Guest Editors' Introduction: Diversity and Inclusion in Different Work Settings: Emerging Patterns, Challenges, and Research Agenda

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21715
• Published date: 01 March 2015
• Author: Nicholas Theodorakopoulos,Pawan Budhwar
• Date: 01 March 2015

Human Resource Management, March–April 2015, Vol. 54, No. 2. Pp. 177–197

© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com).

DOI:10.1002/hrm.21715

Correspondence to: Nicholas Theodorakopoulos, Aston Business School, Aston University, Aston Triangle,

Birmingham, England B4 7ET, UK, Phone: +44 (0) 121 2043472, E-mail: n.theodorakopoulos@aston.ac.uk

GUEST EDITORS’ INTRODUCTION:

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

INDIFFERENT WORK SETTINGS:

EMERGING PATTERNS, CHALLENGES,

AND RESEARCH AGENDA

NICHOLAS THEODORAKOPOULOS AND PAWAN BUDHWAR

The purpose of this article is to analyze and highlight the developments

in the current scholarship on managing diversity and inclusion (D&I) and

provide insights for future research. While doing so, the article advances

our understanding of “what matters” in this fi eld, through the integration

of different literature concerning the dimensions of D&I. It also provides

a neo- institutionalist framework, which locates different themes in the

D&I scholarship to assist in further development of the fi eld. It argues for

a consideration of inquiry in D&I from a neo-institutionalist perspective to

encourage interdisciplinarity and align with broader social science research

in human resource management (HRM) and development, highlighting the

complexity involved in the theorizing of D&I management in organizations.

Specifi cally, we argue for the need to engage with a variety of stakeholders

concerned with the management of D&I, to enable cross-fertilization of theo-

ries and mixing methods for future research designs. The article also intro-

duces the manuscripts included in this special issue and build on them as

well to develop the future research agenda. ©2015Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Keywords: workforce diversity and inclusion, diversity and inclusion

management, institutional theory

The surge of interest in the field

of diversity and inclusion (D&I) at

the workplace (mainly relating to

concerns such as gender, age, eth-

nicity, race, nationality, disability,

sexual orientation, or religion) owes much to

fundamental economic, sociodemographic

and legislative changes taking place globally

(Oswick & Noon, 2013; Shen, Chanda,

D’Netto, & Monga, 2009). The existing

literature shows that the agenda on work-

force D&I has now gained international

currency among HR managers and organi-

zational leaders, including those operating

in emerging economies, which is now par-

alleled by pertinent research (e.g., Healy &

178 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, MARCH–APRIL 2015

Human Resource Management DOI: 10.1002/hrm

models, and concepts do not always trans-

late easily to other national settings, espe-

cially when these are quite different from a

Western or even North American environ-

ment (Budhwar, Schuler, & Sparrow, 2009;

Ferner, Almond, & Colling, 2005; Groeneveld

& Van de Walle, 2010; Metcalfe & Woodhams,

2012). Moreover, drawing conclusions about

the outcomes of D&I management is further

complicated because programs and instru-

ments are varied (Groeneveld & Van de Walle,

2010; Pitts, 2009).

Notably, some scholars problematize the

logical integrity of the business case (Noon,

2007) and the way the concept of diversity

is employed (Foster, 2007; Lorbiecki & Jack,

2000; Metcalfe & Woodhams, 2012; Tatli,

Vassilopoulou, Ariss, & Özbilgin, 2012).

Others question the extent to which diversity

policies materialize, when such policies are in

place (Hoque & Noon, 2004) and the degree to

which the discursive shift from equal oppor-

tunities to diversity management is followed

by a shift in practice (Tatli, 2010). Further, it

is important that scholarship in this domain

not only elucidates contemporary organiza-

tional developments internationally by quan-

tifying relevant practices, but also enhances

our understanding about the reality of D&I

management practices (Fujimoto, Rentschler,

Le, Edwards, & Hartel, 2014; Greene & Kirton,

2010; Hoque & Noon, 2004; Kamenou, 2007).

Therefore, understanding better antecedents,

outcomes and approaches to D&I manage-

ment require more compelling evidence,

gleaned from a variety of contexts, which are

influenced by different factors.

Based on these reported developments in

the field, the aim of this special issue is to offer

a platform for a rigorous exploration of D&I

management in a host of settings, including

different countries, industrial sectors, orga-

nizational types, and forms of employment.

Theoretical and empirical contributions are

derived from a range of disciplines to fur-

ther explore patterns and differences in the

management of D&I. We seek to facilitate a

dialogue across methodological, theoreti-

cal, empirical, and philosophical silos and

offer strategies for change toward effective

D&I management, linking different levels of

Oikelome, 2007; Priola, Lasio, Simone, &

Serri, 2014; K. A. Scott, Heathcote, & Gruman,

2011). Accordingly, a global diffusion of log-

ics that promote D&I management match in-

creased participation rates of diverse groups

in the workplace. Itis hardly surprising, then,

that calls for inclusiveness from industry

leaders, public-sector figures, and lobbying

groups are in vogue. Yet inequalities in orga-

nizations and societies become evident when

considering the terms and conditions under

which such groups experience D&I man-

agement, and a different picture begins to

emerge (Greene & Kirton, 2010; Kirton, 2009;

Kumra & Vinnicombe, 2008). Hence, there is

a pressing need to continue scrutinizing the

extent to which the rhetoric for D&I manage-

ment meets reality and to identify mecha-

nisms that facilitate the expression of voice

for silenced minorities in today’s increas-

ingly diverse organizations (Bell, Özbilgin,

Beauregard, & Sürgevill, 2011).

Beyond being a vehicle for social justice,

D&I management is increasingly regarded

as a key to the strategic agenda of an orga-

nization, under the banner of the “business

case.” Evangelists of diversity management

proclaim its many virtues, including tapping

into diverse resources of the labor market and

establishing rapport with diverse markets

whose significance in purchasing power terms

has grown considerably in most Western

economies. As a result, there is a growing lit-

erature on managing D&I, which focuses on

performance at different levels and in different

sectors (see Brammer, Millington, & Pavelin,

2009; Ely & Thomas, 2001; Kalev, Kelly, &

Dobbin, 2006; Kochan, Bezrukova, Ely, &

Jackson, 2003; Pitts, 2009). Notwithstanding

the widely accepted business case argument,

the growth of literature in this field and the

plethora of recommendations for how to

improve D&I management, evidence of posi-

tive impact of diversity initiatives on perfor-

mance is far from conclusive (Foster Curtis

& Dreachslin, 2008; Jayne & Dipboye, 2004;

Kochan et al., 2003; Lauring, 2013; Wise &

Tschirhart, 2000). A compounding factor is

that many studies continue to focus on single-

nation cases and/or be undertaken from an

Anglo-Saxon perspective. These approaches,