Beyond the three monkeys of workforce diversity: Who hears, sees, and speaks up?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explain differences between employees who feel a sense of belonging and those who feel a sense of otherness in terms of their opinions about diversity works in their organizations. We conducted an empirical study to examine the perceptual differences between two independent groups of the study “who feel a sense of belonging” and “who feel a sense of otherness.” We collected data from 792 employees working for organizations in different sizes, industries, and capital structures, which enriched the representativeness of the sample. The findings show that out-group members remain less satisfied with diversity works in their organizations based on four main issues such as “competence of diversity actors,” “embeddedness of diversity works in organizational policies/practices,” “diversity awareness in the HRM functions,” and “diversity-related employee satisfaction.” This paper makes two contributions. First, it contributes to the extant literature an understanding of the differences between those who remain indifferent to diversity works and those who care to see, speak, and hear about them. Second, with a few exceptions, extant studies on diversity works have been dominated by Western-centered research. Research is needed on countries with different macro-contextual conditions, such as different legal regulations, socio-political status, and history. For this study, survey data were collected from people who work in Turkey, a country which has limited legal measures and underdeveloped discourses for equality, diversity, and inclusion. The paper provides significant insights into leading diversity works in national settings with less developed supportive mechanisms for diversity.

Guest editorial: Crossing boundaries and strengthening social connections through improved professional integration of immigrants

“…Homogeneous union leadership is reflected in decision-making structures that result in less sensitivity to diverse member concerns about EDI issues (Kusku et al , 2022). However, unions can employ several different strategies to address inequities in employment conditions (Chicha and Charest, 2013; Kirton and Greene, 2021; Saba et al , 2022).…”

Institutional suicide as anomie: decedents speak out for work-related suicides through a Durkheimian exploration of suicide notes in a context without institutional responsibilization for suicide prevention

“…Many countries of the Global South are even less attuned to responsibilizing other institutional actors for their citizens’ human rights, health and safety and dignity concerns. Turkey provides a worrying example as a country where neoliberalism is practiced without mechanisms of responsibilization ( Kusku et al, 2021 , 2022 ). Consequently, the Turkish experience of neoliberalism has exposed workers to excesses of insecurity, indignity, precarity and inequality without an institutional mechanism of safety ( Camgoz et al, 2023 ; Erbil and Özbilgin, 2023 ).…”

“…Since the 1980s, Turkey has been going through an untamed form of neoliberalism ( Stiglitz, 2012 ), which manifests as the emergence of a set of toxic institutional norms and behaviors ( Kusku et al, 2021 , 2022 ; Mergen and Ozbilgin, 2021a , b ). Leadership culture in Turkey involves a level of paternalism, i.e., parental care and concern for the others.…”

Watch the tone of your voice! An exploration of dehumanization of women by gender nonconformity based on tone of voice, occupation and appearance

“…Gender studies in Turkey have focused on the differences in roles between women and men in social, family, and work life ( Dökmen, 2004 ; Sancar, 2011 ). In Turkey, the lack of equality laws, insufficient supportive political discourse, and organizational preparedness suggest that equality has not been achieved at the societal and organizational levels ( Küskü et al, 2021 ; Kusku et al, 2022 ; Özbilgin et al, 2023 ). It is evident that women face inequalities in terms of education, employment, and representation, according to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (2023) .…”