumé Cet article analyse les pratiques de gestion de la diversité dans le secteur public, les difficultés relativement à leur mise en œuvre ainsi que les facteurs de succès associés à ces pratiques. On constate qu’une préoccupation liée à l’égalité des chances et à la lutte contre toutes les formes de discrimination se traduit généralement par des actions de sensibilisation et de formation axées sur le changement des comportements individuels des fonctionnaires (une sensibilisation aux stéréotypes, par exemple) et par des actions encore trop rares visant des changements structurels (l’organisation du travail, l’approche des usagers, les politiques de gestion des ressources humaines, les procédures administratives).
Prejudice and discrimination toward immigrants, and the consequences of these negative attitudes and behavior, are key determinants of the economic, sociocultural, and civic-political future of receiving societies and of the individuals who seek to make these societies their new home. In this article I review and organize the existing literature on the determinants and nature of prejudice and discrimination toward immigrants, summarizing what we know to date and the challenges in attributing effects to immigrant status per se. I also discuss the consequences of discrimination against immigrants for immigrants themselves, their families, and the societies in which they settle. I conclude by presenting key research questions and topics in this domain that should be at the top of the research agenda for those interested in intergroup relations in this age of mass migration.
Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Psychology, Volume 72 is January 4, 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
Afin d’identifier les explications que donnent des acteurs d’origine maghrébine des difficultés qu’ils rencontrent à insérer le marché de l’emploi québécois, nous avons mené entre 2001 et 2004 des entrevues auprès de 22 Maghrébins en recherche d’emploi à Montréal et Sherbrooke. Des entrevues ont aussi été menées avec 15 intervenants d’organismes gouvernementaux et para gouvernementaux œuvrant auprès d’une clientèle en recherche d’emploi, dont des Maghrébins. Dans cet article, l’objectif est de saisir à travers les trajectoires individuelles et collectives l’évolution des réseaux de ces immigrants. Nous verrons notamment que la présence d’une communauté de même origine ethnoculturelle ne peut garantir l’élargissement des réseaux s’il n’y a pas de soutien institutionnel significatif et ce, tant du côté de la société que de la communauté elle-même.
In this study, we aim to revisit theorizing on inclusion by turning to practice theory. Challenging the individualist ontological assumption of most diversity and inclusion studies, we follow a practice‐based theory of diversity to understand how an inclusive social order is accomplished. Our empirical case centers on the real‐time practicing of a dance production where diversity was central to its production process as well as final performance. Using a research strategy of connected situationalism, we uncover and document three practices: mixing, inverting and affirming, that are recursively intertwined into a nexus, producing inclusion. We advance the inclusion literature by proposing the notion ‘a site of diversalizing' that processually captures the accomplishment of multiplicity through practices and their associations in time and space, highlighting the necessity to understand ‘practice' as the entanglement of bodily, discursive and material components, and approaching context as comprised of mutually constituting relations instead of micro/macro levels. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The benefits and drawbacks of diversity inside organizations have been the focus of attention for researchers and practitioners for several decades. In our article, we investigate the business case for racial diversity across different hierarchical levels. More precisely, we ask: How does racial diversity within organizations and its asymmetry across hierarchical levels affect their financial performance? From a sample of 143 US law firms from 2008 to 2012, we provide strong support for the business case and show that greater racial diversity for the entire organization is positively associated with firm financial performance. However, contrary to our initial expectations, the benefits of diversity are not more pronounced at the top of the organization, where its effects should arguably be more clearly observable. Diversity seems to have a similar effect across the three levels in law firms: associates, mid-level and partners. Furthermore, we find that the most profitable firms actually have their racial diversity heavily concentrated at the associate level. We discuss alternative explanations for this surprising finding and why the top-performing law firms have both overall higher degree of racial diversity and more concentration of its diversity at the lower level.
This paper turns to practice theory as a new theoretical lens to better understand the complexity of diversity in organizations. Questioning the field’s ontological dualism between individualism and societism, we propose to engage with practice theory’s relational ontology and its main conceptual and methodological ideas. From this, we develop a practice-based theory of diversity, arguing that practices and their connections, not individuals or discourses, are the unit of analysis to study and understand the social life of a diverse organization. We apply this theoretical lens to (in)equality through two research examples, showing how the practicing of career mentoring is connected with other inequality-(re)producing practices, and how the equal social order of a dance organization is accomplished through the situated practice of mixing. In the discussion, we highlight the value of a practice theory for diversity. A practice-based theory of diversity renews the research agenda of diversity studies, forwarding post-dualistic forms of theorizing, re-conceptualizing diversity practices along the theoretical logic of practice, and conceiving diversity-related phenomena as the net-effect of social order-producing practices.
