The Southwest Academy of Management: in search of diversity research

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on the 2007 meeting of the Southwest Academy of Management (SWAM) that incorporated content related to gender and diversity.Design/methodology/approachSWAM offers a track each year that includes gender and diversity research. For the 2007 meeting gender and diversity was combined with human resources, careers, and social issues in management.FindingsOne paper introduced a new form of surface‐level (observable) diversity – military status. There were two diversity‐related papers, one looking generally at the importance of cultural differences in global management systems and the other focusing on cultural differences between the USA and Mexico. The final paper incorporating diversity issues focused on the influence of cultural differences within student teams on individual learning.Originality/valueThe diversity papers included in this conference showed a focus on diversity introduced through globalization, which is of value in highlighting the need for diversity scholars to develop expertise in international management or to develop collaborations with colleagues who pursue international management.