Marjolein Dennissen

12 The Herculean task of diversity networks In this dissertation, I set out to build amore comprehensive understanding of howdiversity networks are actually functioning as a diversity management instrument. My specific focus was on the implications of diversity networks for equality in organizations, which I defined as the systematic parities in power and control over goals, resources, behaviors, agendas, cultures, and outcomes (Acker, 2006). To do so, I adopted a critical diversity perspective on diversity networks, which calls attention to issues of inequality and power in organizations and management. Within critical diversity studies, research has yielded valuable insight into how organizational processes, discourses, and practices foster or counteract equality (Dick & Cassell, 2002; Prasad & Mills, 1997; Zanoni, Janssens, Benschop & Nkomo, 2010). A critical diversity perspective provides theoretical tools to analyze equality in organizations and uncover organizational practices that (re)produce inequality. Hence, drawing on critical diversity studies, the aim of my dissertation was to study how diversity networks contribute to equality in organizations. In this chapter, I further introduce critical diversity studies. I review the state-of- the-art research on diversity networks and explicate the theoretical relevance of a critical diversity perspective. I elaborate on the main perspectives that are central in this dissertation. Furthermore, I outline my methodology and introduce the diversity networks studied. The chapter ends with a short outline of the dissertation. Point of departure: Critical diversity studies In today’s globalized world, having and dealing with a diverse workforce has become increasingly important. In many organizations, diversity policies make up an integral part of human resource management. In addition, in the field of management and organization, studies on diversity management has gained considerable attention. Yet, despite four decades of diversity management research, there is still little knowledge about which diversity management practices are most effective and in which organizational settings and contexts (Bendl, Bleijenbergh, Henttonen & Mills, 2015; Nishii, Khattab, Shemla & Paluch, 2018; Zanoni et al., 2010). Below, I provide a brief overview of the development of diversity management in organizations and the emergence of critical diversity studies. The Herculean task of diversity management Since the 1990s, diversity in terms of gender, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, class, and disability has become a prime concern in many contemporary organizations. Major global changes – including legal developments related to disability, sexual orientation, and religion, altered family and parental roles, and an aging workforce – have resulted in diverse workforces in both the public and private sectors throughout various industries (Bendl et al., 2015; Nishii et al., 2018). Consequently, organizations