Do demographic shifts in the racial composition of the United States promote positive changes in the nation’s racial dynamics? Change in response to the nation’s growing diversity is likely, but its direction and scope are less clear. This review integrates emerging social-scientific research that examines how Americans are responding to the projected changes in the racial/ethnic demographics of the United States. Specifically, we review recent empirical research that examines how exposure to information that the United States is becoming a “majority-minority” nation affects racial attitudes and several political outcomes (e.g., ideology, policy preferences), and the psychological mechanisms that give rise to those attitudes. We focus primarily on the reactions of members of the current dominant racial group (i.e., white Americans). We then consider important implications of these findings and propose essential questions for future research.
Résumé
Alors que les flux migratoires massifs et illégaux font les manchettes en Europe, des pays tel le Canada misent davantage sur l’immigration qualifiée. L’insertion professionnelle en terres canadiennes, et plus spécifiquement au Québec, a intéressé bon nombre d’auteurs. Ces derniers soulignent les différentes difficultés que connaissent les immigrants sur ce plan, malgré les efforts constants des acteurs publics pour ajuster les politiques d’accueil et d’intégration.
Dans le secteur des technologies de l’information (TI) de la région de la Capitale-Nationale, la croissance économique, la rareté et le besoin croissant de main-d’oeuvre spécialisée incitent des employeurs, soutenus par des organismes régionaux, à recruter à l’international des travailleurs qualifiés. Une part importante des immigrants spécialisés en TI arrive donc à Québec par le biais de ce mécanisme et les intervenants du milieu soulignent leur bonne insertion en emploi. Cependant, il existe une catégorie d’immigrants formés en TI à l’étranger qui tentent, de leur côté, d’insérer le secteur. Ces derniers ne sont pas arrivés par le mode de recrutement habituel et ils passent donc sous le radar des statistiques régionales et sectorielles. Cette étude exploratoire dévoile leur existence et s’attarde à leurs conditions particulières d’insertion professionnelle.
L’article relève les obstacles rencontrés dans leurs démarches pour occuper un premier emploi en TI avec leurs compétences étrangères, des obstacles en lien avec leur faible maitrise des langues de travail, ou des lacunes dans les pratiques de gestion des ressources humaines des employeurs, et aussi à cause des différences dans les nomenclatures professionnelles. Les immigrants rencontrés mettent en place des stratégies de retour aux études et de déqualification qui vont s’avérer la porte d’entrée pour occuper leur premier emploi en TI. Toutefois, ces actions ne mènent pas souvent à une insertion optimale et satisfaisante et elles entrainent généralement une surqualification. L’analyse permet de comprendre que leurs profils généralistes seraient, en partie, à l’origine de ces obstacles parce que les besoins des employeurs dans la région sont, en fait, spécialisés.
On the basis of the literature of open systems and team diversity, we present a new dynamic team diversity theory that explains the effect of change in team diversity on team functioning and performance in the context of dynamic team composition. Building upon the conceptualization of teams as open systems, we describe the enlargement and decline of team variety, separation, and disparity through member addition, subtraction, and substitution. Then, focusing on diversity enlargement, we theorize the contemporaneous and lasting effects of team diversity change on team performance change and on team processes and states leading to them. Dynamic team diversity theory expands the focus of team diversity research from teams' being more diverse than others to teams' becoming more diverse than before. It aims to advance team diversity research to be better aligned with the organizational reality of dynamic team composition. We also discuss methodological considerations in subsequent empirical testing of the theory and highlight how the theory and future research may help to guide organizational practice in recomposing work teams.
This volume brings together perspectives on social identity and peace psychology to explore the role that categorization plays in both conflict and peace-building. To do so, it draws leading scholars from across the world in a comprehensive exploration of social identity theory and its application to some of the world’s most pressing problems, such as intrastate conflict, uprising in the middle east, the refugee crisis, global warming, racism and peace building. A crucial theme of the volume is that social identity theory affects all of us, no matter whether we are currently in a state of conflict or one further along in the peace process.
