Running Head: DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & EQUITY IN ORGANIZATIONS (EXPLAINED
FURTHER) 1
Diversity, Inclusion & Equity in Organizations (Explained Further)
Stephen Johnson
Liberty University
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & EQUITY IN ORGANIZATIONS (EXPLAINED FURTHER) 2
Introduction
Diversity, inclusion and equity have been important concepts for the longest time.
However, their importance has especially been seen in recent times when it has been required
that all parties, no matter their differences, be treated equally and be provided with engaged to a
point of attaining a balance for all. What this means is that for an organization to function well
and consider being successful, people from all walks of life, as long as the qualifications have
been met, ought to be given an opportunity to bring organizational goals to realization or fruition.
At the same time, these diverse people that have been brought onboard in such a case, should be
able to be involved in both work and social interactions without bias, while ensuring that they are
all placed on the same pedestal of equality. Giving everyone a chance means the organizational
skill set is widened, thus providing a higher chance for organizations to meet and surpass their
goals in timeliness. This gives everyone a chance to be heard and to contribute to the growth and
development of the company.
Diversity, inclusion and equity within the organizational context have been an issue in the
past, and this is what organizations are trying to rectify in the present day to give an equal chance
to all. This looks at marginalized groups from marginalized color and ethnic communities to
gender marginalization, to immigrants and veterans too. As long as a certain group of people has
been discriminated against, in terms of being prevented from accessing certain services, then
they warrant to be heard, with expectations of diverse, inclusive and equitable efforts. On this
note, this paper will look at the current trends in diversity, inclusion and equity within
organizations, thus being a clear reflection of where the world is and where it is headed. This
will, hopefully, be a significant research paper is steering the world in the right direction.
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & EQUITY IN ORGANIZATIONS (EXPLAINED FURTHER) 3
Current Research
The significance of encouraging and ensuring that diversity, inclusion and equity are made
part and parcel of all, if not most, organizations cannot be emphasized enough. This research
paper will look at diversity, inclusion and equity (D.I.E.) within organizations in light of a
general idea of D.I.E. at the workplace (ethnic and gender), veterans, immigrants, and gender
diversity; all of which are important aspects of diversity, inclusion and equity.
In the spirit of encouraging and the enlightenment of the importance of diversity, inclusion
and equity; research has been done on where this stands today. First and foremost, there is great
need to get an understanding into how much research, if any, has been done on diversity and
inclusion at the workplace. With this in mind, Garg & Sangwan (2020) comb through a number
of journals to establish where organizations have been placing more focus on. The journal
articles hereby analyzed are those whose publishing was done between 2010 and 2017. From the
research, there has been an increase in the research efforts put towards diversity. This would
easily indicate a rise in diversity efforts within organizations as they seek to not only grow their
teams diversely, but also as they look to increase their skillsets to the success of the organization.
On top of this, inclusion has been identified as a more recent phenomenon which means
that little has been done on it. On this note, therefore, it is safe to say that the same can be seen in
organizations. Only a few organizations, if any, have been able to successfully adopt and
embrace inclusion within its walls. Currently, therefore, more has to be done in line with
inclusion as has been done for diversity. Diversity efforts have improved over the years as a
result of people championing behind these efforts. The same ought to be done for inclusion and
equity, that is, in form of research and organizational efforts.
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Workplace diversity remains a sensitive and very important issue. Similar to the efforts by
Garg & Sangwan (2020) in finding out the extent to which research has been done into diversity
and inclusion, Yadav & Lenka (2019) also have a look at conceptual and empirical research done
on workplace diversity within journal articles between 1990 and 2019. From the research, it is
clear that challenges have been identified. The first challenge has to do with the inconsistency
and mixing of results which are important aspects of the management of diversity. At the same
time, the research articles looked into show a failure to identify the problems relating to
dimensions within which diversity operates. The research paper, therefore, insists on looking at
the diversity aspects, such as race, age, tenure, gender, the functional background, and education.
