Diversity

Diversity can best be explained with the word diversity. Scholars from different disciplines are working on this concept; by way of example, we would like to introduce you to three different approaches: one from the social sciences, one from psychology and one from economics.

Maisha Eggers understands diversity "as a point of convergence of sameness and difference, i.e. different partial identities that respectively touch fields of sameness and fields of difference" and also "as an intersectionally informed view of inequality relations" (Eggers, 2013, p. 3.).

Rosemary Hays-Thomas understands diversity as the differences between people that can influence their acceptance, performance, satisfaction and development opportunities in an organisation.

(Original quote: „We will use the term ‚diversity‘ to refer to differences among people that are likely to affect their acceptance, work performance, satisfaction, or progress in an organization." [Hays-Thomas, 2004, p. 12]

Taylor Cox understands diversity as variations in social and cultural identities that exist between people in a company or a market segment.

(Original quote: “the variation of social and cultural identities among people existing together in a defined employment or market setting” [Cox, 2001, p. 3]

Literature:

Cox, T. H. (2001). Creating the Multicultural Organization: A Strategy for Capturing the Power of Diversity. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Eggers, M. M. (2013). Diversity Matters: Thematisierungen von Gleichheit und Differenz in der rassismuskritischen Bildungs- und Soziale Arbeit. Zugriff am 02.02.15 unter Internetquelle.

Hays-Thomas, R. (2004). Why now? The Contamporary Focus on Managing Diversity. In M. Stockdale & F. Crosby (Hrsg.), The Psychology and Management of Workplace Diversity (S. 3-30). London: Wiley-Blackwell.