Reducing Ambiguity Around Diversity in Organizations: A Review

Abstract

In the United States, diversity is a popular yet ambiguous concept. To offer clarity, I review the literature on diversity in organizations that have shaped our conversations for the last 50 years. I first review the historically-informed approaches that shed light on the roots of the ambiguity around diversity management in organizations. I then review selected social psychological literature on diversity, particularly the works that inform diversity practices. Finally, I review the literature that explores the advantages of diversity in groups and the benefits of implemented diversity initiatives in organizations and the literature that examines the disadvantages of group diversity and when diversity initiatives fail in organizations. I integrate these three bodies of literature to offer a review of organizational diversity literature that will help readers and writers reduce ambiguity around the term diversity and better specify what they mean when referring to “diversity in organizations.”