To be or not to be favorable towards diversity practices? this is the question

Abstract

The relevance of diversity practices has been growing in Brazilian organizations. Nevertheless, the theoretical field in Brazil has not followed this practical development. The current literature expresses the prevalence in the identification and discussion of these practices, based on the belief that diversity always brings about positive results for the organization. However, this utilitarian approach neglects intrinsic subjectivity inherent to different social actors: someone who belongs to an identity group which is not considered dominant in the organizational setting (minority) and those who are traditionally considered the dominant group (majority). This essay aims to discuss the attitudes of these two groups towards diversity practices, proposing a theoretical model made up of four theoretical dimensions: acceptance attitudes based on social justice, acceptance attitudes based on obtaining gains, rejection attitudes based on beliefs in reverse discrimination, and rejection attitudes due to concerns about stigma. The understanding of these attitudes can contribute to the development of new approaches in diversity studies, in addition to brining a vision that an effective diversity practice in organizations means understanding the vision of the different stakeholders involved in them.

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