Understanding approaches to managing diversity in the workplace

Abstract

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to enhance understanding of why and how companies implement diversity management in practice, and of factors that may explain their approach. Design/methodology/approach-This study takes inspiration from existing typologies depicting organisation-wide perspectives on diversity management, and articulates them in more detail by applying practice-driven indicators and highlighting possible contingent factors at play. The resulting framework is used to investigate diversity management in Italy. Data from a survey conducted among 90 companies and two focus groups with experts and managers are presented. Findings-The most common approach among Italian companies focuses on addressing social expectations, seemingly shaped by isomorphic pressures and the need to secure legitimacy in their environment. Results also point to an understanding and practice of diversity management in Italy that also incorporate compliance and opportunity-oriented aspects, in an interplay between coercion and voluntarism that reflects local perspective and priorities. Originality/value-This study makes an effort to address the paucity of studies linking approaches to managing diversity with managerial interventions and contextual factors. The research model connecting approaches with practice-driven aspects and explanatory factors shows descriptive and predictive potential, although it should be contextualised to the specific setting under investigation. This study also fills a research gap in Italy, where existing research primarily involves case studies and qualitative approaches and focuses on gender issues. Implications for research and practice drawn from this study can be useful to scholars and practitioners in other countries.

Erecting Walls Versus Tearing Them Down: Inclusion and the (False) Paradox of Diversity in Times of Economic Upheaval

“…However, studies have shown that there are some positive effects of the crisis for diversity. Some researchers found that the appearance of having diversity as a priority is good for public relations in that it signals corporate social responsibility (French and Ali, 2016;Ravazzani, 2016), which is popular with the public and investors (Sun et al, 2015). An example of positive outcomes is the tendency of some boards to increase diversity among board members during financially difficult times; 'one is a token, two is a presence, three is a voice' (Gyapong et al, 2016: 373).…”

“…Another example is the increased number of opportunities for women at the top of the organizational ladder in hard times, although these opportunities may prove to be perilous (Sun et al, 2015). Some researchers found that the appearance of having diversity as a priority is good for public relations in that it signals corporate social responsibility (French and Ali, 2016;Ravazzani, 2016), which is popular with the public and investors (Sun et al, 2015). Although the promising harbingers of change are clear, there is more work to be done: Holgate et al (2012) remarked that newer areas of striving for equality and inclusion, such as disability, sexual orientation, religion, and age, remain relatively underdeveloped, which is consistent with the proportion of diversity indicators in the reviewed research.…”

Implementing Social Sustainability for Innovative Industrial Work Environments

“…However, in recent years, researchers have shown growing interest in studying the social dimension of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a corporate duty and a part of business integral to human resources (HR) [9,10]. Ravazzani investigated the implementation of diversity management by looking at managerial interventions and contextual factors that influence business activities [10]. This research shows that companies in Italy work with social factors as an isomorphic expectation to gain legitimacy in society for their business.…”

The Reality of Applying Human Resources Diversity Management and Its Impact on Workers’ (Performance, Cooperation, Commitment and Loyalty): A Field Study on the Jordanian Food Industry Companies

“…After then the concept developed; to be connected with planned actions of fair human resources strategies that aim to reach the optimal synergy between diverse human resources (Henry & Evans 2007;Ravazzani, 2016) . (Shen et al, 2009 ; believed that to maximize the benefits of having diverse human resources the attempts must go beyond the traditional approaches of celebrating differences; compliance to the state law, fair human resources strategies aren't any more enough.…”