Schlue e , Anna; Gold, S e an
A icle — Published Ve sion
Con ex ualiza ion and Con ex E ec s: An In eg a i e
Re iew o S udies on he Ou comes o Di e si y
Managemen P ac ices
Co po a e Social Responsibili y and En i onmen al Managemen
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: Schlue e , Anna; Gold, S e an (2025) : Con ex ualiza ion and Con ex E ec s:
An In eg a i e Re iew o S udies on he Ou comes o Di e si y Managemen P ac ices, Co po a e
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Co po a e Social Responsibili y and En i onmen al Managemen
REVIEW ARTICLE OPEN ACCESS
Con ex ualiza ion and Con ex E ec s: An In eg a i e
Re iew o S udies on he Ou comes o Di e si y
Managemen P ac ices
AnnaSchlue e 1 | S e anGold2
1Facul y o Economics and Managemen , Uni e si y o Kassel, Kassel, Ge many | 2Campus S aubing o Bio echnology and Sus ainabili y, Technical
Uni e si y o Munich, Munich,Ge many
Co espondence: Anna Schlue e (anna.schlue e @uni-kassel.de)
Recei ed: 21 Ap il 2025 | Re ised: 29 May 2025 | Accep ed: 11 June 2025
Keywo ds: con ex e ec s| con ex ualiza ion| di e si y managemen p ac ices| in eg a i e e iew
ABSTRACT
Resea ch on he ou comes o di e si y managemen p ac ices has p oduced inconsis en and e en con adic o y esul s. I has
been a gued ha hese disc epancies a e due o con ex ual di e ences be ween s udies. Building on his a gumen , his in eg a-
i e e iew p o ides an in- dep h analysis o con ex , aiming o gain a deepe unde s anding o he ou comes o di e si y manage-
men p ac ices. We used Johns' ca ego ical amewo k o syn hesize he li e a u e and sys ema ically e iew con ex ualiza ion
and con ex e ec s in empi ical s udies. We o e sugges ions o u u e con ex ualiza ion, poin o unde - and unexplo ed con ex-
ual ac o s, ou line ways o ad ance heo izing, and a gue o mo e complex concep ualiza ions o con ex ual ac o s.
1 | In oduc ion
The sus ainable de elopmen goals (SDGs) p esen a u ning
poin o businesses as hei ole o d i e ans o ma ion o-
wa d sus ainabili y is highligh ed o he i s ime (Schey ens
e al.2016). They led o a shi in p ac ice as o ganiza ions
began aking ac ion and implemen ing olun a y ini ia i es o
con ibu e o he SDGs (Rashed and Shah2020). SDG 5 (Gende
Equali y) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequali ies) call on o ganiza-
ions o p omo e inclusi e p ac ices o coun e disc imina ion
based on demog aphic ac o s such as gende , ace, age, dis-
abili y, eligion, o sexual o ien a ion (Uni ed Na ions,n.d.).
Socially esponsible human esou ce managemen (SRHRM)
plays a key ole in o ganiza ions' e o s o add ess hese is-
sues (Campos- Ga cía e al. 2024) and in c ea ing o ganiza-
ional legi imacy (Ka a as- Ozkan e al.2022). O ganiza ions
a e paying inc easing a en ion o wo k o ce di e si y, adop -
ing di e si y ini ia i es and alloca ing budge s o di e si y
managemen p ac ices (DMPs). Academia has ollowed
de elopmen s in DM since he concep was i s in oduced
in he 1980s (Kelly and Dobbin1998). Resea che s ha e p e-
dominan ly been p eoccupied wi h he ques ion o how di e -
si y in luences o ganiza ional ou comes ( an Dijk e al.2012).