The volume is organized into two sections. Section 1 focuses on the development of social identity theory. Grounded in the pioneering work of Dr. Henri Tajfel, section 1 provides the reader with a historical background of the theory, as well as its current developments. Then, section 2 brings together a series of country case studies focusing on issues of identity across five continents. This section enables cross-cultural comparisons in terms of methodology and findings, and encourages the reader to identify general applications of identity to the understanding of peace as well as applications that may be more relevant in specific contexts. Taken together, these two sections provide a contemporary and diverse account of the state of social identity research in conflict situations and peace psychology today.
It is evident that any account of peace requires an intricate understanding of identity both as a cause and consequence of conflict, as well as a potential resource to be harnessed in the promotion and maintenance of peace. Understanding Peace and Conflict Through Social Identity Theory: Contemporary Global Perspectives aims to help achieve such an understanding and as such is a valuable resource to those studying peace and conflict, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, public policy makers, and all those interested in the ways in which social identity impacts our world.
Purpose - The paper examines how diversity of cultural minority newcomers and transformational leadership affect the socialisation process of cultural minorities in organisations.
Design/methodology/approach - A conceptual model is developed based on diversity theory and past research studies.
Findings - Based on theoretical arguments, we propose that the diversity of cultural minorities will be negatively related to socialisation outcomes. We highlight the roles of transformational leadership and diversity mindsets in facilitating the socialisation process of cultural minorities.
Research implications - Using quantitative studies, future research should attempt to test the propositions presented in this paper by conducting employee-level studies.
Practical implications - The focus of diversity training needs to be changed from preventing unfairness and discrimination to viewing diversity as an important informational resource. Leaders of cultural minority newcomers should be trained to lead in a more transformational manner.
Originality/value - Scholars suggest that research on cultural minorities is lacking and their integration in organisations is examined less extensively. In this paper, we fill this gap and present a conceptual model examining the socialisation process of cultural minorities.
Keywords diversity, diversity mindset, cultural minorities, transformational leadership, social integration, creative problem solving
Historically, workplace diversity has not been considered an intuitive practice. At different times it has been viewed as a moral issue, a legally mandated requirement, or as a combination of both. Today, workplace diversity is usually presented in terms of a rational and pragmatic economic advantage: the so-called business case
argument. However, the implementation of diversity always takes place within a social and cultural context and raises question of self-identification and social
categorization for those who are in, or who are coming into, the organization. Because of the numbers of employees involved, questions of identity and the impact of diversity are perhaps most acutely encountered in small- and medium-sized enterprises. This chapter considers the business case argument, the paradoxes associated with diversity, and the potential challenges that result when increasing shifts toward diversity are pursued in micro- and small-sized business ventures
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L’objectif de cet article est de montrer que la coopetition n’est ni une extension des theories de la competition, ni une extension des theories de la cooperation. Elle est definie comme « un systeme d’acteurs qui interagissent sur la base d’une congruence partielle des interets et des objectifs ». La coopetition est un objet de recherche singulier qui necessite un examen theorique qui lui est propre. Elle est un champ d’exploration entierement nouveau, qui est a priori tres prometteur pour faire avancer les recherches et les pratiques en management strategique.
Mor Barak, Managing Diversity: Toward a Globally Inclusive Workplace
Managing Diversity won the prestigious Academy of Management’s George Terry Book award for “the most outstanding contribution to the advancement of management knowledge” and received the CHOICE Award for Outstanding Academic Titles by the Association of College and University Libraries.
“An excellent resource to develop, theorize, and work out the inclusive workplace in a very comprehensive, encompassing, and interdisciplinary way. .. Boxes, tables, graphs, and figures as well as practical examples and empirical illustrations… make the book very interesting for both the conceptual, pedagogical research interest and the practical, educational interest.”
- Cordula Barzantny, Academy of Management Learning & Education Journal
This book introduces a unique and refreshing prism that is highly useful for managers and scholars alike. The authentic examples and case studies bring the content to life and make this book a very interesting and captivating read. Managing Diversity is a ‘must read’ for managers who need to effectively manage today’s diverse work force in order to survive and thrive in the global economy.
