Effects of diversity and Inclusion initiatives on companies' perceived authenticity, reliability, and social responsibility (Essay Sample)

Effects of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives on Companies’ Perceived Authenticity, Reliability, and Social Responsibility Student Name Department Course Name and Number Professor Due Date Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u 1. Introduction PAGEREF _Toc155186459 \h 41.1 Diversity PAGEREF _Toc155186460 \h 41.2 Inclusion PAGEREF _Toc155186461 \h 61.3 Study Relevance PAGEREF _Toc155186462 \h 82. Background PAGEREF _Toc155186463 \h 102.1 Diversity and Inclusion and Perceived Authenticity, Reliability, and Social Responsibility PAGEREF _Toc155186464 \h 102.2 Authenticity with Diversity and Inclusion PAGEREF _Toc155186465 \h 162.2 Reliability with Diversity and Inclusion PAGEREF _Toc155186466 \h 182.3 Corporate Social Responsibility with Diversity and Inclusion PAGEREF _Toc155186467 \h 192.4 Hypothesis PAGEREF _Toc155186468 \h 203. Methodology PAGEREF _Toc155186469 \h 213.1 Research Philosophy PAGEREF _Toc155186470 \h 213.2 Research Type PAGEREF _Toc155186471 \h 213.3 Research Strategy PAGEREF _Toc155186472 \h 213.4 Experimental Manipulation PAGEREF _Toc155186473 \h 223.5 Recruiting of Participants PAGEREF _Toc155186474 \h 223.6 Data Collection PAGEREF _Toc155186475 \h 223.6.1 Measurement Items PAGEREF _Toc155186476 \h 233.7 Question Selection Rationale PAGEREF _Toc155186477 \h 244. Results PAGEREF _Toc155186478 \h 254.1. Inclusion and Diversity: Low/Low PAGEREF _Toc155186479 \h 254.2. Inclusion and Diversity: Low/High PAGEREF _Toc155186480 \h 254.3. Inclusion and Diversity: High/High PAGEREF _Toc155186481 \h 264.4. Inclusion and Diversity: High/Low PAGEREF _Toc155186482 \h 275. Discussion PAGEREF _Toc155186483 \h 285.1 Limitations PAGEREF _Toc155186484 \h 315.2 Implications PAGEREF _Toc155186485 \h 316. Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc155186486 \h 32References PAGEREF _Toc155186487 \h 33 1. Introduction Diversity and inclusion are often used words that have become popular in many parts of life. These words are usually used together or with the same meaning, depending on their meaning and context. Many companies need diversity and inclusion to ensure everyone feels the same in their business activities or places of work (Bernstein et al., 2019). The start of equality and including everyone goes back to the 1960s. Then, equal job laws were introduced, helping improve things for different races (Shore et al., 2018). Before rules were made, many industries and groups had a record of unfair treatment because of race (Shore et al., 2018). Diversity and inclusion within an organization have endless benefits to the organization, its stakeholders, employees, and the general public (Ferdman, 2017). For instance, it is advantageous to an organization to facilitate the building of a robust organizational team from diverse backgrounds of skills, interests, and ideologies (Bernstein et al., 2019). Diversity and inclusion also help an organization develop positive relationships not only with the insiders but also the outsiders (Bernstein et al., 2019; Ferdman, 2017). Diversity and inclusion can be used together or one after the other, but they have different meanings. They also affect sincerity, trustworthiness, and responsibility to society in a big way. 1.1 Diversity According to Farnsworth et al. (2020), the world is currently experiencing a rapid increase in globalization, which calls for increased interaction between people of different backgrounds. They add that currently, people do not live and work in an insular form environment because globalization has included them in the worldwide economic framework (Brima Bah, 2015; Dike, 2013; Farnsworth et al., 2020; Richardson, 2023; Veldsman, 2013; Walraven, 2022). Therefore, due to the given, a majority of organizations are now becoming more diversified in their operations and workforce. With the dire need for adequate diversification within the organizations, leadership within these organizations need to acknowledge and find effective ways of ensuring diversity within their organizational environments since diversity management can be a challenging endeavor (Brima Bah, 2015; Farnsworth et al., 2020; Veldsman, 2013; Walraven, 2022). In 1991, Brewer introduced the Optimal Distinctive theory (OTD), which in early times looked at diversity (Veldsman, 2013; Walraven, 2022). This specific theory says that people want approval and the same beliefs when they join groups. Many science experiments started by Mor-Barak and Cherin in 1998 are known (Veldsman, 2013; Walraven, 2022). They were some of the first steps to help people understand how inclusion or not belonging can affect others. The results from these two studies were significant in understanding how workers see the workplace. They considered their different backgrounds and personal features (Veldsman, 2013; Walraven, 2022). Swartz et al. (2019) say that diversity is the best way and feature to include or work with