Title: Diversity management and performance: paving the way for a revised business case

Authors: Inéz Labucay

Addresses: Faculty of Law, Economics and Business, Martin-Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Große Steinstrasse 73, 06108 Halle/Saale, Germany

Abstract: As empirical evidence on the causal link between diversity and performance is sparse; and in the light of the predominant business case perspective [with exceptions from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)], this paper delineates a path for building a revised business case. In the face of demographic change, companies are increasingly held accountable for the attainment of societal goals other than profit maximisation (e.g. sustainability, learning and resilience). This paper argues that those goals prevalent in biodiversity research should be integrated in economic diversity management. The balanced scorecard, diversity training and mentoring are discussed as a building block of a revised business case adhering to social efficiency rather than economic efficiency alone. In addition, links to ecological diversity research are established. Potentially, synergies may be tapped on both the conceptual and the applied level in building a more inclusive business case.

Keywords: diversity management; social efficiency; economic efficiency; business case; moral case; social case; performance measurement; diversity reporting; diversity indices; KPIs; key performance indicators; CSR; corporate social responsibility; diversity training; mentoring; biodiversity; demographic change; sustainability; learning; resilience; BSC; balanced scorecard; ecological diversity; sustainable development.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2015.070228

European Journal of International Management, 2015 Vol.9 No.4, pp.425 - 441

Received: 06 Mar 2013
Accepted: 21 Sep 2013
Published online: 30 Jun 2015 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article