Michielsens, E (2016) Contextualising diversity management: challenging the effectiveness of the business case. PhD thesis, University of Westminster, UK.
Abstract
This PhD challenges, through the discussion of eleven publications, the effectiveness of the employer-led ‘business case' to achieving greater equality and diversity in organisations and highlights the need for a systemic and contextual approach through inclusion of employee voice. The absence of employee participation in building diversity strategies leads to inconsistent initiatives whose relevance and impact are not shaped or interrogated by relevant groups in their specific contexts, undermining effectiveness. These publications, mainly based on qualitative case-study research, discuss diversity management from a sectoral or organisational perspective, focusing on ‘good practice' analysis, whilst also critiquing this concept. The earlier publications show that the structural and cultural barriers to female employment in the male-dominated construction sector impact the participation of other disadvantaged groups. They also discuss the impact of social class and the effectiveness of inclusion strategies for disabled workers, as well as the positive influence of collective employee voice on conflict management in organisations. The later publications look at diversity management from a management perspective; within specific sectoral contexts, mostly male-dominated (e.g. science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM). The sectoral analysis highlights the importance of employment context (sector, occupation, organisation, job role) in the understanding and implementation of equality and diversity. The publications show the limitations of employer-led diversity management initiatives, which fail to break down entrenched structural and cultural barriers. These barriers are shaped by organisational expectations of employees' availability in terms of working time and place, and adaptability to set ways of working. The business case approach does not change these expectations, and leads to a narrow interpretation of diversity and target populations, dominance of employer voice in discourse and actions, lack of contextualised multi-level implementation of diversity measures, the singularity of business benefit as driver and lack of diversity monitoring to support decision making, therefore explaining the lack of progress in equality and diversity. Employee participation is weak in terms of depth and scope, with evidence only of topdown communication. Where collective employee participation is increased, diversity management is improved through enhanced contextualisation and more systemic implementation, reducing barriers to equality and diversity.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | communication; conflict management; construction sector; decision making; disabled; employee participation; employment; participation; equality and diversity; mathematics; sectoral analysis |
| Index terms: | implementation, medicine, sectoral analysis, monitoring, effectiveness, employment, equality and diversity, good practice, construction sector, publication, business case, decision-making, population, employee participation, adaptability, evidence, science, occupation, strategy, disabled, social class, conflict management |
| Subjects: | industry analysis, sociology, decision analysis, conflict resolution, performance management, management, performance measurement, control systems, economic and policy analysis, social justice, demography, medical science and clinical practice, strategic project management, contractual arrangements, psychology, specialized education, user focus, evaluation and assessment methods, research dissemination and communication |
| Topics: | Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Information Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Site Management, Human Resources, Urban Studies, Design Practice, Procurement, Risk Management, Project Management, Health and Safety, Education, Ethics, Quality Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here