Workplace Inclusivity: A Literature Review From a Strategy-As-Practice Perspective

Journal title CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
Author/s Sibongile Amy Katarina Mukupa, Matteo Cristofaro, Pier Luigi Giardino
Publishing Year 2023 Issue 2023/1
Language English Pages 24 P. 61-84 File size 0 KB
DOI 10.3280/cgrds1-2023oa15792
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

View article Download Open Access article

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

Inclusive work environments are more likely to attract and retain a diverse talent pool, improving business outcomes and competitive advantage. However, inclusivity has been treated as a sum of organizational behaviour norms elaborated by savvy organizations. In line with real-world practices, we advance that inclusivity is a strategic practice that emerges as an inter-related and co-evolving pool of influences from the individual, firm, and environment, elevating it as a strategic management topic. We implemented a systematic literature review (SLR) of selected contributions dealing with the role of workplace inclusivity. Collected papers have been analysed by considering the so-called strategy-as-practice (s-as-p) perspective (i.e., the doing of strategy, who does it, what they do, how they do it, what they use, and what implications this has for shaping strategy), hence, enriching strategy theory, empirical research, and real-world practice. We offer a typology of strategic inclusivity practices that scholars and practitioners can use to study workplace inclusivity strategically. The proposed typology identifies the different domains of inclusivity by considering the level of praxis and practitioners. This article is the first to provide an in-depth and broad review of inclusivity in the workplace via a strategic management lens.

Keywords: ; Workplace inclusivity; Strategy-as-Practice; Systematic Literature Review

