Extensive Summary Gender & Diversity in Organisations - MAN-MHR005A - from the year 2023/2024. All mandatory chapters from Kirton & Greene and Hatch & Schultz, and articles from the course guide!
Articles
Article Acker (2006) ................................................................................................................. 66
Article Carillo Arciniega (2020) ............................................................................................... 75
Article Dennissen et al (2020) .................................................................................................. 79
Article Kalev et al (2006).......................................................................................................... 83
Article Kelan (2014) ................................................................................................................. 88
Article Kele et al (2023)............................................................................................................ 91
Article Lewis et al (2023) ......................................................................................................... 95
Article Nkomo (2021) .............................................................................................................. 99
Article Ortlieb et al (2021) ..................................................................................................... 101
Article Özbilgin et al (2023) ................................................................................................... 104
Article Roberson et al (2021) ................................................................................................. 107
Article Thomas et al (2014).................................................................................................... 111
Article Vinkenburg (2017) ..................................................................................................... 114
Article Zanoni et al (2010) ..................................................................................................... 119
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, Chapter 1 Kirton & Greene
Different countries have different socio-political and legal climates that impact on the structure of the
labour and constraints. The book focuses on six dimensions of diversity: gender, race/ethnicity,
disability, sexual orientation/identity, age and religion and belief.
What is diversity?
There are three main uses of the term: (1) as a descriptor of the workforce; (2) as a policy approach to
managing the workforce; (3) as a theoretical paradigm highlighting the significance of socio-bio-
demographic differences.
Diversity as a descriptor of the workforce
Diversity can refer to a huge array of differences, from social groups based like gender, age, religion etc.
to individual characteristic like lifestyle, personality and competences. Some refer to visible differences
like gender, race/ethnicity or invisible differences like individual and personal variations or make a
difference between surface-level differences for demographic differences or deep-level diversity f.e.
personal differences. The question to be answered is what differences are researchers interested in and
which differences do they believe matter, individual or social group based. To study diversity, it is
important to identity certain individual characteristics that require attention or action. The authors
belief that invisible differences and so-called deep-level diversity are connected to social group-based
difference. According to them, it is not possible to separate who we are, who we think we are, and how
we are perceived by others from a major social group. Social group diversity influences, if not defines,
the relationship between the individual and others in inter-group relations.
Diversity as a policy approach to managing the workforce
Equal opportunities polices reflected not only a legal compliance, but also a growing deeper moral
concern for social justice at work, which acknowledged the existence of social group based
discrimination and disadvantage in employment settings as well as in wider society. Organisational
policies were designed to protect the right of individuals, to not be discriminated. One of the main
criticisms of the early 1980 was that individuals were viewed by many employees and other critics as
negative and burdensome. Organisations had to do very little to actually help promote workforce
equality. There was a concern about consequences of focusing on negative dimensions of social group-
based differences f.e. on disadvantage and discrimination. The cornerstone of diversity management is
the belief that it will deliver benefits to the organisation; a business case for workforce diversity.
It is about individual differences over social-group based differences and f.e. disadvantage and
discrimination, while being upbeat about the positive value of group-based difference. When using the
term ‘’inclusion’’ it is usually tackled by into diversity, therefore modifying and going beyond diversity
rather than replacing it. Diversity is defined as concerned with recognising the values of differences and
managing them for commercial advantage. Inclusion is concerned with the processes that incorporate
differences within business practices. Some see ‘’diversity’’ as a first step focused on political and
structural changes to remove barriers for specific groups and demographic categories. While inclusion
takes the next step and creates an inclusive environment for all. The shift to inclusion could reflect the
growing concern that business case rhetoric might have run its course and there will be need for a search
for new rationales that acknowledge workforce diversity.
Diversity as a theoretical paradigm
Diversity shifts toward ideas of human difference and away from the more familiar and conventional
ideas of human sameness reflected in the traditional equality paradigm. According to Young, group-
based differences, such as gender and religion, should not make a difference to people’s rights and
opportunities. This critique exposes that the sameness cannot actually achieve equality for socially
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