S udies ha e examined he ela ionships be ween di e si y
and a iables ela ed o social in eg a ion, pe o mance,
and well- being (Guillaume e al.2017). Howe e , wo kplace
di e si y has been desc ibed as a double- edged swo d due
o inconsis en o e en con lic ing indings on i s ou comes
(Guillaume e al.2017), which make gene aliza ions di icul
( an Dijk e al.2012). We p opose a shi in ocus om s udy-
ing he ou comes o di e si y o s udying he inconsis encies
be ween p e ious s udies. Acco ding o one line o hinking,
o ully g asp di e si y and i s e ec s, mo e a en ion should
be paid o he con ex in which o ganiza ions ope a e (Joshi
and Roh2007; Nkomo e al.2019; Pos e al.2021), as con-
ex ual di e ences be ween s udies can lead o con lic ing e-
sul s (Rousseau and F ied2001). In his in eg a i e li e a u e
e iew (Dwe mann and an Knippenbe g 2020), we del e
This is an open access a icle unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License, which pe mi s use, dis ibu ion and ep oduc ion in any medium,
p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed.
© 2025 The Au ho (s). Co po a e Social Responsibili y and En i onmen al Managemen published by ERP En i onmen and John Wiley & Sons L d.
6462 Co po a e Social Responsibili y and En i onmen al Managemen , 2025
in o con ex ualiza ion and con ex e ec s (Bambe ge 2008;
Johns2006) by add essing he ollowing esea ch ques ions:
(a) How ha e s udies on he ou comes o DMPs been con ex u-
alized? (b) How do con ex ual ac o s in luence he ou comes
o DMPs?
Al hough p e ious e iews o s udies on DMPs ha e consid-
e ed con ex ual ac o s (Nishii e al.2017), an in- dep h analysis
o con ex ualiza ion and he e ec s o con ex ual ac o s has
no been conduc ed. Resea ch con ex ualiza ion allows ead-
e s “ o be e assess he applicabili y o he heo y o indings”
(Bambe ge 2008, p. 840) and con ibu es o an unde s anding
o disc epancies be ween indings. Analyzing con ex e ec s
can enable u u e s udies on he ou comes o DMPs o be e
p edic hei indings (Bambe ge 2008). In his e iew, we
build on Johns'(2006) con ex ual dimensions o concep ualize
con ex on di e en le els o analysis and o espond o ecen
calls o mo e away om mic o- le el esea ch on wo kplace
di e si y and in eg a e indings ha encompass he mic o-
and mac o- le els (Joshi e al.2011). In his a icle, we s a by
p esen ing he ca ego iza ion and con ex ualiza ion o DMPs
ha se ed as he analy ical amewo k o his e iew. We
hen desc ibe he me hodology, ou line he e iewed a icles'
con ex ualiza ion e o s, and p o ide sugges ions o u u e
con ex ualiza ion. We hen p esen an analysis and discussion
o con ex e ec s. We p o ide ecommenda ions o u u e e-
sea ch and conclude he pape wi h a e lec ion on he s udy's
limi a ions.
2 | Analy ical F amewo k
2.1 | Di e si y Managemen P ac ices
DM can be iewed as pa o an o ganiza ion's e o s o p ac-
ice SRHRM, which in ol es he applica ion o co po a e social
esponsibili y (CSR) p inciples o HRM. This app oach ex ends
beyond iewing HR me ely as a s a egic asse con ibu ing o
he o ganiza ion's bo om line, and ins ead emphasizes he o ga-
niza ion's mo al obliga ions (San ana and Lopez- Cab ales2019).
A he co e o SRHRM is he belie ha o ganiza ions should
no only ocus hei CSR e o s ou wa d, bu also p io i ize in-
e nal s akeholde s, including employees (Qama e al. 2023).
Diaz- Ca ion e al. (2020) ou line equal oppo uni ies and
nondisc imina ion as co e CSR dimensions o SRHRM. These
dimensions a e e lec ed in DMPs which a e de ined as o ga-
niza ional p ac ices “aimed a imp o ing he wo kplace expe-
iences and ou comes o g oups ha ace disad an age in bo h
o ganiza ions and he b oade socie y” (Leslie 2019, p. 540).