  1. Abatecola G., Breslin D., Kask J. (2020). Do organizations really co-evolve? Problematizing co-evolutionary change in management and organization studies. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 155, 119964. DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2020.119964
  2. Abatecola G., Cristofaro M. (2020). Hambrick and Mason’s “Upper Echelons Theory”: evolution and open avenues. Journal of Management History, 26(1): 116-136. DOI: 10.1108/JMH-02-2018-0016
  3. Adams G.B., Meyers M.C., Sekaja L. (2020). Positive leadership: Relationships with employee inclusion, discrimination, and well‐being, Applied Psychology: An International Review, 69(4): 1145-1173. DOI: 10.1111/apps.12230
  4. Alang T., Stanton P., Rose M. (2022). Enhancing employee voice and inclusion through inclusive leadership in public sector organizations, Public Personnel Management, 51(3): 309-329. DOI: 10.1177/00910260221085583
  5. Allison M., Hibbler D. (2004). Organizational barriers to inclusion: Perspectives from the recreation professional, Leisure Sciences, 26(3): 261-280. DOI: 10.1080/01490400490461396
  6. Andrews R., Ashworth R. (2014). Representation and inclusion in public organizations: Evidence from the U.K. civil service, Public Administration Review, 75(2): 279-288. DOI: 10.1111/puar.12308
  7. Barile S., La Sala A., Bianco R. (2022). Management between crises and emergencies. Toward an “absential” approach, Corporate Governance and Research & Development Studies, 2: 157-181. DOI: 10.3280/cgrds2-2022oa15105
  8. Boekhorst A.J. (2015). The role of authentic leadership in fostering workplace inclusion: A social information processing perspective, Human Resource Management, 54(2): 241-264. DOI: 10.1002/hrm.21669
  9. Bortree S., Waters D. (2014). Race and inclusion in volunteerism: Using Communication Theory to improve volunteer retention, Journal of Public Relations Research, 26(3): 215-234. DOI: 10.1080/1062726X.2013.864245
  10. Brendel W, Arman A., Farzam L. (2022). Beyond Talk: Developing Consciousness for Genuine Inclusion, Organisation Development Review, 54(2): 48-58.
  11. Brown A.W. (2002). Inclusive governance practices in nonprofit organizations and implications for practice, Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 12(4): 396-385. DOI: 10.1002/nml.12404
  12. Chia R. (2004). Strategy-as-practice: Reflections on the research agenda, European Management Review, 1(1): 29-34. DOI: 10.1057/palgrave.emr.1500012
  13. Coscia M. (2022). Board gender diversity and family firms’ corporate environmental responsibility: Does “critical mass” matter? Corporate Governance and Research & Development Studies, 2: 137-156. DOI: 10.3280/cgrds2-2022oa15066
  14. Cristofaro M. (2019). The role of affect in management decisions: A systematic review, European Management Journal, 37(1): 6-17. DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2018.12.002
  15. Cristofaro, M. (2022). Organizational sensemaking: A systematic review and a co-evolutionary model, European Management Journal, 40(3): 393-405. DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2021.07.003
  16. Cristofaro M., Lovallo D. (2022). From framework to theory: an evolutionary view of dynamic capabilities and their microfoundations. Journal of Management & Organization, 28(3): 429-450. DOI 10.1017/jmo.2022.46.
  17. Cristofaro M., Giardino P.L., Malizia A.P., Mastrogiorgio A. (2022). Affect and cognition in managerial decision making: A systematic literature review of neuroscience evidence, Frontiers in Psychology, 13. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.762993
  18. Cucari N., Esposito De Falco S., Orlando B. (2018). Diversity of board of directors and environmental social governance: Evidence from Italian listed companies, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 25(3): 250-266. DOI: 10.1002/csr.1452
  19. Cummings S., Daellenbach U. (2009). A guide to the future of strategy? The history of Long-Range Planning, Long Range Planning, 42(2): 234-263. DOI: 10.1016/j.lrp.2008.12.005
  20. Dobusch L. (2021). The inclusivity of inclusion approaches: A relational perspective on inclusion and exclusion in organizations, Gender, Work & Organization, 28(1): 379-396. DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12574
  21. Douglas H.P. (2008). Affinity groups: Catalyst for inclusive organizations, Employment Relations Today, 34(4): 11-18. DOI: 10.1002/ert.20171
  22. Edmondson C.A., Macmanus E.S. (2007). Methodological fit in management field research, Academy of Management Review, 32(4): 1155-1179. DOI: 10.5465/amr.2007.26586086
  23. Glowka G., Zehrer A., Leifeld L. (2022). Values of centenarian family firms as a source of longevity, Corporate Governance and Research & Development Studies, 1: 33-53. DOI: 10.3280/cgrds1-2022oa13752
  24. Hahn R. (2012). Inclusive business, human rights and the dignity of the poor: A glance beyond economic impacts of adapted business models, Business Ethics: A European Review, 21(1): 47-63. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8608.2011.01640.x
  25. Hristov I., Chirico A., Camilli R. (2022). The role of Key Performance Indicators as a performance management tool in implementing corporate strategies: A critical review of the literature, Financial Reporting,1: 117-153. DOI: 10.3280/FR2022-001004
  26. Jarzabkowski P. (2005). Strategy as Practice, Sage Publications Ltd.
  27. Jarzabkowski P., Spee A. (2009). Strategy-as-practice: A review and future directions for the field, International Journal of Management Reviews, 11(1): 69-95. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2370.2008.00250.x
  28. Johnson G., Langley A., Melin L., Whittington R. (2007). Strategy as practice: research directions and resources. Cambridge University Press.
