Title: Diversity and innovation management skills

Authors: Mahdi Safa; Nomita Sharma

Addresses: Fred Pirkle Engineering Technology Center, Sam Houston State University, 1019 Bowers Blvd, Huntsville, TX 77340, USA ' Keshav Mahavidyalaya, Department of Management Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India

Abstract: There is a need to study diversity and innovation management skills in a competitive business environment. This paper studies diversity across six demographic verticals: gender, age, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion and beliefs, and disability. This study investigates the relationship between diversity and the type of skill-set required for the management of innovation. The research methodology includes an evaluation of the literature review and suggests a theoretical model relating to diversity and the type of skills required for the management of innovation. Variables studied are under two headings: 1) attributes of diversity - gender, age, religion, etc.; 2) attributes of skill-set - communication skills, technical knowledge, etc. A few brief empirical studies are drawn from five sectors, i.e., education (primary and higher education), construction, textile, hospitals, and information technology. The result shows that there is a correlation with respect to age, gender and skill-sets in the selected sectors.

Keywords: innovation management; diversity; technical knowledge; analytical skills.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIR.2021.119809

International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 2021 Vol.26 No.4, pp.488 - 503

Received: 09 Sep 2019
Accepted: 25 Dec 2019
Published online: 21 Dec 2021 *

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