O ganiza ions use a ious DMPs o achie e his goal. In his
e iew, we adop ed Leslie's(2019) ca ego iza ion o DMPs in o
(a) esou ce p ac ices, (b) nondisc imina ion p ac ices, and (c)
accoun abili y p ac ices. Resou ce p ac ices, such as men o-
ing p og ams and ne wo k g oups, p o ide he a ge ed indi-
idual wi h inc eased access o esou ces and aim o p omo e
equi y (Leslie2019; Richa d e al.2013). They a e also e e ed
o as iden i y- conscious p ac ices (Leslie 2019) because hey
acknowledge di e ences and emphasize hei impo ance
(Leslie e al. 2020). Nondisc imina ion p ac ices, such as di-
e si y aining (Kale e al.2006), aim o aise awa eness o
and educe biases. These iden i y- blind p ac ices a e based on
he assump ion ha di e ences a e no ele an and should be
minimized (Leslie e al.2020). Accoun abili y p ac ices, such
as assigning esponsibili y o di e si y by appoin ing di e si y
s a , aim o measu e pe o mance agains di e si y goals and
inc ease esponsibili y, accoun abili y, au ho i y, and expe ise
(Kale e al.2006; Leslie2019).
2.2 | Di e si y Managemen P ac ices and Con ex
Re iews o s udies on DM and DMPs ha e ecommended ha
esea che s p o ide ich desc ip ions o he esea ch se ings
(Joshi and Roh2009; Nishii e al.2017) o acili a e he in e -
p e a ion o hei indings (Nishii e al.2017; Pos e al.2021)
and con ibu e o inc easing he e ec i eness o DMPs (Joshi
and Roh2009). Rousseau and F ied(2001, p. 1) ega d such ich
desc ip ions as con ex ualiza ion, which hey de ine as “link-
ing obse a ions o a se o ele an ac s, e en s, o poin s o
iew ha make possible esea ch and heo y ha o m pa o
a la ge whole.” Johns(2006) in oduced he concep s o omni-
bus con ex and disc e e con ex , which can guide esea che s
in con ex ualizing hei s udies by mo ing om b oad desc ip-
ions o gene al in o ma ion o speci ics. The omnibus con ex
conce ns who is being s udied, whe e, when, and why a s udy
is conduc ed. Examples o con ex ual a iables ha answe he
ques ion o who include demog aphics such as gende composi-
ion (Johns2006). The answe o he ques ion o whe e may be
a coun y, ins i u ion, o ma ke . The ques ion o when may be
ela ed o socie al e en s o imes o c isis (Oc2018). The ques-
ion o why is answe ed by a esea che 's o an o ganiza ion's
a ionale o conduc ing a s udy (Johns2006).
The disc e e con ex “is nes ed wi hin omnibus con ex ”
(Johns2006, p. 391) and includes he dimensions o ask con ex ,
social con ex , and physical con ex . Va iables ela ed o he ask
con ex include au onomy, unce ain y, accoun abili y, and e-
sou ces (Johns2006). P ac ical examples o hese a iables a e
he wo kload o o ganiza ional membe s, he complexi y o asks
(Bell e al.2018), and he eedom ha o ganiza ional membe s
ha e in pe o ming hei asks (Die do e al.2009). Social con-
ex a iables include social densi y, social s uc u e, and social
in luence (Johns2006), which a e he “ esul o ha ing o in e -
ac wi h o he s” (Bell e al.2018, p. 2748). Such a iables can be
mani es ed in o ganiza ional cul u e, eam/o ganiza ion size,
leade ship s yle (Bell e al.2018), leade s' a ibu es (Joshi and
Roh2007), no ms, and con lic (Die do e al.2009). Physical
con ex a iables include empe a u e, ligh , buil en i onmen ,
and déco (Johns2006). In p ac ice, hey can mean, o ins ance,
haza dous wo king condi ions (Die do e al.2009), physical
dis ance be ween he wo kplace and he home o amily (Bell
e al.2018), and eam dispe sion (Joshi and Roh2007).