  29. Kalfagianni A., Pattberg P. (2013). Participation and inclusiveness in private rule-setting organizations: does it matter for effectiveness? Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 26(3): 231-250. DOI: 10.1080/13511610.2013.771888
  30. Ke J., Zhang J., Zheng L. (2022). Inclusive leadership, workplace spirituality, and job performance in the public sector: A multi-level double-moderated mediation model of leader-member exchange and perceived dissimilarity, Public Performance & Management Review, 45(3): 672-705. DOI: 10.1080/15309576.2022.2069138
  31. Korkmaz V.A., van Engen L.M., Knappert L., Schalk R. (2022). About and beyond leading uniqueness and belongingness: A systematic review of inclusive leadership research, Human Resource Management Review, 100894. DOI: 10.1016/j.hrmr.2022.100894
  32. Kuknor S., Bhattacharya S. (2021). Organizational inclusion and leadership in times of global crisis, Australian Accounting Business & Finance Journal, 15(1): 95-112. DOI: 10.14453/aabfj.v15i1.7
  33. Lirio P., Lee D.M., Williams L.M., Haugen K.L., Kossek E.E. (2008). The inclusion challenge with reduced-load professionals: The role of the manager, Human Resource Management, 47(3): 443-461. DOI: 10.1002/hrm.20226
  34. Mària F.J., Lozano M.J. (2010). Responsible leaders for inclusive globalization: Cases in Nicaragua and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Journal of Business Ethics, 93: 93-111. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-010-0628-5
  35. Meng J., Neill S.M. (2021). Inclusive leadership and women in public relations: Defining the meaning, functions, and relationships, Journal of Public Relations Research, 33(3): 150-167. DOI: 10.1080/1062726X.2021.2010556
  36. Metz I., Stamper C.L., Ng E. (2022). Feeling included and excluded in organizations: The role of human and social capital, Journal of Business Research, 142: 122-137. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.12.045
  37. Moore K., McDonald P., Bartlett J. (2017). The social legitimacy of disability inclusive human resource practices: the case of a large retail organization, Human Resource Management Journal, 27(4): 514-529. DOI: 10.1111/1748-8583.12129
  38. Oshiotse A., O’Leary R. (2007). Corning creates an inclusive culture to drive technology innovation and performance, Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 26(3): 7-21. DOI: 10.1002/joe.20140
  39. Paniccia P. M. A., Leoni L. (2019). Co-evolution in tourism: The case of Albergo Diffuso. Current Issues in Tourism, 22(10): 1216-1243. DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2017.1367763
  40. Pless N.M., Maak T. (2004). Building an inclusive diversity culture: Principles, processes and practice, Journal of Business Ethics, 54: 129-147. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-004-9465-8
  41. Powell T.C., Lovallo D., Fox C.R. (2011). Behavioral strategy, Strategic Management Journal, 32(13): 1369-1386. DOI: 10.1002/smj.968
  42. Ryan A.M., Kossek E.E. (2008). Work‐life policy implementation: Breaking down or creating barriers to inclusiveness? Human Resource Management, 47(2): 295-310. DOI: 10.1002/hrm.20213
  43. Santoro G., Messeni-Petruzzelli A., Del Giudice M., (2020). Searching for resilience: The impact of employee-level and entrepreneur-level resilience on firm performance in small family firms, Small Business Economics, 57: 455-471. DOI: 10.1007/s11187-020-00319-x
  44. Shore L., Cleveland J., Sanchez D. (2018). Inclusive workplaces: A review and model, Human Resource Management Review, 28(2): 176-189. DOI: 10.1016/j.hrmr.2017.07.003
  45. Stevens F.G., Plaut V.C., Sanchez-Burks J. (2008). Unlocking the benefits of diversity: All-inclusive multiculturalism and positive organizational change. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 44(1): 116-133. DOI: 10.1177/0021886308314460
  46. Tranfield D., Denyer D., Smart, P. (2003). Towards a methodology for developing evidence‐informed management knowledge by means of systematic review. British Journal of Management, 14(3): 207-222. DOI: 10.1111/1467-8551.00375
  47. Vaara E., Whittington R., (2012). Strategy-as-practice: Taking social practices seriously, Academy of Management Annals, 6(1): 285-336. DOI: 10.5465/19416520.2012.672039
  48. van Rooij S.W. (2012). Training older workers: Lessons learned, unlearned, and relearned from the field of instructional design, Human Resource Management, 51(2): 281-298. DOI: 10.1002/hrm.21466
  49. Vohra N., Chari V., Mathur P., Sudarshan P., Verma N., Mathur N., Gandhi H.K. (2015). Inclusive workplaces: Lessons from theory and practice, Vikalpa, 40(3): 324-362. DOI: 10.1177/0256090915601515
  50. Whittington R. (2006). Completing the practice turn in strategy research. Organization Studies, 27(5): 613-634. DOI: 10.1177/0170840606064101
  51. Yu H.H., Lee D. (2020). Gender and public organization: A quasi-experimental examination of inclusion on experiencing and reporting wrongful behavior in the workplace, Public Personnel Management, 49(1): 3-28. DOI: 10.1177/0091026019836196

  • Transformative Social Change in Organizations and Institutions Rick Rantz, LeeAnne McNulty, pp.108 (ISBN:9781668487310)
  • Neurodiversity in the workplace: An agenda for research and action Lorne M. Hartman, Braxton L. Hartman, in Diversity & Inclusion Research e70000/2024
    DOI: 10.1002/dvr2.70000
  • Employee Perspectives on Inclusivity in Ethiopian Workplaces: Linking Perception to Performance Daregot Berihun Tenessa, in African Journal of Employee Relations /2024
    DOI: 10.25159/2664-3731/17164

Sibongile Amy Katarina Mukupa, Matteo Cristofaro, Pier Luigi Giardino, Workplace Inclusivity: A Literature Review From a Strategy-As-Practice Perspective in "CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT STUDIES" 1/2023, pp 61-84, DOI: 10.3280/cgrds1-2023oa15792