Diversity and Performance: A Shotgun Marriage?

Abstract

Books and articles promoting “diversity” abound. Many of their authors are not clear what they mean by diversity. Many seem to be naive about the amount of conflict “diversity” can engender. And almost all authors assume–without presenting any meaningful evidence–that diversity is somehow good for organizations. This article attempts to define diversity, suggest the conflict that is often associated with it, and then investigate the conditions (if any) under which diversity with its attendant conflict can benefit the organization.

The Impact of Cultural Diversity on Small Business Strategy

“…Moreover, firms may turn to diverse workforces when the industries they function within experience labor shortages in their traditional labor pool . More importantly, many firms today recognize that hiring employees with cultural differences and including their diversity is both a good practice to endeavor (Carr, 1993; as well as also economically beneficially (Cox & Blake, 1991;Johnson, 1999). Hiring and retaining employees from various racial and ethnic backgrounds can help firms better understand and serve an existing diverse customer base, as well as attract potential future diverse customer bases.…”

Does Diversity in Top Management Teams Contribute to Organizational Performance? The Response of the IBEX 35 Companies

“…However, Kossek and Lobel (1996) provide a more restrictive perspective on the concept, considering diversity only in terms of race, gender, and ethnicity, that is, not including the heterogeneity arising from the characteristics of the individual that are adopted intentionally in the concept of diversity. Nevertheless, there are many other authors (Carr 1993;Carnevale and Stone 1995;Norton and Fox 1997) who do include a greater number of characteristics from both categories (controllable and non-controllable).…”

Actualidad de la diversidad cultural en las empresas españolas = Current situation of cultural diversity in spanish companie: ¿barrera o ventaja competitiva? = barrier or competitive advantage? /

“…Así, Kossek & Lobel (1996) muestran una visión algo restrictiva, ya que únicamente tienen en cuenta una diversidad de raza, género y etnia. Por el contrario, otros autores consideran otros muchos factores, como edad, nación de origen, religión, orientación sexual, discapacidad, cultura étnica, estilo de vida, valores, estatus económico, creencias o idioma (Carr, 1993;Carnevale & Stone, 1995;Norton & Fox, 1997;Triandis & Bhawuk, 1994).…”