South African women leaders, transformation and diversity conflict intersections

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate diversity conflict intersections and how the meanings of diversity markers such as gender and race might be transformed. It highlights the resources of South African women leaders in higher education institutions for doing so. Design/methodology/approach This study proceeds from a social constructivist perspective, seeking to uncover narrated conflict experiences via a hermeneutical approach. Findings Women leaders in South Africa experience diversity conflict across multiple intersecting diversity markers, such as gender, race, ethnicity and class. They are united by inner resources which, if utilized, might bring about transformation. Research limitations/implications Intersectional approach to diversity conflict is a viable means for uncovering positive resources for transformation across intersecting diversity markers. Practical implications Practitioners wishing to overcome diversity conflict should identify positive resources across intersecting diversity markers. This way, organizations and individuals might bring about transformation. Social implications In societal environment wherein one diversity marker is institutionalized on a structural level, such as race in South Africa, diversity conflict might be enlarged beyond its actual scope, thereby becoming insurmountable. This needs to be prevented. Originality/value This paper studies diversity conflict intersections in a highly diverse societal environment in organizations facing transformational challenges and from the perspective of women leaders.

Moving from intersectional hostility to intersectional solidarity

“…Intersectionality solidarity remains the next challenge for progressive social movements for equality, most of which to this date remain fragmented and isolated. We are witnessing intersectional thinking taking root in social and organisation theory (Acker, 1990(Acker, , 2006Crenshaw, 1991;Muhr and Sløk-Andersen, 2017;Dennissen et al, 2018a;Mayer et al, 2018). Yet the treatment on intersectionality in the literature either locks it to the individual level, focusing on the spectrum of etic and emic categories of difference that individuals hold or focused on institutional processes, policies and rules that generate differentiated and intersectional outcomes (Tatli and Ozbilgin, 2012b).…”

“…In the last thirty years, researchers have paid considerable attention to the intersectional approach in order to understand the interplay of categories of inequality on choices of chances of individuals in various institutional contexts such as work, education, and law (Cho, Crenshaw and McCall, 2013;Mayer, Surtee, and Mahadevan, 2018;Ozbilgin, 2012a, 2012b). Intersectionality is defined as "the interaction between [several] categories of difference in individual lives, social practices, institutional arrangements, and cultural ideologies and the outcomes of these interactions in terms of power" (Davis, 2008, p. 68).…”

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“…Who is the implicit norm, and how can it be challenged (e.g. Mayer et al, 2018)? Otherness, technology and new forms of cross-cultural management and organizing , e.g. do virtual workplaces and new forms of organizing, e.g.…”

Editorial: Women's coping in various spheres in society: Challenges and opportunities

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