The research finds that limited research has been conducted on workplace diversity within
organizations, thus pushing for the need of more research to be done on workplace diversity
going forward. From this, it is clear that a lot more research needs to be done be improve on
workplace diversity for the sake of fair and equal representation for all. It is clear, therefore, that
the extent to which diverse, inclusive and equitable efforts are applied in organizations today is
still not enough, which calls for more to be done, research-wise and organization-wise.
Diversity has been the greater focus in the discussed research papers. However, it is
important to note that inclusion is just as important an aspect within the workplace. As much as a
diverse workforce can be considered challenging, it is also paramount to the enrichment of the
organization, especially in goal realization. Unfortunately, as Shore, Cleveland & Sanchez (2018)
indicate, not only are scholars writing and publishing within the diversity, inclusion and equity
still at the early stages of matters inclusion, but inclusion is still at its early stages within
organizations. On this note, inclusion is an important aspect in matters diversity since after
acquiring a diverse workforce, the employees will need to feel like they belong in order to
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & EQUITY IN ORGANIZATIONS (EXPLAINED FURTHER) 5
unleash and make known their capabilities for individual and corporate goal realization. This
requires enlightening literature on inclusion, how to go about it and how to correctly apply the
said literature. With measures and detailed literature made available, then it would be possible to
attain inclusion literature-wise and within organizations. Currently, it has been made clear that
scholars and organizations need to conduct a lot of research in order to understand how
beneficial and important inclusion is to them, while also trying to understand how best to bring it
out and make all and sundry feel as part of something bigger than themselves.
Going from diversity, inclusion and equity efforts within organizations in light of literature
on the same, there is a further look at the effect of this on organizational competitiveness,
slightly similar to the case of nonprofit organizations highlighted by Doyle (2019). Workforce
diversity is still an important aspect in this case. Krithi & Pai (2021) detail the importance of a
diverse workforce within their research. However, they also identify the management challenge
that accompanies this aspect. From the findings, the performance by organizational employees
increases with greater workforce diversity and inclusion. It is one thing to have a diverse team of
professionals helping with organizational goal realization, but it is also another to ensure that
they all feel like part and parcel of the organization. Diversity management by the organization,
following workforce diversity and inclusion as detailed in the reviewed literature, also plays a
significant role in improving organizational performance and satisfaction by employees.
From the research, human behavior is important in the realization of the goal of workplace
diversity and inclusion. Diversity and inclusion practiced within an organization may be the
cause of a make and/or break within an organizations. The successful part of it is realized
through increase in organizational productivity while the difference in the staff’s backgrounds
may be a cause for clashes within the organization. This might be an issue that might span ages
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & EQUITY IN ORGANIZATIONS (EXPLAINED FURTHER) 6
to come since, on an individual level, people will clash based on their differences. These
differences may be on the basis of perceptions, language communicated as well as different in
attitudes. From reviews of other literature, Krithi & Pai (2021) have further found that workplace
diversity and inclusion will only be successful if indeed the organization takes it upon itself to
educate the employees on their importance. This will then be a strength to not only the
organization, but to also the individuals. Proper management of workplace diversity and
inclusion easily results in benefits linked to workplace diversity and inclusion. With this in mind,
sustainability of the organization can then be realized, after which competitiveness can also be
realized. A successful organization will be resultant of such efforts.
Diversity efforts in any organization play a significant role is shining a light on the level of
importance that the company places on its own, whether or not it provides equal chances to all in
organizational goal realization, and the skillset that its employees present. As in any other
organization, nonprofit organizations also benefit a lot from diversifying its staff. This type of
organizations, especially, benefits greatly (Doyle, 2019). It is expected that nonprofit
organizations acquire financial and any other kinds of assistance from individuals, other
organizations or the government. In the process, they are forced to interact with people from
different backgrounds, and hopefully, bring them onboard the organization’s plans to engage in
their nonprofit activities.
