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Who promotes a value‐in‐diversity perspective? A fuzzy set analysis of executives’ individual and organizational characteristics
Author(s) -
Bader Anna Katharina,
Kemper Lena Elisabeth,
Froese Fabian Jintae
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
human resource management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.888
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-050X
pISSN - 0090-4848
DOI - 10.1002/hrm.21946
Subject(s) - diversity (politics) , perspective (graphical) , value (mathematics) , workforce diversity , workforce , qualitative comparative analysis , set (abstract data type) , fuzzy set , knowledge management , sociology , public relations , marketing , psychology , social psychology , business , fuzzy logic , political science , computer science , economics , mathematics , economic growth , statistics , artificial intelligence , anthropology , programming language
Diversity perspectives are philosophies of or approaches to diversity held by organizations, groups, or executives. They are important for organizations because they can determine the success or failure of diversity in the workforce. However, little is known about the predictors of diversity perspectives among executives. Using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis, we analyzed 50 interviews with top executives in Germany to identify individual and organizational characteristics that predict executives' adoption of a diversity perspective, in particular of a value‐in‐diversity perspective. Specifically, we analyzed gender, age, education level, vocational background, and tenure (individual characteristics), as well as size, sector of organization, and competitive environment (organizational characteristics), as potential predictors. We found single characteristics did not predict adoption, but configurations of characteristics did. Drawing on the person‐situation‐interactionist perspective, we developed specific profiles of executives likely to foster a value‐in‐diversity perspective and identified characteristics of their work environments that support such an approach. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.