DEI in Organizations

by

Sophia Thomas, Joscelin Zapoli, Nicaise Robinson, Oluwadara Dahunsi, Christy Nittrouer

• LAST MODIFIED: 17 April 2025
• DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199828340-0330

Introduction

Why might a person’s experience in the workplace, and by extension society, differ from someone else’s? Possibly due to possessing a marginalized or minoritized social identity, relative to a person’s protected characteristics (e.g., age, race or ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status [SES], disability, pregnancy, military experience, criminal history, immigrant status, weight, or religion—this list continues to evolve and is not all-inclusive). Over the last century, various laws have been passed to make our communities and workplaces more inclusive. Over the past decade, conversations regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have entered the public domain, which has further brought it to the forefront of research and organizational practice. At their core, initiatives promoting DEI goals in organizations center on cultivating environments that value and support a wide array of communities, in particular those that have been historically marginalized. Workplace support for these communities may come in the form of policies, practices, training, or something else. Thus, we discuss the burgeoning body of work on DEI within organizations. We begin by providing a general overview of the existing DEI literature, including both its origins and its importance, as well as the challenges that can arise when implementing DEI initiatives. Then, we describe the umbrella themes that emerge in this field, with a particular focus on social identity, minoritized and marginalized identities, homophily and heterophily, intersectionality, hiring and selection, training, inclusive and diversity-supportive climates, and DEI as an organization-level strategy.

General Overview

Wang, et al. 2023 notes that in 2020 the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd demanded attention to racial divisions in the United States, sparking a widespread call for reform. These events became a focal point for the 2013-initiated Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and prompted renewed discussions about systemic racism. During this social awakening, in which calls for justice echoed anew, the BLM movement and the name George Floyd became synonymous with a demand for change. The impact of these events extended far beyond local communities, permeating the fabric of organizational structures. This generated increased interest in DEI initiatives, deepening their roots in the workplace and allowing many of these practices to gain global prominence. As we dive into the recent advancements of DEI in organizations and highlight future opportunities, it is crucial to highlight that the struggle for social justice occurs at the individual, group, organizational, country, and international levels. At the individual level, we explore topics such as the psychological impact of stereotypes, workplace discrimination, identity development and management, and experiences of minoritized groups within organizations. We also explore the role of interpersonal processes, including bias, prejudice, conflict resolution, and the role of allyship relative to workplace inclusivity. At the team and group level, as in Shore, et al. 2011, we investigate the dynamics of diverse teams and the intergroup relations that promote inclusion to improve uniqueness and belongingness in the workplace. We also discuss intrapersonal processes, exploring concepts like unconscious bias and stereotype threat as well as internal cognitive and emotional processes. Regarding the organizational level, we explore inclusive leadership, managing DEI initiatives, policies and practices to promote inclusivity, and the role of organizational culture in shaping diversity outcomes. For example, Strah and Rupp 2022 highlights the importance of having an unbiased and inclusive job analysis so as to better promote diversity in the workplace. We also explore the prevalence of diversity training and DEI officer positions. Finally, at the country and international level, we synthesize research on the influence of inclusive policies on organizational-level outcomes. Works such as Arsel, et al. 2022 and Roberson 2019 aim to provide clarity by refining DEI in organization-related constructs and creating academic consensus so the research can coalesce. In sum, we highlight research that provides evidence for best practices to help cultivate a workplace that values everyone.

• Arsel, Z., D. Crockett, and M. L. Scott. 2022. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the Journal of Consumer Research: A curation and research agenda. Journal of Consumer Research 48.5: 920–933.

  DOI: 10.1093/jcr/ucab057

  There are varying views on the importance of each DEI dimensions (diversity, equity, inclusion). This article looks at literature relating to DEI in the Journal of Consumer Research to help guide future research in a cohesive direction, and to understand how diversity in organizations, markets, and within consumers affect organizations.

• Roberson, Q. M. 2019. Diversity in the workplace: A review, synthesis, and future research agenda. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior 6.1: 69–88.

  DOI: 10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-012218-015243

  The article seeks to make sense of the term workplace diversity, which, although coined in the 1990s, still needs refining. The author clarifies the construct and breaks down the current literature to help us come to consensus on workplace diversity. The author continues to provide future research opportunities to encourage further evolution of the construct.

• Shore, L. M., A. E. Randel, B. G. Chung, M. A. Dean, K. Holcombe Ehrhart, and G. Singh. 2011. Inclusion and diversity in work groups: A review and model for future research. Journal of Management 37.4: 1262–1289.

  DOI: 10.1177/0149206310385943

  This article is aimed at providing a better understanding of work group diversity and inclusion. Grounded in optimal distinctiveness theory, the authors put forth a definition of work group inclusion. Contextual antecedents (i.e., inclusiveness climate, inclusive leadership) and outcomes of inclusion are suggested. Based on their definition of inclusion, highlighting the need for both belongingness and uniqueness, the authors present an inclusion framework that can be used to move future diversity research forward.

• Strah, N., and D. E. Rupp. 2022. Are there cracks in our foundation? An integrative review of diversity issues in job analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology 107.7: 1031–1051.

  DOI: 10.1037/apl0000989

  The article takes a theoretical perspective and aims to synthesize the diversity literature with the job analysis literature. The authors offer a solution to reduce unintentional discrimination and increase authentic job analysis. They declare that with more accurate and inclusive job analysis, we will have a clearer lens by which to incorporate diversity in the workplace.

• Wang, W., J. V. Dinh, K. S. Jones, S. Upadhyay, and J. Yang. 2023. Corporate diversity statements and employees’ online DEI ratings: An unsupervised machine-learning text-mining analysis. Journal of Business and Psychology 38.1: 45–61.

  DOI: 10.1007/s10869-022-09819-x

  In response to the deaths of Black Americans in 2020, organizations issued diversity statements. To understand their thematic content and impact, two studies analyzed Fortune 1000 companies’ diversity statements. Results revealed six topics: general DEI terms, supporting the Black community, acknowledging the Black community, committing to diversifying the workforce, miscellaneous words, and titles and companies. Further, they discovered that employees rated their companies more positively if the company released a statement and if the statement identified identity-conscious topics.