The Embodiment of Otherness: Deconstructing Power Relations Between Staffing Agencies, Diverse Jobseekers, and Organizations in the Israeli Business Sector

Kuna, Shani; Nadiv, Ronit

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-98917-4_9

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…These national and religious tensions typically hamper cooperation and social solidarity within work organizations. Although significant barriers to achieving diversity and inclusion in the Israeli labor market have been documented (King et al , 2012; Kuna and Nadiv, 2019), a systematic exploration of the challenges of DM processes has not yet been offered.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity management as navigation through organizational paradoxes

Nadiv

Kuna

2020

EDI

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PurposeAccumulated evidence suggests that efforts at diversity management (DM) yield mixed results or even fail in terms of promoting workforce diversity. Previous scholarly attempts to explain the mixed results of DM initiatives provided only partial understanding. This study applies a paradox perspective to better understand the challenges of DM from the vantage point of diversity managers, who play a central role in the promotion and implementation of diversity initiatives.Design/methodology/approachIn-depth interviews with diversity managers in large business organizations in Israel explored practitioners' conceptions of the challenges underlying the implementation of diversity initiatives. A grounded theory approach was utilized.FindingsThe findings reveal the emergence of paradox: diversity initiatives generate organizational tensions that undermine their success and hence amplify the need for further diversity interventions. Three distinct paradoxes are identified: necessary change vs desire for stability; bureaucratic control vs flexible procedures; and long-term business gains vs short-term losses. Diversity managers utilize two opposing strategies to contend with these paradoxes.Research limitations/implicationsThis study does not represent voices of diverse employees or of top executives. The data focused on mid-level practitioners' descriptions of DM challenges and their methods of contending with them.Practical implicationsThe findings shed light on an effective strategy of contending with paradox. Recognizing paradox and navigating it properly may greatly advance the success of costly DM change interventions. Implications are suggested regarding the academic education and training of DM practitioners.Originality/valueBased on the paradox framework, which offers a novel vantage point for understanding the challenges of implementing DM, the findings contribute to the scholarly understanding of the limited success of DM interventions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity management as navigation through organizational paradoxes

Nadiv

Kuna

2020

EDI

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“…The exceedingly conflictual Israeli society (Kuna & Nadiv, 2019;Nadiv & Kuna, 2020) provides a fascinating setting for exploring (in)equality. In spring 2021, months into Israel's mass coronavirus vaccination campaign, as its adult population has been inoculated at high rates, the public debate has been expressing bias, stereotypes and prejudice against unvaccinated people.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards Ableism Against Unvaccinated Workers in The “Post-COVID-19” Workplace? Emergent Labor Market Controversies Following the Israeli Inoculation Campaign

Kuna¹

2022

Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Research in Business, Management and Finance

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Accumulating studies have addressed the stark inequalities revealed by the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Considering the progress of SARS-CoV-2 inoculation, there is a risk that embedded inequalities will be further exacerbated due to uneven access to "postvaccine" labour markets. Considering that human resource management (HRM) has played a significant role during COVID-19, the purpose of this study is to decipher the stance of HRM professionals in regards the inoculation controversy, which has percolated from society to the labour market. The participants in this study were 40 Israeli prominent HRM professionals from varied business organizations. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore participants' conceptions of the challenges organizations face considering the heated social controversy in regards the employment of unvaccinated workers. The findings suggest that unvaccinated workers and jobseekers are highly susceptible to both openly acknowledged and covert discrimination against them by employers as well as co-workers. HRM professionals are particularly concerned about discrimination against unvaccinated jobseekers in recruitment and selection processes, and discrimination against unvaccinated workers leading to employee dismissal. This study, which reflects current HRM controversies, makes a contribution to the critical theorizing of the post-COVID-19 workplace as regards nonvaccination as a cause of discrimination.

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“…However, the effects of D&I campaigns in terms of promoting inclusion and diversity in organizations need to be approached with a critical mindset. For example, one Israeli study found that D&I initiatives taken by staffing agencies can lead to the “othering” of minority job candidates and may increase work precarity (Kuna and Nadiv 2019 ).…”

Section: Diversity and Inclusion (Dandi) Initiatives In Global Staffi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Age and gender relations on LinkedIn pages of global staffing agencies

Previtali

2022

Eur J Ageing

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This study investigates the ways in which age and gender play out on the LinkedIn pages of global staffing agencies through an intersectionality lens. A discourse analysis of 437 LinkedIn posts (including visual images, captions, and comments) was conducted. This study found that the corporate discourse of diversity shaped the ways that age and gender were represented. The portrayals of age and gender were found to create gendered specializations of labor and reproduce gender stereotypes; additionally, some workers were represented as disembodied clusters of attributes. The results of this study show the complex ways in which age and gender systems unfold, including two systems mutually reinforcing, gender/age system surfacing, and two systems dissolving. The findings suggest that diversity has lost its performativity as a concept, as its portrayals may not support disadvantaged groups gaining access to better employment opportunities. This study proposes that staffing agencies actively address intersectional disadvantages and foster a gender- and age-transformative change.

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The Embodiment of Otherness: Deconstructing Power Relations Between Staffing Agencies, Diverse Jobseekers, and Organizations in the Israeli Business Sector

Cited by 4 publications

References 71 publications

Diversity management as navigation through organizational paradoxes

Diversity management as navigation through organizational paradoxes

Towards Ableism Against Unvaccinated Workers in The “Post-COVID-19” Workplace? Emergent Labor Market Controversies Following the Israeli Inoculation Campaign

Age and gender relations on LinkedIn pages of global staffing agencies

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