Workplace inclusion of persons with a disability. Comparison of Indian and German multinationals

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-08-2016-0066
• Published date: 19 September 2016
• Date: 19 September 2016
• Pages: 397-414
• Author: Mukta Kulkarni,Stephan Alexander Boehm,Soumyak Basu

Workplace inclusion of persons

with a disability

Comparison of Indian and German

multinationals

Mukta Kulkarni

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, Bangalore, India

Stephan Alexander Boehm

Center for Disability and Integration (CDI-HSG), University of St Gallen,

St Gallen, Switzerland, and

Soumyak Basu

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, Bangalore, India

Abstract

Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to integrate research on human resource systems with work

on disability management practices to outline how multinationals across India and Germany are

engaged in efforts to increase workplace inclusion of persons with a disability.

Design/methodology/approach –Semi-structured interviews with respondents from multinational

corporations in India and Germany were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed.

Findings –Employers followed three guiding principles (i.e. beliefs): importance of harnessing

diversity, encouraging multi-stakeholder engagement internally, and engaging with the external

ecosystem to build internal human resource capabilities. Respondents further noted two

interdependent and mutually constitutive programs that covered the life cycle of the employee: job

flexibility provisions and integration programs. Country-specific differences existed in terms of

perceived external stakeholder support and availability of talent.

Research limitations/implications –The results complement prior research with respect to the

importance of organizational factors for the inclusion of persons with a disability and also extend prior

research by shedding light on the role of the national context in such inclusion endeavors.

Practical implications –Findings indicate that disability-inclusion principles may be universal, but

their operationalization is region specific. Global organizations must be aware of these differences to

design effective inclusion programs.

Social implications –The study helps in designing and evaluating appropriate inclusion initiatives

for persons with disabilities, an important yet underutilized group of potential employees in both India

and Germany.

Originality/value –This is the first study to investigate country-specific commonalities and

differences in fostering workplace inclusion of persons with disabilities in India and Germany.

Keywords Workplace, Managers, Disabilities, Disabled workers

Paper type Research paper

The worldwide incidence and awareness of disability are increasing (World Federation

for NeurologicalRehabilitation, 2015; World Health Organization, 2011). While disability

is associated with stigma(McLaughlin et al., 2004) and employment outcomes of persons

with a disability leave much to be desired (Baldridge et al., in press; Konrad et al.,2012),

a few proactive organizations are attempting to meaningfully include employees with a

disability in the workforce (Baumgärtner et al., 2014; Habeck et al., 2010; Kulkarni and

Rodrigues, 2014). Researchers are also increasingly looking at enhancing inclusion of

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 35 No. 7/8, 2016

pp. 397-414

©Emerald Group Publis hing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-08-2016-0066

Received 13 June 2016

Revised 24 August 2016

24 September 2016

Accepted 25 September 2016

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

www.emeraldinsight.com/2040-7149.htm

397

Workplace

inclusion of

persons with

a disability

persons with a disability through outlining organizational characteristics (e.g. perceived

flexibility; Baumgärtner et al., 2015) and initiatives which influence employee outcomes

(e.g. communicating with external stakeholders; Kulkarni and Rodrigues, 2014).

Through the present study, we offer a complement to prior research by outlining and

comparing how two Indian and two German multinationals are working proactively

toward workplace inclusion of persons with a disability. Specifically, as described later, we

fill a gap in our understanding of employers’inclusionary activities across countries, and

respond to the call for comparative studies across national contexts. Our study is anchored

in the human resource systems framework which highlights the importance of human

resource principles (e.g. beliefs) and programs (e.g. set of formal human resource activities)

in achieving organizational outcomes (Arthur and Boyles, 2007). This framework is

particularly aligned with Stone and Colella’s (1996) seminal disability framework, which

also points to the importance of beliefs and sets of formal organizational activities that

influence the workplace treatment of employees with a disability.

The research question guiding the present study is:

RQ1. How do multinational organizations proactively work toward workplace

inclusion of persons with a disability?

In answering this question, we contribute to the workplace-specific disability literature in

the following ways. First, we focus on positive organizational initiatives aimed at inclusion.

This offers a complement to the bulk of research which has focused on structural (e.g.

accommodations) and attitudinal barriers (e.g. espoused stereotypes regarding hiring or

inclusion of persons with a disability in the workplace; Kulkarni and Lengnick-Hall, 2014).

Second, workplace inclusion research has focused on retention practices and how such

practices may influence the hiring of those with a disability (Habeck et al., 2010) or on the

communication of organizational disability-specific engagement to stakeholders through

annual reports (Kulkarni and Rodrigues, 2014). These studies are limited with regard to

their focus on specific issues and are confined to organizations within one country. As a

related point, which we elaborate upon later, even when employers acknowledge the

importance of inclusion-related beliefs (McFarlin et al., 1991; Moore et al., 2010) or activities

(Kaye et al., 2011), we do not know what employers actually do toward achieving that goal.

We add to the extant body of knowledge by outlining human resource principles and

programs across multinationals, something not done to date. Third, we go beyond a one-

country approach and instead describe how multinationals compare in their inclusionary

efforts across nations. In doing so, we expressly respond to the call for comparison studies

on disability across national contexts (Baldridge et al., in press).

We understand disability from a medical and social perspective as a deviation from

the norm or a condition that creates barriers to full societal participation, a view

prevalent in both the Indian and the German context (Baldridge et al., in press). In the

following sections, we first outline the literature on workplace inclusion of persons with

a disability. Next we outline the institutional contexts in both India and Germany. This

is followed by an explication of the methodology we followed. Finally, we present

findings from the study and discuss how they reflect and extend research on workplace

inclusion of persons with a disability.

Workplace inclusion of persons with a disability: the importance of

employer beliefs and activities

Most of the extant research indicates that employers do not hire and retain persons

with disabilities. This is a direct consequence of their beliefs. For example, erroneous

398

EDI

35,7/8