Perspectives in HRD-Crossing the Boundaries of Employee Engagement and Workplace Diversity and Inclusion: Moving HRD Forward in a Complicated Sociopolitical Climate
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online June, 2017
Perspectives in HRD-Crossing the Boundaries of Employee Engagement and Workplace Diversity and Inclusion: Moving HRD Forward in a Complicated Sociopolitical Climate
This essay explores the intersection of employee engagement and workplace diversity and inclusion. The current trend of organizations fusing these two concepts has provided motivation to examine the (dis)connection between theory and practice. This essay advances the perspectives of practitioners, as well as a critical framework used to discuss implications for HRD and additional research. In the current sociopolitical climate, this topic of inquiry is potentially relevant to address racism, xenophobia, and other forms of prejudice in the workplace. The review of literature points to organizational performance as a shared objective of employee engagement and workplace diversity and inclusion. Therefore, I argue that organizational performance could be a catalyst for understanding and leveraging the personal interests of employees through joint employee engagement and diversity initiatives.
AveryD. R., McKayP. F., WilsonD. C., & TonidandelS. (2007). Unequal attendance: The relationships between race, organizational diversity cues, and absenteeism. Personnel Psychology, 60(4), 875–902. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744–6570.2007.00094
3.
BieremaL., & CallahanJ. L. (2014). Transforming HRD: A framework for critical HRD practice. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 16(4), 429–444. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/1523422314543818
4.
BournD. (2016). Global learning and Brexit. Policy and Practice: A Development Education Review, 23, 188–199.
5.
ByrdM. Y. (2007a). Educating and developing leaders of racially diverse organizations. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 18(2), 275–279. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.1203
6.
ByrdM. Y. (2007b). The effects of racial conflict on organizational performance: A search for theory. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 21(1–2), 13–28. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/nha3.10276
ByrdM. Y. (2014). Diversity issues: Exploring “critical” through multiple lenses. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 16(4), 515–528. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/1523422314544297
9.
ByrdM. Y., & ScottC. L. (Eds.). (2014). Diversity in the workforce: Current issues and emerging trends. Routledge.
10.
ChristianM. S., GarzaA. S., & SlaughterJ. E. (2011). Work engagement: A quantitative review and test of its relations with task and contextual performance. Personnel Psychology, 64(1), 89–136. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744–6570.2010.01203
CollinsJ. C. (2012). Identity matters: A critical exploration of lesbian, gay, and bisexual identity and leadership in HRD. Human Resource Development Review, 11(3), 349–379. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484312446810
13.
CrenshawK. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 140, 139–167.
DowneyS. N., WerffL., ThomasK. M., & PlautV. C. (2015). The role of diversity practices and inclusion in promoting trust and employee engagement. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 45(1), 35–44. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12273
16.
ElliottC., & StewartJ. (2017). What are the (C) HRD implications of Brexit? A personal reflection?Human Resource Development International, (20)1, 1–8. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2017.1237420
17.
EstesB., & WangJ. (2008). Workplace incivility: Impacts on individual and organizational performance. Human Resource Development Review(7)2, 218–240. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484308315565
18.
FerdmanB. (2014). Toward infusing diversity and inclusion as core elements of OD. OD Practitioner, 46(4), 44–46.
19.
HuselidM. A. (1995). The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity, and corporate financial performance. Academy of Management Journal, 38(3), 635–672.
20.
JamesJ. B., McKechnieS., & SwanbergJ. (2011). Predicting employee engagement in an age–diverse retail workforce. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32(2), 173–196. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/job.681
21.
JonesJ. R., & HarterJ. K. (2005). Race effects on the employee engagement–turnover intention relationship. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 11(2), 78–88.
22.
PattilloM. (2013). Black picket fences: Privilege and peril among the Black middle class. University of Chicago Press.
23.
RobersonQ. M. (2006). Disentangling the meanings of diversity and inclusion in organizations. Group & Organization Management, 31(2), 212–236. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601104273064
24.
SaksA. M. (2011). Workplace spirituality and employee engagement. Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 8(4), 317–340. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/14766086.2011.630170
ShuckB., & WollardK. (2010). Employee engagement and HRD: A seminal review of the foundations. Human Resource Development Review9(1), 89–110. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484309353560
27.
ShuckB. (2011). Four emerging perspectives of employee engagement: An integrative literature review. Human Resource Development Review, 10(3), 304–328. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484311410840
28.
ShuckB., & ReioT. (2011). The employee engagement landscape and HRD: How do we link theory and scholarship to current practice?Advances in Developing Human Resources, 13(4), 419–428. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/1523422311431153
29.
ShuckB., ReioT., & RoccoT. (2011b). Employee engagement: An antecedent and outcome approach to model development. Human Resource Development International, 14, 427–445.
30.
ShuckM. B., RoccoT. S., & AlbornozC. A. (2011a). Exploring employee engagement from the employee perspective: Implications for HRD. Journal of European Industrial Training, 35(4), 300–325. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/03090591111128306
31.
ShuckB., GhoshR., ZigarmiD., & NimonK. (2013). The jingle jangle of employee engagement: Further exploration of the emerging construct and implications for workplace learning and performance. Human Resource Development Review, 12(1), 11–35. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484312463921
32.
ShuckB., TwyfordD., ReioT. G., & ShuckA. (2014). Human resource development practices and employee engagement: Examining the connection with employee turnover intentions. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 25(2), 239–270. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21190
33.
ShuckB., CollinsJ. C., RoccoT. S., & DiazR. (2016). Deconstructing the Privilege and Power of Employee Engagement: Issues of Inequality for Management and Human Resource Development. Human Resource Development Review, 15(2), 208–229. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484316643904
34.
SwansonR. A., & HoltonE. F. (2001). Foundations of human resource development. Berrett–Koehler Publishers.