Johns' (2006) amewo k was de eloped o esea ch in o ga-
niza ional beha io . This ield has a long adi ion o s udying
o ganiza ions' app oaches o managing indi idual and g oup
di e ences as well as hei ou comes, making he amewo k
a ele an choice o he p esen s udy. A he same ime, ap-
p oaches o s udying DMPs in o ganiza ional beha io e lec
he ield's unde lying assump ions, o en emphasizing measu -
able pe o mance ou comes which may no cap u e he com-
plexi y o DM such as i s ela ion o s uc u al inequali ies. We
6463
ecognize ha Johns'(2006) amewo k was in luenced by hese
assump ions and ha i was no speci ically de eloped o e-
sea ch on DMPs o , mo e b oadly, on SRHRM.
3 | Me hodology
An in eg a i e li e a u e e iew should p o ide a de ailed expla-
na ion o he s eps aken and he a icles selec ed o analysis.
The sampling p ocess is po ayed in Figu e1. The sys ema ic
li e a u e sea ch s a ed wi h a Boolean keywo d sea ch in he
mul i- publishe Web o Science and EBSCO Business Sou ce
P emie da abases, which ep esen a la ge sha e o ele an
jou nals and a e he mos equen ly used da abases o e iews
o a icles published in op jou nals (Hiebl2023). Building on
Leslie(2019), he ollowing sea ch s ing was used: “di e si y
managemen ” OR “di e si y managemen p ac ice*” OR “di e -
si y managemen p og am*” OR “di e si y managemen ac i i *”
OR “di e si y managemen ini ia i e*” OR “di e si y p ac ice*”
OR “di e si y p og am*” OR “di e si y ac i i *” OR “di e si y
ini ia i e*” OR “di e si y aining*” OR “di e si y men o *”
OR “di e si y ne wo k*” OR “di e si y commi ee*” OR “di e -
si y ask o ce*” OR “di e si y s a ” OR “ a ge ed ec ui *” OR
“di e si y s a emen *” OR “di e si y e alua ion*” OR “di e si y
pe o mance” OR “di e si y goal*”. Only pee - e iewed a icles
published in English in academic jou nals be ween 2013 and
2023 we e included. The aim o including only pee - e iewed
a icles was o gua an ee a minimum le el o quali y. To ocus
he sea ch, he ca ego y “Managemen ” in was used in Web o
Science. The sea ch yielded 529 esul s in Web o Science and
907 esul s in EBSCO Business Sou ce P emie . A e duplica es
we e emo ed, 1117 a icles emained.
Only a icles ha ocused on a leas one ou come o a leas
one DMP and epo ed empi ical indings we e included. Fi s ,
he a icles' headlines and abs ac s we e sc eened. Du ing his
ini ial sc eening, he a icles we e classi ied in o h ee g oups:
a icles wi h (a) pa icula ele ance (n = 69), (b) some ele ance
(n = 282), and (c) li le o no ele ance (n = 766). The la ge num-
be o a icles ha ell in o he hi d ca ego y can be a ibu ed
o he sea ch s ing, which did no include keywo ds ela ed o
ou comes o DMPs due o hei wide a ie y. The a icles in he
i s wo ca ego ies we e ead in hei en i e y and eclassi ied
i necessa y. All a icles in he i s ca ego y (n = 133) we e e-
ained. F om he ini ially iden i ied s udies, an addi ional 47
a icles we e iden i ied h ough o wa d sea ches (15 a icles)
and backwa d sea ches (32 a icles). The o wa d sea ches we e
conduc ed on Google Schola . Finally, he jou nals in which
he selec ed a icles we e published we e subjec ed o a quali y
check using he SCImago Jou nal Rank indica o . All a icles
published in jou nals anking below he second qua ile (32 a -
icles) we e excluded. The inal sample consis ed o 148 a icles.
To ca ego ize he da a, he i s au ho pe o med a hema ic
analysis using MAXQDA so wa e (B aun and Cla ke2006).
