Views from another Stakeholder: Trade Union Perspectives on the Rhetoric of ‘Managing Diversity’

By Anne-marie Greene and Gill Kirton

A critical evaluation of the concept of 'Managing Diversity', a term which has gained popular currency in recent years in HR circles.

In particular, the authors seek to analyse the meanings and implications of the 'Managing Diversity' approach for trade unions. They argue that though the new discourse may be viewed in part merely as a case of 'the Emperor's new clothes', it also has the potential to undermine trade union equality efforts by a process of de-collectivisation and de-politicisation. The paper will be of wide interest to all those concerned with workplace equality.

Common models of 'Managing Diversity' still do not appear to explicitly include collectivised elements, do not emphasise employee involvement, and emphasise business case justifications to the exclusion of the social justice case. A cursory look at organisational statement on diversity attest to this.

Looking at the tensions and conflicts highlighted by the union officers we spoke to, the use of 'Managing Diversity' rhetoric could hide a more substantial intent to de politicize and individualise equality policy, perhaps bypassing the unions. While some claim that none of the managers she has spoken to felt that they needed to make a choice between 'Managing Diversity' or equal opportunities, our study indicates that other stakeholders, such as trade unions do not necessarily see it that way and view the former as a significant threat to the latter.

We argue that this view is not mistaken since social group membership still needs to be recognised as a fundamental contributing factor to patterns of disadvantage, rather than using de-politicised, gender and ethnic-neutral language. Thus we would view a collectivist strategy for 'diversity management' as more appropriate than an individualist one.

(Industrial Relations Research Unit University of Warwick Warwick Papers in Industrial Relations. number 74 June 2004.)