Management responses to social activism in an era of corporate responsibility: a case study
van Cranenburgh, Katinka C. Liket, K. Roome (+), Nigel
van Cranenburgh, Katinka C.
Liket, K.
Roome (+), Nigel
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Publication Type
Journal article with impact factor
Editor
Supervisor
Publication Year
2013
Journal
Journal of Business Ethics
Book
Publication Volume
118
Publication Issue
3 (December)
Publication Begin page
497
Publication End page
513
Publication NUmber of pages
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Abstract
Intergroup relations at work become more complex with the cultural diversification of societies. A diverse workforce can be at the same time a competitive advantage and a source of internal organizational conflicts. Therefore, it is important to know the conditions that link intergroup contact to the emergence of an inclusive organizational culture. This case study proposes a model of intergroup contact that focuses on individual factors amenable to change. Therefore, we propose that ethnocultural empathy is the mediator that explains how contact leads to increased positive diversity-related attitudes and reduced negative diversity-related attitudes. Our case study focuses on the middle and higher management (147 respondents) of a Dutch organization which faces a problem with the promotion of ethnic minority employees. The data shows that ethnocultural empathy is a mediator in the relation between intergroup contact and positive attitudes towards diversity, but not negative ones. Hence, our findings suggest that while empathy can trigger more
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Keywords
Corporate Responsibility, Social Activism, Cybernetic Model, Dynamic Interactions and Responses, Outcomes