The i s sec ions o each a icle (in oduc ion o me hodology)
we e used o answe he i s esea ch ques ion. To answe
he second esea ch ques ion, among he 148 a icles, quan-
i a i e s udies on con ex ual ac o s as mode a o s and qual-
i a i e s udies ha ega ded con ex ual ac o s as cons uc s
we e iden i ied. This p ocess yielded 54 a icles. The analysis
ook a deduc i e app oach based on he analy ical amewo k.
Leslie's(2019) ca ego iza ion was used o so he DMPs in o
esou ce p ac ices, nondisc imina ion p ac ices, and accoun -
abili y p ac ices. The ollowing sec ions elabo a e how his
FIGURE 1 | Sampling p ocess.
6464 Co po a e Social Responsibili y and En i onmen al Managemen , 2025
was no always possible as s udies we e o en looking in o a
combina ion o mul iple p ac ices om di e en ca ego ies.
The dimensions omnibus con ex and disc e e con ex and
hei ela ed a iables based on Johns (2006) p o ided he
s uc u e o g ouping con ex ual ac o s. Addi ionally, he
le el o analysis o each con ex ual ac o was conside ed. The
analysis and i s esul s we e discussed wi h he second au-
ho . Adap a ions we e made join ly when deemed necessa y
by bo h au ho s.
4 | Resul s
Publica ions g adually inc eased be ween 2013 (9 a icles; ≈6%)
and 2023 (18 a icles; ≈12%). The e iewed a icles we e pub-
lished in a o al o 72 jou nals. Mos s udies (n = 118; ≈80%) used
quan i a i e app oaches, while wo combined quali a i e and
quan i a i e me hods.
4.1 | Con ex ualiza ion
In hei me a- analy ical e iew, Joshi and Roh (2009) c i i-
cized he lack o ich desc ip ions o esea ch se ings in s ud-
ies on di e si y as ea ly as he 2000s. We ound ha al hough
well- es ablished con ex ual in o ma ion, such as he pe iod
o da a collec ion, was equen ly p o ided, mos con ex ual
dimensions we e no desc ibed o we e desc ibed only supe -
icially. As can be seen in Table1, he ex en o which con ex-
ual in o ma ion was epo ed a ied ac oss dimensions. We
elabo a e on he dimensions in he ollowing subsec ions. The
de ail p o ided in he subsec ions is subjec o he une en e-
quency wi h which ce ain dimensions we e included in he
e iewed a icles.
4.1.1 | Disc e e Con ex
4.1.1.1 | Social Con ex . The social dimension was
he mos equen ly desc ibed disc e e con ex dimension. We
ound desc ip ions o social s uc u e, which e e s o he dis-
ibu ion o di e si y dimensions in a g oup, cul u e, poli ics
and legisla ion, and leade s' a ibu es. Leade s' a ibu es
ecei ed he leas a en ion. This is su p ising, as he impo -
ance o leade s in he implemen a ion o DMPs has been
widely acknowledged (Nishii e al.2017). The success o DMPs
is linked o leade s' mo i a ion o implemen hem (Bowen
and Os o 2004), which is, in u n, linked o hei pe sonal
cha ac e is ics (Nishii e al.2017). The e was li le a ie y in
he epo ed di e si y cha ac e is ics o leade s. The e iewed
a icles mos equen ly desc ibed gende di e si y in mana-
ge ial posi ions, ollowed by age, e hnic, and acial di e si y.
We obse ed simila pa e ns in he desc ip ion o he dis i-
bu ion o di e si y dimensions on di e en le els o analysis.
Con ex ual in o ma ion on cul u e was almos en i ely ela ed
o he accep ance and ea men o mino i ies and women
on he indus y and coun y le els. These aspec s we e
no desc ibed on lowe le els, such as eams and depa men s.
Coun y- speci ic legisla ion and poli ical de elopmen s ela ed
o di e si y, such as he Ma iage Ac in I eland (McFadden
and C owley- Hen y2018), he Ge man gende quo a egula-
ions (Windscheid e al.2017), and Canada's gende di e si y
TABLE 1 | Con ex ualiza ion o he e iewed s udies.
