Lessening the difference is more – the relationship between diversity management and the perceived organizational climate for gay men and lesbians

Abstract

With a growing number of European companies following a variety of diversity management strategies, the number of companies including the ‘sexual orientation’ dimension in their diversity programs is increasing. Partially explained by the lack of research on that topic, most companies apply the risk-minimizing strategy of copying actions implemented by companies which have already done more in that field. In this context, this paper aims to provide more profound evidence for evaluating the interrelation between sexual orientation diversity management and the perceived organizational climate for gay and lesbian employees. Study 1 compares Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank and a German equivalent, showing that companies including ‘sexual orientation’ in their diversity programs can be associated with a more supportive organizational climate for gay men and lesbians. Applying a Heideggerian theoretical framework, Study 2 compares regression models based on a sample of 1308 gay men and lesbians working in Germany. It is shown that those organizational practices that lessen the difference between homosexuality and heterosexuality within the organization are more strongly related to positive psychological climates than those practices that accentuate the difference. Equalization of heterosexual and homosexual partnerships, internal thematization of homosexuality and gay marketing are associated with positive climate perceptions; LGBT networks and mentoring are not.

Keywords:

• diversity management
• Heidegger
• homosexuality
• organizational climate
• psychological climate
• sexual orientation

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the associate editor Dr Janet Marler and the three anonymous reviewers for their very helpful comments and suggestions for ameliorating and shaping this article. I also want to thank the consulting team of the Center for Empirical Research Methods at WU for their support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Thomas Köllen

Thomas Köllen is an assistant professor at the Department of Management, Institute for Gender and Diversity in Organizations, Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). Dr. Köllen completed studies of Business Administration in Jena, Germany; Turin, Italy; and Vienna, Austria. He was a Doc Team Fellow of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (2006–2009) and a visiting scholar at Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany (2007), and Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF) in Niteroi, Brazil (2012). Dr. Köllen’s research focuses on issues related to bi- and homosexual employees and entrepreneurs, nationalities and nationalism in organizations, and business ethics.