Such organizations are expected to get to know the community and engage the community
in their efforts, understand the community, have leadership that fits the bill (nonprofit focus),
widen the network for all people groups, and engage in representational leadership. As it stands
today though, nonprofit organizations still struggle with diversity and representation matters and
with this in mind, it is expected that more can be done to not only bring on board more diverse
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & EQUITY IN ORGANIZATIONS (EXPLAINED FURTHER) 7
teams, but to also establish good relations with the community (Doyle, 2019). The community
will be more dedicated to the nonprofit organizational activities and efforts if the organization is
representative of a diverse workforce. These relationships are paramount in the success of the
organization. The matter about diversity, inclusion and equity can, therefore, not be emphasized
enough.
Identity representation is an expectation that most, if not all, organizations would realize at
a certain point in the life of the organizations. This is not different for organizations within the
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields or industries. This community,
especially, has been known to have some of the greatest disparities in light of gender
representation, specifically, the fact that women have been left out of the equation many a times.
It even gets worse for the African American woman who gets to be disadvantaged twice, on her
gender and her race. This is an issue that has been identified within the Accounts of Chemical
Research (ACS) STEM community, and has motivated the community to consider possible
solutions to deal with this issue in an equitable way, giving everyone an opportunity to have a
seat at the table (Gentle-Genitty, Merrit & Kimble-Hill, 2021). This has been made possible
through the Community of Minority Affairs present within the ACS.
The idea developed by the community is the need for strategic, policy statements. This can
be dealt with through conducting an environmental scan at the organizational level to determine
the represented, minority groups. Further still, including the minority groups in the development
of these policy statements will help with the realization of the burdensome nature of their daily
lives, thus aiding with the realization of their situation. This would call for a policy statement
model to be used across the organization, but with a few adjustments, if any, based on the
department. The model would detail the statement purpose, the methodology and position of the
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & EQUITY IN ORGANIZATIONS (EXPLAINED FURTHER) 8
individual within the organization, statement evaluation action and measurement, as well as
reach and scope (detailing the reach of employee roles within the statement). To determine
whether or not the statement if up to par, it is important that updating and evaluation is
conducted every so often. This, then, is the far that the STEM community has reached in matters
diversity, inclusion and equity, specifically, gender diversity and inclusivity.
Gender diversity remains an important discussion, not only in the STEM community. The
organizations within the Latin American Countries (LAC) region is another community looking
at the significance of the gender diversity discussion. This remains an important topic especially
since there lacks an agreeable idea to the effect that gender diversity has on the performance
indicators within an organization. Gender diversity and inclusion are important, and this is no
different in this region of the world (Grueso-Hinestroza, & Antón-Rubio, 2020). This is
especially true when it comes to the relationship between innovation and gender diversity in top
management within the LAC region. As much as gender diversity, with focus on women
especially, can be said to have a great impact on innovation and performance within an
organization, this only remains to be seen as the research advocates for research on the same to
be conducted in future.
The manufacturing sector could also benefit from gender diversity. This is especially in the
case of small and medium enterprises within this sector. The manufacturing sector has, for the
longest time, been dominated by male employees. To increase the chances of SMEs within this
sector getting more skilled and talented employees, it has become paramount to include female
employees too. Such organizations are more sensitive, supportive and with a lower number of
disciplinary cases (Madhavkumar, 2017). For women, and the employees in general to thrive
within a work environment, it is important that the organization is supportive of its female
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & EQUITY IN ORGANIZATIONS (EXPLAINED FURTHER) 9
employees and the organizational employees at large. Such a conducive environment will result
in a thriving workforce, therefore, resulting in a thriving organization. There is more to be done
for a supportive and conducive work environment for diversity.
