Abstract
The concept of diversity and inclusion is no longer merely a lip service of the human resource function, but a deeper strategic decision underlined in the policy of the organization, owned and led by the top management team. It is a win–win for both the organization within as well as externally to its various stakeholders. This paper aims at understanding the various concepts of diversity and inclusion the world over as well as specifically in the Indian context and focuses on documenting few case studies—both international and Indian. Each case study depicts how the companies have progressed over the years in including more and more diverse workforce and benefitting out of it.
Diversity and Inclusion is a top-to-bottom business strategy—not just an HR program.
—Josh Bersin, Bersin by Deloitte
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bourke, J., & Dillon, B. (2018). The diversity and inclusive revolution: Deloitte Review, 22. January 2018. Retrieved from https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/insights/us/articles/4209_Diversity-and-inclusion-revolution/DI_Diversity-and-inclusion-revolution.pdf. Accessed on January 7, 2021.
Green, T. K. (2009). Race and sex in organizing work: Diversity, discrimination, and integration. Emory LJ, 59, 585.
Hays-Thomas, R., & Bendick, M., Jr. (2013). Professionalizing diversity and inclusion practice: Should voluntary standards be the chicken or the egg? Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 6(3), 193–205.
Hope Pelled, L., Ledford, G. E., Jr., & Albers Mohrman, S. (1999). Demographic dissimilarity and workplace inclusion. Journal of Management Studies, 36(7), 1013–1031.
Kundu, S. C. (2003). Workforce diversity status: A study of employees’ reactions. Industrial Management & Data Systems.
Kundu, S. C., Bansal, J., & Chawla, A. S. (2015). Managing workforce diversity through HR practices: a review. Emerging Horizons in Business Management; Victorious Publishers: Delhi, India, 115–124.
Nembhard, I. M., & Edmondson, A. C. (2006). Making it safe: The effects of leader inclusiveness and professional status on psychological safety and improvement efforts in health care teams. Journal of Organizational Behavior: THe International Journal of Industrial, Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Behavior, 27(7), 941–966.
Pedulla, D. (2020). Diversity and inclusion efforts that really work. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2020/05/diversity-and-inclusion-efforts-that-really-work. Accessed on December 29, 2020.
Philip, J., & Soumyaja, D. (2019). Workplace diversity and inclusion: Policies and best practices for organisations employing transgender people in India. International Journal of Public Policy, 15(3–4), 299–314.
Ratnam, C. V., & Chandra, V. (1996). Sources of diversity and the challenge before human resource management in India. International Journal of Manpower.
Sowell, T. (2002). Those who gush about “diversity” never want to put their beliefs to the test. The Enterprise, 31(38), 22.
Som, A. (2007). What drives adoption of innovative SHRM practices in Indian organizations? The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(5), 808–828.
The Verge (2020). Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/15/21325410/facebook-diversity-report-2020-black-hispanic-women-people-of-color-technical-roles. Accessed on January 5, 2021.
United Nations (2019). United Nations: Department of Economic and Social Affairs Social Inclusion. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/2019/07/inclusion-hlpf/. Accessed on January 11, 2021.
Vohra, N., Chari, V., Mathur, P., Sudarshan, P., Verma, N., Mathur, N., & Gandhi, H. K. (2015). Inclusive workplaces: Lessons from theory and practice. Vikalpa, 40(3), 324–362.
Washington, E., & Patrick, C. (2018). 3 requirements for a diverse and inclusive culture. September 17, 2018. Retrieved from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/242138/requirements-diverse-inclusive-culture.aspx. Accessed on January 1, 2021.
Werner, J. M., & DeSimone, R. L. R. L. (2011). Human resource development. Cengage Learning.
Acknowledgement
Authors acknowledge the contribution from eminent D&I practitioners like Neeraja Ganesh and Jaya Janandranan who have contributed case studies in the paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Mitra, N., Mehta, K. (2021). Diversity and Inclusion—A Key Business Strategy. In: Sen, K., Shahi, S. (eds) Creating a Culture of Diversity and Inclusiveness in India Inc.. Responsible Leadership and Sustainable Management. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4237-1_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4237-1_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-4236-4
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-4237-1
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)