- Alan D. Levy, Chairman and CEO Tishman International Companies
Successful management of today’s increasingly diverse global workforce is among the most important challenges faced by corporate leaders, human resource managers, and management consultants. In the Third Edition of this award-winning book, Michàlle E. Mor Barak argues that exclusion is one of the most significant problems facing today’s diverse workforce, and she provides strategies for unleashing the potential embedded in a multicultural and diverse global workforce.
Key Features:
• Offers up-to-date information and statistics on the new realities of the global workforce, including demographic, legislation, and social policy trends around the world
• Analyzes the causes and consequences of workforce exclusion, highlighting the groups commonly excluded in various countries and providing theories that explain exclusion and inclusion in the workplace
• Provides an original and comprehensive model of the Inclusive Workplace suggesting policies, procedures and programs that facilitate its implementation
New to This Edition
• New and revised diversity case examples from around the world
• Updated statistics on global workforce trends and new legislations and social policies in different countries
• New information about leadership in diversity management
• Up-to-date research on diversity management outcomes
• Assessment tools for organizational diversity climate and for inclusion-exclusion with data on their psychometric properties
A password-protected instrucot teaching site at… includes PowerPoint slides, chapter overviews and outlines and test questions.
Michàlle E. Mor Barak is a professor at the University of Southern California with a joint appointment at the School of Social Work and the Marshall School of Business. She holds the Lenore Stein-Wood and William S. Wood Professorship of Social Work and Business in a Global Society.
In today’s knowledge-based economy, human resources and skills are crucial to long-term growth, prosperity and social inclusion at the local level. A review of practice in OECD countries shows that local stakeholders realise that it is no longer enough just to invest in the formal education and training system, and are turning towards a more diverse range of strategies to increase the supply of skills in their locality. This chapter reviews such strategies in many different parts of the world including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Malaysia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. The focus is in particular on actions to better attract and retain talent, integrate disadvantaged groups into the labour force, and upskill current workers. The chapter concludes by identifying the obstacles to a truly joined-up approach to skills at the local level, and ways to overcome these.
In spite of the fact that chain referral sampling has been widely used in qualitative sociological research, especially in the study of deviant behavior, the problems and techniques involved in its use have not been adequately explained. The procedures of chain referral sampling are not self-evident or obvious. This article attempts to rectify this methodological neglect. The article provides a description and analysis of some of the problems that were encountered and resolved in the course of using the method in a relatively large exploratory study of ex-opiate addicts.
Scholars have long been interested in when and to what degree managers are able to exert control over their organizations. In this review, we examine managerial discretion, or the latitude of action available to managers. Since its introduction, scholars have attempted to explain when managers will have discretion, what discretion means for organizational outcomes, and how discretion may differentially influence organizational outcomes when it enables or constrains leaders. Our review indicates that while a significant number of studies have examined discretion, few have attempted to validate the prescriptions of the managerial discretion construct. Furthermore, studies to date have primarily focused on the industry task environment as a measure of discretion, with less attention focused on the manager's characteristics and the internal organization. We then assess construct validity and the measurement of managerial discretion, offering recommendations to future researchers for improving the operationalization of this construct. Finally, we consider how discretion forces may interact as either complements or substitutes and how such interactions may have both organizational- and individual-level consequences.
Focusing on hybrid team culture within transnational teams as a facilitator of group interaction, we hypothesized a curvilinear relationship between team heterogeneity on nationality and effective performance. Through a qualitative field study, we developed a mediation model of the effects of transnational team dynamics. Two confirmatory laboratory studies followed. The hypothesized curvilinear relationship was confirmed, with homogeneous and highly heterogeneous teams outperforming moderately heterogeneous ones in the long run. Drawing from conceptual work on status hierarchies, group "faultlines," and group membership, we discuss implications for team structures in transnational settings.
Confronted with new legal requirements concerning professional equality, the integration of seniors and persons with disabilities, business managers adopt various attitudes, ranging from a minimalist reactive attitude to a proactive approach consisting in a true professional integration policy. Based on 31 semi-structured interviews conducted with HR and diversity project managers, this study shows how a successful proactive management of diversity is linked to the importance given by management to a managerial approach to work rather than a categorical or psychological approach to diversity.