Not only does diversity, inclusion and equity focus on ethnic and gender lines; it also
focuses on minority groups like immigrants. The Bow Valley community consists of a good
number of foreign-born residents. With this in mind, for an equal and fair approach to treatment
and inclusion, there exists a partnership between stakeholders in the area and immigrants for
integrative and inclusive strategies such as the Workplace Inclusion Charter (WIC)
(Selvanandan, & Reid, 2021). This charter includes policies meant to encourage integration and
inclusion at the local workplaces, especially for immigrant workers, as well as addressing the
issues that other minority groups may be facing in an inclusive and equitable way. Since it is a
voluntary charter, it still requires more push at employer level for immigrants to feel as part of
the larger Bow Valley community.
Despite these considerate actions, there is still more to be covered on immigrant
integration. The attraction, diversity, inclusion, retention, and equity of immigrants at the
workplace, at least in Canada, can best be made possible through simplifying organizational
socialization (communication and informal rules). Other ways are being supportive with long-
term education and employment for stability, and continuation of welcoming, inclusive and
equitable organizational environments (Nardon et al., 2019). This shows a greater need to push
for diversity, inclusion and equity within organizations, not only in Canada, but also around the
world for an equal shot at success for all, as much as a lot has already been done.
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The last important minority group consists of veterans. Veterans usually go from the
military world to the civilian one, with some expectation of joining the civilian workforce. This
transition brings with it challenges that might affect their ability to join the civilian workforce or
even getting a job. Some organizations may also be against diversity, inclusion and equity of
veterans through employment. Hunter-Johnson (2019), therefore, encourages diversity for
veterans within the civilian workforce since they also bring different skillsets and talents to the
table. Liggans et al. (2018) identify the preferences and hiring practices that organizations are
adopting to reduce obstacles to organizational access by veterans in the current day. This is in an
effort to not only embrace diversity, but to embrace diversity and inclusion at the workplace, in
light of veterans joining the civilian workforce. Still at the beginning of integration into the
workplace; diversity, inclusion and equity for veterans is an important part of organizational
success.
Future Questions
In the research by Garg, & Sangwan, (2021), the research question, “What does the
literature review analysis of 2010-2017 research trends reveal diversity and inclusion in today’s
workplace?” The future research areas recommended are on emerging trends in diversity and
inclusion. Yadav & Lenka (2019) look at the literature on workforce diversity and its
management based on the research question mentioned in Garg, & Sangwan, 2021), on top of,
“What future research avenues are used in workforce diversity management?” Some avenues
identified are inclusion and leadership, diversity and diversity management practice effect
combination, multilevel studies conducting, diversity dimension effects and dimensions
unexplored, and diversity variables operationalization. Doyle’s (2019) research question is,
“What strategies and practices could nonprofits employ to promote diversity in their
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & EQUITY IN ORGANIZATIONS (EXPLAINED FURTHER) 11
organizations’ boards? The researcher proposes a quantitative approach in understanding need
for diversity of members; inclusion of type, demographic and location of nonprofit; and need to
understand the literature’s deviation from context.
“What inclusion model can be applied to current literature for greater clarity to result in
progress?” is the question in Shore, Cleveland & Sanchez (2018). The future research areas are
empirical testing of the inclusion model, more empirical research to be conducted, literature
development for realization of inclusion potential, and providing for grounded measures of the
focus of inclusion. The research in Gentle-Genitty, Merrit, & Kimble-Hill (2021) is “How can
organizations within the STEM community address disparities in identity representation?” The
recommendations are increased use of policy statements, continuous assessments and outcome
evaluations. The research questions in Krith & Pai (2021) are, “What are the dimensions,
benefits, and roles of workplace diversity in the organization?” The future research areas
identified are assessment of variable impacts, effect of inclusion and diversity on performance of
organizations, more research on how to create an inclusive workplace, and relationship between
outcomes that have been unexplored and outcome variety. Grueso-Hinestroza & Anton-Rubio
(2020) focus on the question, “Is there a relationship between innovation and gender diversity in
top management?” The future area proposed is the relationship between general organizational
performance and women in top management positions.
