Introductory description

N/A.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The first half of the module examines various explanations for different treatment and outcomes experienced by members of social groups within the workplace and contrasts and explores the dominant equality approaches of ‘equal opportunities’ and ‘managing diversity’. It will also review the role of key institutions such as trade unions, employer organisations and the state in the historical development of inequality in the labour market. The second half of the module focuses on how the various explanations of different treatments impact on different strands of difference including gender, ethnicity, disability, religious belief, sexuality, and age. It will also examine how dominant understandings of difference are represented within and beyond the workplace.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Understand equality, diversity and inclusion both conceptually and in terms of workplace interventions.
• Understand how people's experience of work and career outcomes differ according to gender, ethnicity, disability, age, migrant status, religion, social class and sexual identity.
• Explore theoretical frameworks that are helpful to understand diverse employeesâ distinct career outcomes and experiences of work.
• Understand stereotyping, discrimination and social identity and the way they operate inside the workplace.
• Critically examine approaches to achieving equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
• Challenge simplistic explanations of inequality in the workplace.
• Critically evaluate different forms of diversity and inclusion interventions.

Indicative reading list

Ashley, L. and Empson, L., (2013) Differentiation and discrimination: Understanding social class and social exclusion in leading law firms. Human Relations. 66, 2, p. 219-244.
Cortina, L. M. (2008). Unseen injustice: Incivility as modern discrimination in organizations. The Academy of Management Review, 33, 55–62.
Deitch, E. A., Barsky, A., Butz, R. M., Chan, S. Brief, A. P. and Bradley, J. C. (2003). Subtle yet significant: The existence and impact of everyday racial discrimination in the workplace. Human Relations. 56(11), 1299–1324.
Ely, R. J. and D. A. Thomas (2001) ‘Cultural diversity at work: the effects of diversity perspectives on work group processes and outcomes’, Administrative Science Quarterly, 46, 229–273.
Elraz, H. (2018) Identity, mental health and work: How employees with mental health conditions recount stigma and the pejorative discourse of mental illness. Human Relations 71(5): 722–741.
Fernando, W. D. A. and Prasad, A. (2018) Sex-based harassment and silencing in academia: how women are led to reluctant acquiescence. Human relations. 1-36.
Fernando, W. D. A., Cohen, L. and Duberley, J. (2018) "Navigating sexualised visibility: a study of British women engineers", Journal of Vocational Behaviour. 1-14.
Fernando, D., Cohen, L. and Duberley, J. (2018) "What helps? Women engineers’ accounts of staying on", Human Resource Management Journal, 28, 3, 479-495.
Fernando, D. and Kenny, E. (2018) "Navigating panethnic categorisation in the workplace : a study of British Sri Lankan employees", Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology , 91, 4, 769-797.
Fernando, D. and Cohen, L. (2015) "Exploring career advantages of highly skilled migrants : a study of Indian academics in the UK", The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27, 12, 1277-1298.
Gabriel, Y., Gray, D.E. and Goregaokar, H. (2010) Temporary Derailment or the End of the Line? Managers Coping with Unemployment at 50, Organization Studies 31(12), 1687–1712.
Ghumman, S. and Ryan, A.M. (2013). Not welcome here: Discrimination towards women who wear the Muslim headscarf. Human Relations. 66 (5): 671-698.
Hoque, K., Bacon, N., Wass, V. and Jones, M. (2018) "Are High Performance Work Practices (HPWPs) enabling or disabling? Exploring the relationship between selected HPWPs and work-related disability disadvantage", Human Resource Management, 57, 2, 499-513.
Jammaers, E., Zanoni, P. and Hardonk, S. (2018( Constructing positive identities in ableist workplaces: Disabled employees’ discursive practices engaging with the discourse of lower productivity. Human Relations 69(6): 1365–1386.
Kulik, C.T. and Roberson, L. (2008) Diversity initiative effectiveness: What organizations can and cannot expect from diversity recruitment, diversity training, and formal mentoring programs. In A.P. Brief (Ed.), Diversity at work: 265-317. Cambridge University Press.
Kulik, C. T., Perera, S. and Cregan, C. (2016). Engage me: The mature-age worker and stereotype threat. Academy of Management Journal, 59(6), 2132–2156.
Leslie, L.M. (2018) Diversity Initiative Effectiveness: A Typological Theory of Unintended Consequences. Academy of Management Review: 1-62.
Li, Y., Perera, S., Kulik, C.T. and Metz, I. (2019) Inclusion climate: A multilevel investigation of its antecedents and consequences. Human Resource Management Review; 1–17.
Ozbilgin, M. and Tatli, A. (2011) Mapping out the field of equality and diversity: Rise of individualism and voluntarism. Human Relations, 64, (9), 1229-1253.
Powell, A., Bagilhole, B., & Dainty, A. (2009) How women engineers do and undo gender: Consequences for gender equality. Gender, Work and Organization, 16(4), 411–428.
Tatli, A. (2011) A multi-layered exploration of the diversity management field: Diversity discourses, practices and practitioners in the UK. British Journal of Management, 22, 238–253.
Thomas, D. A. (2001) The truth about mentoring minorities: Race matters. Harvard Business Review, 99—107.
Van Laer, K. and Janssens, M. (2011) Ethnic minority professionals’ experience with subtle discrimination at the workplace. Human Relations, 64, 1203—1227.
Zanoni, P. and Janssens, M. (2015) The Power of Diversity Discourses at Work: On the Interlocking Nature of Diversities and Occupations. Organisation Studies 36(11), 1463–1483.

Subject specific skills

Be aware of the relevant legislative requirements and of Equality bodies, their remit, approach, and role.
Understand how social identity related disadvantages, stereotyping and discrimination plays out in different national and cultural contexts of the UK, Europe and North America.

Transferable skills

Communication skills: summarise key arguments and evidence.