Coulson-Thomas, Colin (2025) Increasing engagement and widening diversity and inclusion. Management Services, 69 (2). pp. 28-34. ISSN 0307-6768

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Abstract

In some countries, including the US there has recently been ‘push-back’ against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Diversity of perspectives, backgrounds and other factors can also address groupthink, increase challenge and creativity, support innovation and entrepreneurship, and make a group of people such as a board more representative of interests they should serve and contribute to more balanced outcomes. In many places practices have created a relative homogeneity across quoted company boards and senior executive teams which can also lead to complacency and lack of challenge. A focus on greater board diversity can sometimes lead to diversity elsewhere across an organisation and within management being overlooked, while progress in a general drive for diversity could result in qualities that may be especially important for a board not being addressed. This article considers related issues and whether account should be taken of a wider range of diversity factors such as age, culture, nationality, educational and social backgrounds, experience, skills, personal qualities, interests, perspectives, relationships, priorities, strategies, challenges, opportunities, and disability, as well as gender and ethnicity, when searching for and selecting candidates. There may be an optimal level of diversity as beyond a point, a greater range of views, disagreements over purpose and priorities, value disconnects, very different attitudes to risk, and divisions of opinion may become difficult to bridge.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	engagement, diversity, inclusion, women on corporate boards, diversity, biases, innovation and creativity, entrepreneurship
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Greenwich Business School Greenwich Business School > School of Business, Operations and Strategy
Related URLs:	Publisher
Last Modified:	09 Jun 2025 10:08
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/50656

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