2011/05/26 by Frank Dobbin, Soohan Kim, Alexandra Kalev · 288 citations
Business, Management and Accounting · Social Sciences · #Business #Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting #Diversity (politics) #Economic growth #Economics #Gender Diversity and Inequality #Political Influence and Corporate Strategies #Political science #Public relations #Workforce #Workforce diversity
paper · doi:10.1177/0003122411409704
published in American Sociological Review 76(3), 386-411 (SAGE Publishing)
openalex publication_date 2011/05/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
While some U.S. corporations have adopted a host of diversity management programs, many have done little or nothing. We explore the forces promoting six diversity programs in a national sample of 816 firms over 23 years. Institutional theory suggests that external pressure for innovation reinforces internal advocacy. We argue that external pressure and internal advocacy serve as alternatives, such that when external pressure is already high, increases in internal advocacy will not alter the likelihood of program adoption. Moreover, institutional theory points to functional need as a driver of innovation. We argue that in the case of innovations designed to achieve new societal goals, functional need, as defined in this case by the absence of workforce diversity or the presence of regulatory oversight, is less important than corporate culture. Our findings help explain the spotty coverage of diversity programs. Firms that lack workforce diversity are no more likely than others to adopt programs, but firms with large contingents of women managers are more likely to do so. Pro-diversity industry and corporate cultures promote diversity programs. The findings carry implications for public policy.