Con ex
dimension Con ex ual ac o
Le el o analysis
Indi idual Team Depa men O ganiza ion Indus y Coun y
Disc e e Social Social s uc u e 1 1 1 1 1
Cul u e 1 1 2
Leade s' a ibu es 1 1 1 1
Poli ics and
legisla ion
2
Task Au onomy 1
Empowe men 1
Job demands 1
Resou ces 1 2 1 1
Accoun abili y 1
Physical Wo kplace 1
Omnibus Whena1 1
Whe e 1 1 4 4
Who 4
Why 1 1
No e: 1, epo ed in less han 25% o he a icles; 2, epo ed in 25%–50% o he a icles; 3, epo ed in 50%–75% o he a icles; 4, epo ed in mo e han 75% o he
a icles.
aIn o ma ion on he pe iod o da a collec ion is no included. I was p o ided in app oxima ely 57% o he a icles.
6465
disclosu e egula ion o o ganiza ions (Ben- Ama e al.2022)
we e acknowledged in some a icles. Legisla i e p essu e can
u ge o ganiza ions o implemen DMPs o coun e disc imi-
na ion and con ibu e o wo k o ce di e si y. Howe e , ague
egula ions ha e o en ailed o achie e hese goals, as hey
ha e led o ganiza ions o espond “wi h la gely ce emonial
compliance measu es ha would no dis u b managemen
ou ines” (Dobbin and Kale 2021, p. 295). This unde lines
he impo ance o ich con ex ualiza ion ha mo es beyond
he me e lis ing o na ional egula ions and c i ically e lec s
on hem.
4.1.1.2 | Task Con ex . The ask con ex was almos exclu-
si ely ep esen ed by esou ces, which a ied widely depend-
ing on he le el o analysis. Fo ins ance, on he o ganiza ional
le el, s udies epo ed on economic pe o mance and o ganiza-
ional size, whe eas on he coun y le el, hey p o ided b oad
o e iews o o ganiza ions' DM e o s and he employmen si -
ua ion o mino i y g oups and women. The e we e no ask con-
ex desc ip ions on he eam o depa men le el. Task- ela ed
aspec s on he indi idual le el, including au onomy, empowe -
men , job demands, and accoun abili y, we e examined in only
a ew s udies.
4.1.1.3 | Physical Con ex . The physical con ex was
la gely o e looked and was no ed by only wo s udies ha
examined whe he he s udy pa icipan s' wo kplaces we e
he o ganiza ions' headqua e s o ield o ices. The ecen
ends owa d digi iza ion (Pos e al.2021) and mul ina ional
o ganiza ions (Nkomo e al.2019), which can make di e ences
be ween wo ke s inc easingly salien , may inc ease he impo -
ance o he physical wo kplace. Fo ins ance, employees ace
di e en en i onmen s when wo king om home depend-
ing on di e si y- ela ed ac o s, such as hei amily si ua ions
and socioeconomic s a us. Vi ual wo k and in e na ionaliza-
ion can con ibu e o eam dispe sion and change he mode
o collabo a ion (An onacopoulou and Geo giadou2021).
4.1.2 | Omnibus Con ex
4.1.2.1 | When. Few s udies wen beyond men ioning
he pe iod o da a collec ion o de ail o ganiza ional o socie al
ends o e en s connec ed o he pe iod in ques ion. One exam-
ple is Fon ana(2020), who conduc ed a case s udy o he con-
ibu ion o a DM ini ia i e o he inclusion o ansgende
indi iduals in a Bangladeshi o ganiza ion. In he me hodology
sec ion, he au ho p o ides a ch onological ou line o he imple-
men a ion o he DM ini ia i e and ela e i o socie al and poli -
ical e en s, such as legisla ion, ha shaped he implemen a ion
p ocess. This de ailed desc ip ion p o ides he eade wi h an
unde s anding o ansgende disc imina ion in Bangladesh, in
esponse o which he o ganiza ional ini ia i e was unde aken.
