Call for Papers
Advancing Theory and Research on Diversity in Organizations
Research in Human Resource Management
Published by Information Age
Final Papers due April 1, 2017
Editors: Dianna L. Stone and James H. Dulebohn
The workforces of many industrialized nations are becoming increasingly diverse (Stone-Romero, Stone, & Salas, 2003). For example, recent reports estimate that by 2030 the U. S. will be a majority minority nation (i.e., ethnic minorities including African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans, Native Americans will become the majority of the population) (U. S. Bureau of Census, 2015). As a result, many U. S. organizations will employ large number of ethnic minority group members, and will face the challenge of attracting, motivating and retaining employees who are ethnically and culturally diverse.
Second, increases in the cultural diversity of work organizations are also a function of the rise in immigration among worldwide populations. For instance, ethnic minorities now make up 14% of the European Union, and the numbers are growing at a rapid rate. Third, the rise in diversity is also affected by the fact that many organizations are involved in international business and trade (Stone-Romero et al., 2003). Large numbers of organizations are conducting business across national boundaries, and some estimates indicate that 34 million individuals now work for multinational organizations. As a result, there is a growing interest in how to develop a better understanding of the issues that arise as organizations become more culturally and ethnically diverse.
In view of the growing cultural diversity in U. S. and worldwide organizations, the purpose of this issue of Research in HRM is to advance our understanding of diversity in organizations by expanding the theory and research on the topic. In particular, the book will focus on enhancing diversity theory and research in the related fields of Human Resource Management (HR), Organizational Behavior (OB), and Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Existing Diversity Theories
Although there are a number of definitions of diversity in organizations, most researchers define diversity as the ways in which persons differ from each other or the distinctive characteristics of individuals (Nkomo & Hoobler, 2014). For example, the original definitions of diversity included the characteristics of sex, ethnicity, race, age, disability, but in recent years other attributes have been added including sexual orientation, weight, veteran's status, socioeconomic status, generational differences, and culture. Given that diversity focuses on a wide array of characteristics, researchers in HR and OB have developed multiple frameworks for understanding diversity in organizational settings. For instance, Van Knippenberg, De Dreu, and Homan (2004) identified three of the major theories of diversity (i.e., social identity, relational demography, information processing), and these will be briefly reviewed below. However, we believe that researchers should also consider theories associated with cultural value differences as a key diversity framework (e.g., Gelfand, Erez, & Aycan, 2007).
Social identity and social categorization models
One of the primary models used to understand the antecedents and consequences of diversity in organizations is the social categorization or social identity perspective (Tajfel and Turner,1989; Stone-Romero & Stone, 2007). This theory argues that the most of the important differences between people are readily detectable, and similarities and differences are used as the basis for categorization of the self and others into groups (in-groups and outgroups). This framework also argues that people are motivated to assign others to outgroup membership to enhance their own esteem. In addition, the theory suggests that these categorizations elicit stereotypes and stigmas about outgroup members, and these individuals are likely to experience numerous problems in organizations. Compared to in-group members, out-group members are less likely to be hired, more likely to receive low pay levels, or be assigned to dead end jobs.
Relational Demography
Another theoretical framework used to understand the outcomes associated with diversity in organizations is relational demography. Relational demography suggests that the more similar an individual is to a social unit in demographic characteristics, the more positive will be his/her work-related attitudes and behaviors (Riordan, 2000). Four important assumptions underlie this theory including (a) people prefer others like themselves, (b) differences make people uncomfortable which leads to better treatment of similar others, (c) similar demographics equate to deeper similarity, and (d) individuals are less likely to be attached to organizations when they are in the minority relative to others than when they are not (Shore et al. 2009; Tsui, Egan, & Xin, 1995).
Information processing perspective.
The information processing perspective argues that diverse groups should outperform homogeneous groups because they are likely to have a broad range of knowledge, skills, and abilities, and different perspectives on a task (van Knippenberg et al., 2004). Thus, even though heterogeneous groups are likely to have conflicting viewpoints, these conflicts should force the group to process the information more thoroughly and prevent it from taking an easy course of action. In diverse workgroups the exposure to different perspectives should contribute positively to group performance (Triandis, 1994), but may also have a negative impact on interpersonal relations.
Cultural Value Differences
One additional diversity framework maintains that differences in individuals' cultural values influence their job-related attitudes and behaviors (Hofstede, 1981; Triandis, 1994). One reason for this is that individuals vary in cultural values, and these differences determine their reward preferences, motivation, and behavior in organizations. As a result, many of the reward and HRM systems in U. S. organizations may be less effective with individuals who do not share the cultural values of the dominant group (Gelfand et al., 2007).
Call for papers
Given that the diversity theories are often viewed as distinct frameworks, we believe that they should be integrated in order to develop an understanding of the role that diversity plays at each stage of the employment process. Thus, the primary goals of this issue are to (a) advance theory and research on diversity by integrating and expanding existing frameworks, (b) give authors the opportunity to propose new frameworks that foster future research, and (c) offer authors the chance to present literature reviews on specific diversity topics that consider the implications for future research and practice.
Guidelines for papers
All papers should integrate existing models of diversity, present new theoretical models or provide literature reviews of diversity-related research. They should also offer directions for future research on diversity. Empirical studies will not be included in the issue. However, meta-analysis of existing research will be considered.
Steps:
1. Authors should submit a short abstract to Dianna Stone (diannastone2015@gmail.com) by September 15, 2016 describing the plans for their papers. Feedback will be provided to authors.
2. Final papers will be due April 1, 2017, and should be 50 pages or less including references and tables. In addition, all papers should conform to APA format.
3. Papers will be reviewed by Dianna Stone and James Dulebohn, and decisions will be made about publication.
4. If authors are given an opportunity to revise and resubmit their manuscripts, the final papers will be due July 1, 2017.
Please feel free to email Dianna Stone at diannastone2015@gmail.com or James Dulebohn (dulebohn@msu.edu) if you have questions about the issue or call for papers.
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