How Diversity and Inclusivity Influence Leadership

• Name
• Research Paradigm: Post-Positivist
• How Diversity and Inclusivity Influence Productivity
• Task 4: The Research Framework

Introduction

Companies strive to introduce elements to their workplaces that enhance structure and efficiency by focusing on advancing employees. The development of a balance is a persistent challenge for various organizations since every employee in the workplace holds different characteristics, traits, and beliefs that make introducing a unitary approach to leadership difficult. The differences are best referred to as diversity, with most companies focusing on advancing their diversity through inclusivity, highlighting stable leadership. Diversity does not have a single defining element because it is a combination of individual experiences and cultures that define each individual, including age, gender, disabilities, educational background, sexual orientation, and religion (Shahid et al., 2016). Embracing diversity in a company warrants the use of various systematic approaches, which directly influence the leadership in a company to introduce additional effects on productivity and performance. Diversity results in more effective leadership and increased productivity because of the introduction of structures that eradicate discrimination, increase motivation, and enhance job satisfaction(Shahid et al., 2016).

Concepts

Diversity in the workplace is supported by various concepts that seek to achieve and embrace inclusivity of all characteristics shared by different levels of employees in an organization. The following concepts will guide the research:

Job satisfaction depends on perceptions of productivity

The dependency of job satisfaction on higher productivity is a dominant concept relating to diversity in the workplace. Storey et al. (2019) identify that the concept affirms that an employee’s perception of productivity, both individually and collectively within the workplace, influences the development of higher job satisfaction with a higher sense of productivity, making the employees feel more contempt and proud of their jobs. The development of a higher sense of productivity is a concept that significantly influences the job satisfaction, which is a concept linked to diversity and inclusivity that seek to advance an employee’s unique fit into the company’s agenda. The concept seeks to develop a clear visualization of how inclusivity and diversity influence the company’s productivity by focusing on how the elements influence the employees’ perception of themselves and the company.

Influence of a sense of Belonginess on diversity

The concept of acceptability and feelings of belongingness held by employees significantly influence the development of diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. Roberts (2020) describes that employees who feel like they belong to a given workplace attribute such feelings to respectful inclusivity that is fostered through consideration of their diversity and a balance between creativity, self-honesty, and dedication. The concept identifies a significant correlation between the emotional attributes of an employee to the successful integration of diversity and inclusivity in a workplace.

Constructs

Leadership Style

The construct of leadership style identifies that different leaders apply varying styles to control, motivate, and influence their teams. The construct will include assessing how managers lead their teams towards inclusivity and diversity guided by various structures and practices introduced to a workplace. The research will focus on assessing the factors that encourage the development of diversity and inclusivity in the construct.

Intrinsic Motivation

The construct covers the internal sources of motivation that encourage an employee to engage with the company’s goals and targets without being influenced by external factors. The construct will be assessed to identify how various elements of intrinsic motivation combine with diversity and inclusivity to advance productivity.

Barriers to Diversity Management

The construct identifies that diversity is not a simple element to achieve in a workplace. The construct will be assessed to identify the different factors that challenge the full implementation of the benefits of diversity and inclusivity in the workplace.

Relationship between Concepts, Theories, Constructs, and Actors

The concepts and theories have a significantly dominant relationship within the research that is rooted in the affirmation of external and internal elements that influence diversity development. For example, the concept that productivity is determined by job satisfaction is strongly linked to Maslow’s motivational theory. Also, the actors and constructs share a relationship that determines the application and the flow of information. The actors will be the primary source of reliable data that will aid in affirming or nullifying a correlation between the constructs identified with the research question seeking to verify the influence of diversity and inclusivity on productivity in the workplace. For example, managers as a vital actor in the research will correlate to the data sought to support or nullify leadership style as a construct because an assessment of the input directed to employees by managers will help identify how a leadership style contributes to successful diversity and inclusivity.

References

Acevedo, A. (2018). A personalistic appraisal of Maslow’s needs theory of motivation: From             “Humanistic” psychology to integral humanism. Journal of Business Ethics, 148(4), 741-            763. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2970-0

Arokiasamy, A. R., & Tat, H. H. (2020). Exploring the influence of transformational leadership    on work engagement and workplace spirituality of academic employees in the private          higher education institutions in Malaysia. Management Science Letters, 855-  864. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2019.10.011

Mitchell, R., Boyle, B., & Von Stieglitz, S. (2018). Professional commitment and team      effectiveness: A moderated mediation investigation of cognitive diversity and task   conflict. Journal of Business and Psychology, 34(4), 471-          483. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-018-9550-0

Otaye-Ebede, L., Shaffakat, S., & Foster, S. (2019). A multilevel model examining the     relationships between workplace spirituality, ethical climate and outcomes: A social        cognitive theory perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 166(3), 611- 626. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04133-8

Roberts, L. W. (2020). Belonging, respectful inclusion, and diversity in medical     education. Academic Medicine, 95(5), 661-  664. https://doi.org/10.1097/acm.0000000000003215

Shahid, M., Raghavendra, & Murthy, L. N. (2016). Diversity in workplace: issues and             challenges. International Journal of Management and Social Science Research        Review, 1(5), 158. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323747641

Storey, M., Zimmerman, T., Czerwonka, J., Murphy, C., & Kalliamvakou, E. (2019). Towards a   theory of software developer job satisfaction and perceived productivity. IEEE         TRANSACTIONS ON SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, 47(10), 2125-    2142. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSE.2019.2944354