The uneasy alliance of organisational culture and equal opportunities for ethnic minority groups: A British example

• Date: 01 July 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12227
• Author: Emmanuel Ogbonna
• Published date: 01 July 2019

PROVOCATION PAPER

The uneasy alliance of organisational culture and

equal opportunities for ethnic minority groups: A

British example

Emmanuel Ogbonna

Department of Management, Employment and

Organisation, Cardiff Business School, Cardiff

University

Correspondence

Emmanuel Ogbonna, Professor in Organisation

and Management, Department of

Management, Employment and Organisation,

Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University,

Colum Drive, Cardiff CF10 3EU, UK.

Email: ogbonna@cardiff.ac.uk

Abstract

Recent statistics suggest that there is a continuing disparity

in labour market outcomes between ethnic minority (EM)

groups and their White counterparts. However, although

there is now an abundance of statistical and anecdotal

evidence that speaks to the disadvantage of EM groups,

there is less understanding of the intraorganisational

dynamics that give rise to the outcomes that are reported.

Drawing on postcolonial, cultural capital, and social capital

theories, this article argues that the dominant approach

through which organisational culture is conceptualised and

the ways in which it is commonly managed may encourage

labour market inequality and disadvantage for EM groups

(defined as access to employment and having opportunities

for promotion while in employment). The article explores

three intraorganisational interventions that are common

in culture management initiatives (leadership, selective

recruitment, and internal promotion) to illustrate the

arguments. The article concludes by discussing a series of

implications and highlighting the pivotal role of the HR

academy and practitioners in generating deeper insights

and attention into the potential sources of EM disadvantage

that are linked to culture and culture management.

KEYWORDS

discrimination,equal opportunities, ethnic minorities, managing

culture, organisati onal culture

Received: 18 October 2017 Revised: 22 November 2018 Accepted: 22 November 2018

DOI: 10.1111/1748-8583.12227

Hum Resour Manag J. 2019;29:309–327. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltdwileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/hrmj 309

1|INTRODUCTION

The poor labour market attainment of ethnic minority (EM) groups is a common concern that has been reported

across many Western societies. Research contributions have varied and have emerged from different countries, for

example, Belgium (e.g., Derous, Pepermans, & Ryan, 2017), the United States (e.g., Pager, Western, & Bonikowski,

2009), Canada (e.g., Banerjee, 2008), and Australia (e.g., Mapedzahama, Rudge, West, & Perron, 2012). Studies from

Britain point to the prevalence of overt and covert discrimination that continue to blight the labour market access

and in‐work careers of EM groups in general (e.g., Harris & Ogbonna, 2016), with the experiences of disadvantage

by specific groups such as EM youths (see House of Commons, 2015) and EM women (see Kamenou & Fearfull,

2006) being highlighted as especially profound. The eclectic nature of these contributions suggests that the dynamics

of discrimination differ and reflect the idiosyncrasies of particular contexts (see also Shen, Chanda, D'Netto, &

Monga, 2009). Thus, whereas many of the issues discussed in this article apply to varying degrees in different con-

texts, the experiences of ethnic minorities in Britain are drawn upon for the substantive illustrations.

Worryingly, data also suggest that the labour market outcomes for EM groups have not improved despite their

willingness to take up the long‐standing advice of governments and several commentators to improve their human

capital. Specifically, evidence demonstrates that although EM groups are routinely outperforming their White coun-

terparts in higher education and qualifications, such successes are not translated into positive labour market out-

comes (see Rafferty, 2012). This phenomenon, which researchers refer to as the “ethnic penalty”(see also Heath

& Cheung, 2006), suggests that, accounting for other factors, the labour market disadvantage of EM groups cannot

be explained by human capital alone and has prompted scholars to argue that social capital factors must also be taken

into consideration. However, although considerable advances have been made in providing social capital explanations

(see, for example, Mouw, 2006; Park & Westphal, 2013), the persistence of the EM labour market disadvantage sig-

nals the need for additional theoretical and empirical understanding. Specifically, some researchershave called for an

extension of analyses to the organisational context to develop greater understanding of how organisational processes

and interventions may give rise to discrimination and disadvantage (see Robertson & Block, 2001; Zanoni, Janssens,

Benschop, & Nkomo, 2010). In this regard, some studies have highlighted the potential importance of organisational

culture in understanding discrimination and disadvantage in general (see Wilson, 2000), gender discrimination (see

Stainback, Ratliff, & Roscigno, 2011), or even the disadvantage of EM groups in particular (e.g., Race for Opportunity,

2015; Parker, 2017; McGregor‐Smith, 2017). Indeed, despite the findings of a number of major investigations into

race relations that entrenched cultural values play a major role in perpetuating discrimination (e.g., Macpherson

Report, 1999), few studies have scrutinised the role of organisational culture, and especially culture management,

in explaining the exclusion and lack of progression of EM groups in work organisations.

The rationale for a cultural understanding of EM discrimination and disadvantage in employment is premised on

the dominant approach through which culture is theorised in HR/management studies and the ways it is applied

through culture management. For example, culture is commonly theorised as shared values and assumptions (e.g.,

Schein, 1985) that define a known group and that distinguish this group from other groups. These values and

assumptions are typically derived from the wider society (see Smircich, 1983), where EM groups are already disad-

vantaged through prejudice and discrimination (e.g., Pitcher, 2009) and where the historical experiences of colonisa-

tion and imperialism are such that EM groups play little or no role in articulating these values (see Frenkel & Shenhav,

2006). Similarly, the implementation of the culture construct in organisations provides the setting for the specific idi-

osyncrasies of the organisational context to generate disadvantages, especially where managers seek to harness cul-

ture for competitive purposes. Indeed, even where espoused, organisational values are presented as neutral, the ways

in which they are understood and interpreted in everyday behaviours, and practices are commonly influenced by

societally derived beliefs and assumptions.

Through a review of the evidence of labour market disadvantage and relevant theories of organisationalculture,

equality, diversity, and inclusion, this article argues that the dominant approach through which organisational culture

is conceptualised and the ways in which it is commonly managed may encourage labour market inequality and

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