4.1.2.2 | Whe e. As DM has i s oo s in he USA (Nkomo
and Hooble 2014), we we e no su p ised o ind ha No h
Ame ica and Eu ope ep esen ed he majo i y o s udies.
The USA was he mos equen ly ep esen ed, ollowed by
Cen al- Wes e n Eu opean coun ies, such as Ge many, he UK,
he Ne he lands, Belgium, and F ance. Few s udies we e con-
duc ed in Asian coun ies, such as China, Sou h Ko ea, Vie nam,
and Japan. Fon ana's(2020) s udy was he only one conduc ed in
Bangladesh. None o he e iew s udies was conduc ed in Sou h
Ame ica, and only one s udy was conduc ed in A ica—speci i-
cally, in Sou h A ica (Ca s ens and De Kock2017).
4.1.2.3 | Who. All desc ip ions ela ed o he who dimen-
sion we e on he indi idual le el o analysis and included
demog aphics, a i udes, belie s, pe cep ions, and pe sonali y.
Demog aphics, which can also be e e ed o as su ace- le el
di e si y, ecei ed conside ably mo e a en ion han he o he
ca ego ies, which can be conside ed aspec s o deep- le el di e -
si y. Su ace- le el di e si y is o en eadily isible and deep- le el
di e si y becomes appa en o e ime and h ough social in e -
ac ions (Ha ison e al. 2002). Gende was equen ly no ed,
ollowed by manage ial le el, age, occupa ion, and ace. In an
analysis o di e si y heo izing o e he pas decades, Nkomo
e al. (2019) iden i ied a esea ch shi om su ace- le el
di e si y o deep- le el di e si y be ween he 1980s/1990s
and he 2000s/2010s. Howe e , ou analysis shows ha his
de elopmen is no e lec ed in con ex ualiza ion. As discussed
abo e in ela ion o he social dimension, con ex ualiza ion s ill
seems o ocus on a ew su ace- le el di e si y cha ac e is ics.
4.1.2.4 | Why. Disclosing he eason o collec ing da a
can p omo e eade s' unde s anding o pa icipan s' esponses,
which may be in luenced by he s udy's a ionale (Johns2006).
Fo ins ance, i a s udy is conduc ed as pa o an o ganiza ion's
e alua ion and he pa icipan s a e awa e ha he esul s will
be sha ed wi h managemen (e en i hey a e anonymized),
hei esponses may di e om he esponses hey migh gi e
i hey know ha hey will no be sha ed wi h hei employe .
Ne e heless, ew o he e iewed s udies explained he easons
o da a collec ion. The mos ci ed eason was ha a s udy had
been ini ia ed by an ex e nal pa y, which was ei he an o ga-
niza ion wan ing o ga he in o ma ion on i s own p ac ices
o a local go e nmen wishing o gain insigh s in o he inclusion
o mino i y g oups in he labo ma ke .
Poo con ex ualiza ion limi s he compa abili y o indings
ac oss s udies (Rousseau and F ied2001). Al hough guidance
on how o con ex ualize esea ch exis s (Johns2006; Rousseau
and F ied2001), con ex ualiza ion does no seem o be a well-
es ablished p ac ice. Table2 p o ides sugges ions on how o con-
ex ualize speci ically esea ch on DMPs based on he esul s o
his e iew and Johns's(2006) amewo k. In he e iewed s ud-
ies, con ex ualiza ion conce ned mainly he indi idual, o gani-
za ional, and coun y le els, whe eas o he le els o analysis,
such as he eam le el, ecei ed less a en ion. Resea ch ind-
ings highligh ing he impo ance o eam cha ac e is ics o DM
(Joshi and Roh2007; an Knippenbe g and an Ginkel2022)
sugges ha con ex ualiza ion on his le el is pa icula ly in-
e es ing. Ou p oposed app oach conside s di e en le els o
analysis. Al hough he ele ance o con ex ual in o ma ion is
unique o each s udy, esea che s on DM can use ou analysis
as a s a ing poin o g ea e con ex ualiza ion o hei s udies.