The research questions in Madhavkumar (2017) are “What is the extent of women support
in SME manufacturing organizations?”, “What is the impact of a supportive workplace on
gender diversity in SME manufacturing organizations?”, “What are the perception differences
among organizational, respondent groups?” The future research area is finding out if the findings
from the relationship between a supportive workplace and gender diversity can be used in other
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & EQUITY IN ORGANIZATIONS (EXPLAINED FURTHER) 12
workplaces. The research question in Selvanandan & Reid (2021) is, “Would a voluntary
workplace chapter improve integration and inclusion of immigrants?” The future research area is
finding out if the workplace inclusion chapter would be beneficial to other equity-seeking
groups. The research question in Nardon et al., (2019) is, “What are the organizational practices
and strategies that can facilitate immigrant attraction, inclusion and retention?” The future
research area is finding out the roles that policy makers, new immigrants, organizations that
serve immigrants, and employers can play in immigrants’ lives in line with job attainment and
stability.
In Hunter-Johnson (2021), the research questions are, “What are the challenges that
veterans face when transitioning from the military to the civilian workforce?” and “What
implementation strategies can be employed promote organizational diversity and inclusion?” The
future research area finding out how diversity can be properly managed to reduce or eliminate
employee turnover. The research question in Liggans, et al. (2018) is, “What are the perceptions
and attitudes of veterans?” and “How might inclusion and diversity efforts differ between
military veterans and non-veterans?” The future research area is conducting empirical
examinations of the impact of inclusion perceptions of military veteran employees on
organizational engagement and commitment outcomes. The other area is conducting empirical
examinations of inclusion perceptions among veterans and non-veterans in agencies under
federal government in the event of creation of policies in support of organizational inclusion.
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References
Doyle, B. J. (2019). Advancing Diversity in Nonprofit Boards (Doctoral dissertation, Walden
University).
Garg, S., & Sangwan, S. (2021). Literature Review on Diversity and Inclusion at Workplace,
2010–2017. Vision, 25(1), 12-22.
Gentle-Genitty, C., Merrit, B., & Kimble-Hill, A. C. (2021). A Model for Crafting Diversity,
Inclusion, Respect, and Equity (DIRE) Policy Statements Toward Catalyzing
Organizational Change.
Grueso-Hinestroza, M. P., & Antón-Rubio, C. (2020). Relating gender diversity in top
management positions and innovation: Evidence from seven countries in Latin America.
In Diversity and Inclusion in Latin American and Caribbean Workplaces (pp. 157-165).
Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Krithi & Pai, R. (2021). A Review on Diversity and Inclusion in the Workforce for
Organizational Competitiveness. International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts
(IJCRT), 9(7), a159-a171.
Liggans, G. L., Attoh, P., Gong, T., Chase, T., Clark, P., & Russell, M. (2018). Diversity and
inclusion efforts in Federal agencies: a context for exploring perceptions of military
veterans. Journal of Veterans Studies, 3(1), 139-151.
Madhavkumar, V. A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF WORKPLACE CULTURE ON GENDER
DIVERSITY IN SMES OF THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR.
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & EQUITY IN ORGANIZATIONS (EXPLAINED FURTHER) 14
Nardon, L., Kuzhabekova, A., Zhang, H., Schweitzer, L., & Isabelle, D. (2019). Improving
Immigrant Inclusion in the Workplace. Centre for Research on Inclusion at Work (CRIW)
& Hire Immigrants Ottawa and World Skills Employment Centre. Carlton University.
Selvanandan, V., & Reid, M. (2021). Improving inclusion and integration of immigrants through
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Shore, L. M., Cleveland, J. N., & Sanchez, D. (2018). Inclusive workplaces: A review and
model. Human Resource Management Review, 28(2), 176-189.
Yadav, S., & Lenka, U. (2020). Workforce diversity: from a literature review to future research
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