Inclusion for LGBTQ talent: a practice theory approach

• Date: 26 January 2024
• Pages: 1093-1118
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-09-2023-0296
• Published date: 26 January 2024
• Author: Debolina Dutta,Vasanthi Srinivasan

Inclusion for LGBTQ talent:

a practice theory approach

Debolina Dutta and Vasanthi Srinivasan

Department of OB and HR, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore,

Bangalore, India

Abstract

Purpose –There is an emerging interest in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ)

inclusion among researchers and practitioners. However, the interplay of macro-, meso- and micro-level factors

that influence the behavior of various agencies, systems, structures and practices in different national, cultural

and social contexts still needs to be researched. This paper aims to examine how organizations meaningfully

engage with the marginalized and underrepresented workforce, especiallythe LGBTQ community, to promote

diversity and inclusion through comprehensive policies and practices, thereby developing a sustainable

inclusivity culture.

Design/methodology/approach –Adopting a practice theorylens and using a case study design, including

multilevel interviews with 28 different stakeholders, this study examines how organizations institutionalize

LGBTQ inclusion practices in an emerging market context with a historically low acceptance of the LGBTQ

community.

Findings –Findings indicate that m acro influences, such as regulato ry, societal and market pressures a nd

adopting international standards and norms, impact meso-level structures and practices. At the

organizational level, leadership evangelis m and workforce allyship s erve as relational mechani sms for

institutionalizin g LGBTQ-inclusive pra ctices. Furthermore , collaboration, par tnerships and enablin g

systems and processe s provide the structura l frameworks within whic h organizations build an LGBTQ-

inclusive culture. Las tly, at the micro level, cisgender allyship and t he LGBTQ micro work environments

provide the necessary psychological safety to buildtrust for authentic LGBTQ self-expressions. This study

also indicates that orga nizations evolve their LGBTQ inclusion pr actices along a trajectory, with multiple

external and interna l forces that work simultaneously a nd recursively to shape HRM polici es and practices

for building an inclusiv e culture.

Originality/value –This study addresses the significant gaps in diversity and inclusivity research on

LGBTQ employees and contributes to the literature in three significant ways. First, this study examines the

diversity management mechanisms at the organizational level and explicates their interplay at the micro, meso

andmacro levels to create congruence, both internally and externally, for engaging with LGBTQ talent. Second,

this study adopts a practice theory lens to examine the behavior of various actors, their agencies, the “flow”of

underlying and emerging structures and processes, the continuous interplay between structure and action and

how they enable inclusive culture for the LGBTQ community as a whole. Last, it addresses the call by diversity

researchers for context-specific multilevel research design,including qualitative research, focusing on national,

cultural and institutional contexts, where socio-organizational and historical factors and interactions among

them shape diversity practices. Much of the literature on LGBTQ inclusion has, thus far, been within the

Western context. By examining the emergence of inclusion practices in emerging markets like India, this study

contributes to diversity and inclusion research.

Keywords LGBTQ, Inclusion, Practice theory, Case study method

Paper type Research paper

Introduction

Globally, businesses are now more accepting of the various sexual orientations and gender

identities of their workforce. Workforce legislation has also started to specifically shield

minority gender identities from prejudice and exclusionary behaviors (Hennekam and K€

ollen,

2023). Progressive policies, practices and structures that improve opportunities for authentic

expression of self are precursors to creating a conducive inclusive organizational climate

(Beauregard et al., 2018;Hennekam and Ladge, 2022) for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,

Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ). The changing laws about LGBTQ people are also

altering taboos, causing political contention and influencing the social dynamics of

Inclusion for

LGBTQ talent

1093

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/2040-7149.htm

Received 4 September 2023

Revised 22 December 2023

Accepted 4 January 2024

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 43 No. 7, 2024

pp. 1093-1118

© Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-09-2023-0296

organizations (Byington et al., 2021). While diversity policies are being adopted and

implemented worldwide, effective management of policies is imperative for better talent

utilization and increased creativity and performance (Hennekam et al., 2019). The challenge in

diversity and inclusion research is contextualizing and relating practice implications through

country studies to explain results (Farndale et al., 2015).

The business case for diversity emerges in the “war for talent”rhetoric (Beauregard

et al., 2018). Talent shortage becomes critical in knowledge-intensive contexts, where

technological advancements, global competition and changing employment patterns

(Casper et al., 2013) make the ability to attract and retain “talent”(i.e. employees) with

superior knowledge and skills a competitive advantage for organizations. Organizations

often portray diversity management as a morally commendable and beneficial in their

internal and external communication (K€

ollen et al., 2018). The ethical obligation of

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is rooted in the principle of ensuring fair

representation, social responsibility and the elimination of discrimination. This is

achieved through Human Resource Management (HRM) practices that aim to reduce or

mitigate the disparities that minority groups may face to promote anti-discrimination and

equal treatment (K€

ollen et al., 2018). HRM research has demonstrated that businesses with

high LGBTQ DEI practices can attract higher-quality human capital and have a recruiting

advantage over other businesses (Everly and Schwarz, 2014). However, organizations

struggle to build inclusive culture and practices for the LGBTQ community, as successful

policy implementation is contingent on consensus among policymakers, employee

perception of policies being consistent and distinctive, alignment with HRM

professionals and line managers, vis-

a-vis their commitment to the changed HRM

practices (Mierlo et al., 2018). Research has demonstrated that individuals who clearly

deviate from traditional gender norms face a higher degree of prejudice compared to

transgender individuals who are perceived as adhering to the gender identity assigned at

birth (Hennekam and K€

ollen, 2023), which underscores the importance of appropriate HRM

practices and policies to enable inclusion.

This paper examines how organizations meaningfully engage with the marginalized and

underrepresented workforce, especially the LGBTQ community, to promote diversity and

inclusion through comprehensive policies and practices, thereby developing a sustainable

inclusivity culture. However, the critical question is: “What and how do the micro, meso, and

macro diversity management practices contribute towards LGBTQ inclusion in

organizations?”

We address the significant gaps in diversity and inclusivity research on LGBTQ

employees and contribute to the literature in three significant ways. First, we examine the

diversity management mechanisms at the organizational level and explicate their interplay

at the micro, meso and macro levels to create congruence, both internally and externally, for

engaging with LGBTQ talent. Second, we adopt a practice theory lens to examine the

behavior of various actors,their agencies, the “flow”of underlyin g and emerging structures

and processes, the continuous interplay between structure and action (Mierlo et al., 2018),

and how they enable inclusive culture for the LGBTQ community a s aw hole. Last, diversity

researchers have called for context-specific multilevel research design, including

qualitative research, focusing on national, cultural and institutional contexts, where

diversity practices are shaped by socio-organizational and historical factors and

interactions among them (Hennekam et al., 2019). Notably, much of the literature on

LGBTQ inclusion has, thus far, been within the Western context. Nevertheless, in emerging

markets like India, a quiet wave of change has occurred, where grassroots lobbying and

aggressive litigation have converged, especially in recent years, to shape an effective

movement (Schultz and Naqvi, 2023).

EDI

43,7

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