The Business Case
The Business Case outlines the bottom-line benefits that are derived from sound Diversity Management. It comprises a comprehensive literature review of business and academic sources, articulating how diversity affects the bottom line of business. The Business Case is divided into four sections:
Introduction and Executive Summary (pdf)
The HRM Case (pdf): The HRM Business Case examines the impact of diversity on HRM functions. It contends that, left unchecked, diversity imposes business costs by reducing job satisfaction, lowering commitment, increasing absenteeism, increasing turnover and creating group conflict.This Business Case contends that sound Diversity Management ameliorates these costs, which are presently incurred by business in Australia and abroad.
This Business case demonstrates that diversity management can also give firms a competitive edge through the generation of advanced decision-making and problem solving capabilities.
The Knowledge Firm Case (pdf): The Knowledge Firm Business Case explores the effects of Diversity Management on information flows, knowledge creation and innovation. It examines the ways in which knowledge is transferred within organisations and strategies to facilitate knowledge creation and transmission.This Business Case argues that Diversity Management plays a key role in creating the Knowledge Firm.
The International Business Case (pdf): The International Business Case demonstrates that Diversity Management precipitates that development of cross-cultural capabilities that are crucial for international business success. It examines the ways in which we understand culture and its effects on international business.This Business Case demonstrates that diversity management increases firms' international orientation, expands entry mode options, enhances expatriate success rates, reduces international joint venture failures, strengthens international networks and improves international business decision making.
The Marketing Case will be available at a later date.
We have also developed a comprehensive literature review defining diversity and exploring the ways in which diversity affects organisational dynamics:
The Theory of Diversity and Group Performance (pdf): The Theory of Diversity and Group Performance comprises a comprehensive literature review defining diversity and exploring the ways in which diversity affects organisational dynamics. Diversity is defined broadly as all the ways in which individuals differ. Through the application of theories of social categorisation, similarity-attraction, and information and decision-making, it explains how differences between group members affect their performance.
The theoretical framework suggests that the effects of diversity on group performance are determined by a set of moderating factors. Group longevity, task complexity, task inter-dependence, and business culture all moderate the relationship between diversity and group performance.
The Theory of Diversity and Group Performance finds that diversity, left unmanaged, produces unproductive conflict, which is damaging to group performance. However, when sound Diversity Management practices exist, diverse groups demonstrate superior creative and innovative capabilities.