people from different social, ethnic, and gender groups, sexualities, and backgrounds. It is an action that supports fairness in a particular place where all people get the same chances to succeed, no matter their past. Swartz et al. (2019) posit that getting people from different social and ethnic groups and genders involved is the best way to create diversity and acceptance. It is essential because it makes people feel like they are being treated fairly in a group. Everyone gets the same chances and options, regardless of their differences. Swartz and colleagues said in 2019 that when race is often a significant factor in social justice, race diversity involves looking at many other things like where one comes from socially or financially, gender differences, sexual preferences, life experiences, and an individual's education. Other parts of it include religion, how a person feels about their gender, and where they come from (Marcinko, 2020; Swartz et al., 2019; Ferdman, 2017; Bernstein et al., 2019; Igboanugo et al., 2022). We also have to consider things like people's beliefs or different backgrounds. Diversity in organizations covers many parts, like work experience and feeling the same at work, even with different backgrounds. At work, having diversity means more than having the same number of people from different groups (Swartz et al., 2019). Therefore, for an organization or company that wants to establish a sense of diversity within its environment, it is crucial to consider all the factors associated with diversity, focusing on ethnic diversity. Focusing on one aspect may adversely impact the organization's authenticity in establishing diversity within its working environment. For instance, according to Igboanugo et al. (2022), focusing on a single aspect of diversity may substantially impact society's perception of the organization's reliability regarding diversity and inclusion. Therefore, diversity within an organization's workplace refers to having a workforce that is inclusive concerning diverse backgrounds and nationalities, genders, socioeconomic statuses, and cultures in establishing a sense of belonging for all individuals within the organization (Bernstein et al., 2019; Igboanugo et al., 2022; Marcinko, 2020; Swartz et al., 2019). 1.2 Inclusion Inclusion goes hand in hand with diversity and includes being included within a group or structure. Inclusion in an organization's workplace involves the employee's experiences and the extent to which they make meaningful contributions to the organization (Shore et al., 2018). Therefore, inclusion is about making everyone within an organization feel valued. According to Shore et al. (2018), companies and organizations that want to establish a diverse working environment must ensure an influential, inclusive culture. They can ensure inclusion by ensuring each individual's voice is heard within the organization. Being part of a group and being unique are two critical parts of feeling included or inclusion within an organization. A company's level of including everyone is made up of two different things (Dike, 2013; Farnsworth et al., 2020; Richardson, 2023). The working environment is created by a setting that gives worth to what staff do. Good leaders push for seeing and liking everybody in the team, while actions are taken so workers feel happier with their workplace. Farnsworth (2020) and colleagues updated the team framework. They found that while hiring more diverse workers has helped to reduce bias based on gender, age, or race, these changes have not included proactive steps for including new staff in the workplace entirely. They have created an inclusive organization model with steps for either controlling problems or boosting management, based on their studies (Farnsworth et al., 2020). Joseph and Joseph (2020) talk about one of the first ways to define inclusion. They use this definition to say that some people are more inclusive than others - they let everyone join in and make it easier for them all to give their best effort (Joseph & Joseph, 2020). This is according to their thoughts, using simple words anybody could understand easily, just like those used daily by many folks everywhere around the world, which makes a big difference when taking into in a different way, standing together or being part of can mean how much someone is liked and treated as an essential person by their coworkers in the place where they work. Joseph and Joseph (2020) add that inclusion means taking away things blocking staff from being part of their job thoroughly and adding to workplaces. In other situations, it is talked about as the amount of trust employees have in their companies (Joseph & Joseph, 2020). This includes all workers working towards the goals and functioning of the company while using different abilities and talents each person has. Some say that having different people in a company can help make things more diverse, but including everyone needs all folks within the group to change how they think (Richardson, 2023). This is...