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Socially responsible diversity management

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

Jawad Syed  and
Robin Kramar
Jawad Syed
Affiliation:
Kent Business School, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
Robin Kramar
Affiliation:
Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Macquarie University, Sydney NSW, Australia
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Abstract

The purpose of this article is to develop a conceptual framework to describe ‘socially responsible diversity management’. This framework seeks to demonstrate that the desired social justice outcomes of affirmative action programs and the business benefits of diversity management programs can be achieved but only by undertaking initiatives at a number of levels. Traditional approaches to afirmative action have been unsuccessful in achieving their goal of equitable labour market outcomes and it is unclear that diversity management programs have contributed to business outcomes. The article argues that neither affirmative action nor diversity management has been able to fully achieve its objectives because of a number of limitations. The article argues that organisations can achieve better business outcomes, as well as equity outcomes associated with a diverse workforce, by adopting a relational, multilevel framework of managing diversity. Such a framework provides for the creation of what is termed ‘socially responsible diversity management’.

Keywords

affirmative actiondiversity managementrelational frameworkmulticultural organisationsocially responsible diversity management
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 15 , Issue 5 , November 2009 , pp. 639 - 651
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2009

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