Marjolein Dennissen

59 An intersectional analysis of diversity networks Introduction In the last decades diversity management has become a burgeoning field of research in management and organization studies (Bendl et al., 2015; Zanoni et al., 2010). Diversity management refers to the specific programs, policies and practices that organizations have developed and implemented to manage a diverse workforce effectively and promote organizational equality (Nkomo & Hoobler, 2014; Prasad & Mills, 1997). Despite the popularity of diversity management, the effects of these practices are understudied, except for the numerical representation of marginalized groups in management ranks (Kalev et al., 2006; Nkomo & Hoobler, 2014). Organizations tend to implement similar practices such as mentoring programs, diversity training and networks without much situational specificity. This suggests that there is little variation in diversity management practices as if “one size fits all” (Benschop et al., 2015; Foldy, 2002; Janssens & Zanoni, 2014). Additionally, most diversity management practices are focusing on single identity categories (i.e., women, ethnic minorities, LGBTs) without questioning the heterogeneity within these categories (Tatli & Özbilgin, 2012). Critical diversity studies have called attention to the theoretical concept of intersectionality to consider multiple intersecting identities and to study them as complex and mutually reinforcing or contradicting processes (Acker, 2006; Holvino, 2010; Rodriguez et al., 2016; Zanoni et al., 2010). Yet, few of these insights have found their way into the research on diversity management practices in organizations. Most studies consider diversity categories as stand-alone phenomena, overlooking the role of intersectionality (Holvino, 2010; Tatli & Özbilgin, 2012). Hitherto, the theoretical implications of intersectionality for the practices of diversity management in organizations remain an uncharted terrain. This means that we lack knowledge on how the complexity of different identity categories, inequalities and their intersections impact diversity management practices. To address this gap, I focus on diversity networks as exemplars of present-day single category diversity management. Diversity networks are in-company networks intending to inform and support employees with similar social identities (Foldy, 2002) and a widely popular practice in organizations (Benschop et al., 2015; Kaplan et al., 2009). I will focus on answering the research question: how does the complexity of different identity categories and their intersections impact diversity networks? Diversity networks represent the existing structures of single identity categories and provide a unique context to study processes of intersectionality in organizations. To answer aforementioned research question, I draw on the work of Kimberlé Crenshaw (1989, 1991), who distinguishes between structural intersectionality and political intersectionality. While structural intersectionality addresses the individual experiences of people at the intersections of multiple categories of difference, political intersectionality addresses the way how social identity groups organize themselves between two or more political agendas or movements (Crenshaw, 1991). In particular, there is a lack of theoretical consideration of