Mapping sexual orientation research in management: A review and research agenda

Abstract

Attitudes, norms, and laws regarding sexual orientation are undergoing a worldwide revolution. Managers and HR professionals play a key role in responding to these changes, and managing issues related to sexual orientation diversity in organizations. As such, the amount of management scholarship on sexual orientation has been rapidly growing to help inform practice. However, at present, the literature is fragmented across management specialty areas. This makes it difficult to have an overview of what has been learned to date, and detect research opportunities. Thus, this article aims to provide the first integrative review of sexual orientation research across the management field over 23 years. We use bibliometric techniques to (a) systematically identify and map 111 topics in this literature (map downloads from: https://bit.ly/SOTopicMap), (b) identify topic trends and topic citation rates, and (c) derive an inductive taxonomy of major topic clusters. We then identify key theories and relationships in the literature, review key findings for scholars and practitioners, and identify future research directions. Among these, we highlight the need to incorporate sexual orientation as a standard demographic question in management research, and highlight best practices for doing so from other scientific fields.

Perceived lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) supportive practices and the life satisfaction of LGBT employees: The roles of disclosure, authenticity at work, and identity centrality

“…Over the last decade, scholars have focused on LGBT supportive practices as a distinct area within diversity management that may increase the well‐being and performance of LGBT employees (Byington, Tamm, & Trau, 2020; Ng & Rumens, 2017). The prevalence of LGBT supportive policies has been linked, in a recent meta‐analysis, with positive work attitudes, reduced psychological strain, and less perceived discrimination (Webster et al., 2018).…”

“…We therefore ground our conceptualization of LGBT supportive practices in the wider work carried out by Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index (UK) and the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index (US). Although the HRC and Stonewall indices cover a wide remit of LGBT supportive practice, we focus on areas that have also been discussed in recent academic reviews and qualitative research on LGBT inclusion (e.g., Beauregard, Arevshatian, Booth, & Whittle, 2018; Byington et al., 2020; Ozturk & Tatli, 2016): (1) LGBT anti‐discrimination policies, (2) same‐sex/equal partner benefits, (3) LGBT diversity training, (4) management training on LGBT issues, (5) LGBT inclusive recruitment and promotion practices, (6) LGBT voice and participation opportunities, (7) LGBT employee networks, (8) LGBT inclusive language and communication, (9) career development opportunities for LGBT employees, (10) management concern for LGBT employees, (11) top management support for LGBT initiatives , (12) LGBT inclusion in people management strategy, (13) social complexities affecting LGBT people, and (14) corporate social responsibility efforts that focus on LGBT communities. These practices inter‐relate as part of an overall diversity and inclusion strategy focusing on LGBT workers, and as such can be viewed as an overarching LGBT supportive practices construct.…”

“…In reference to goal fit, LGBT supportive practices communicate the importance of a diverse talent pool and of inclusion strategies as sources of competitive advantage and organizational performance (Byington et al., 2020; Pichler, Blazovich, Cook, Huston, & Strawser, 2018). Thus, an LGBT employee who holds a strong positive perception of their organization’s LGBT supportive practices will feel empowered to pursue their own internalized goals, values, and motives that connect their LGBT identity with their sense of worth and value to the organization.…”

LGBTIQ+ workplace inclusion: A global issue requiring a transdisciplinary and intersectional approach

“…Scholarly interest in the workplace experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) employees has increased over the past decades (Velez, Adames, Lei, & Kerman, 2021;Byington, Tamm, & Trau, 2021). The research demonstrates the particular challenges that LGBTIQ+ individuals face, both in terms of access to work (e.g.…”

When stakeholders claim differently for diversity management: Adopting lesbian, gay and bisexual‐inclusive practices in Italy

“…Inclusion of a diverse workforce, and the related diversity management practices this entails, has garnered increasing attention from both management research and practice, not only on ethical grounds, but also because of the estimated economic value inherent in workforce diversity. While gender, race and age remain those dimensions of diversity which receive the most attention in organizational research and practice, an increasing number of researchers (Byington et al., 2021; Ng & Rumens, 2017; Ueno et al., 2013) and practitioners (Hewlett & Yoshino, 2016) focus on the dimension of sexual orientation.…”