Con ex dimensions a e o en closely in e wined. Fo ins ance,
whe e a s udy is conduc ed aises ques ions no only abou a ci y
o coun y bu also abou i s economic and poli ical si ua ion.
The economic and poli ical aspec s, in u n, may also be in e -
ela ed. Thus, con ex ual ac o s should be iewed as a whole
a he han sepa a ely.
6466 Co po a e Social Responsibili y and En i onmen al Managemen , 2025
TABLE 2 | Sugges ions o con ex ualiza ion by con ex dimension.
Con ex dimension Con ex ual ac o
Le el o analysis
Indi idual Team Depa men O ganiza ion Indus y Coun y
Disc e e Social Dis ibu ion o
di e si y dimensions
X X X X X
Di e si y clima e
and cul u e
X X X
C oss- g oup
in e ac ion
X X X X X
Hie a chical
s uc u e
X X X
Leade s' a ibu es X X X X
His o ical
de elopmen s
X X X
In ol emen
wi h unions
X X X
Ac i ism and p o es s X X X
Size X X X X
Demog aphic
de elopmen
X X X X X
Di e si y- ela ed
legisla ion
X
Poli ical si ua ion X
Task Pe o mance X X X X X X
(Di e si y) s a egy X
Go e nance X
A ailabili y o labo X
Employmen si ua ion X
Tu no e X X X
Repu a ion X X X X
Au onomy X X X X
Empowe men X X X X
Demands associa ed
wi h wo k (physical,
psychological)
X X X
Wo kload X X X X
Physical O ice/ ield X X X X
Remo e wo k X X X X
Au oma ion X X X X
Dis ance be ween
wo kplace and home
X
Dis ance be ween
wo kplace and amily
X
Dispe sion X X X
(Con inues)
6467
4.2 | Con ex E ec s
In his subsec ion, we discuss he con ex e ec s ela ed o DMPs
and ou comes. An o e iew o he con ex e ec s is p o ided in
Table3. We g ouped con ex ual ac o s, DMPs, and ou comes
and p esen he mos equen ly s udied combina ions in Table4.
A lack o clea de ini ions o DMPs complica ed he e alua ion.
We we e o en unable o assign DMPs o one o he ca ego ies
sugges ed by Leslie(2019), as mul iple p ac ices we e s udied o-
ge he . Some o he e iewed a icles explici ly e e ed o hem
as p ac ice bundles (e.g., Leung e al.2023; Richa d e al.2013),
which consis o “in e ela ed and in e nally consis en ” p ac-
ices (MacDu ie1995, p. 204) ha complemen each o he and
a e aligned wi h an o ganiza ion's s a egic goals (Bowen and
Os o 2004). P ac ice bundles, which ha e been sugges ed o be
mo e e ec i e han single, isola ed p ac ices (Combs e al.2006),
we e he excep ion a he han he ule in ou e iewed a icles.
The s a egic mo i a ion o s udying p ac ices in combina ion,
he exac p ac ices s udied, and hei a ge s we e o en unclea .
Unclea de ini ions o DMPs we e equen in quan i a i e s ud-
ies ha used seconda y da a. Fo ins ance, ou sample included
s udies ha used he esul s o ede al employee su eys, such
as he Fede al Employee Viewpoin Su ey (FEVS) by he US
O ice o Pe sonnel Managemen . The ollowing su ey i em
om he 2022 su ey (FEVS2022, p. 35) conce ns DMPs: “My
supe iso demons a es commi men o wo k o ce di e si y
(e.g., ec ui men , p omo ion oppo uni ies, de elopmen ).”
Such de ini ions made p ac ices di icul o ca ego ize, as hey
did no conce n a speci ic p ac ice o a s a egic combina ion o
p ac ices ha migh a ge a speci ic mino i y g oup o women.
4.2.1 | Disc e e Con ex
4.2.1.1 | Social Con ex . Con ex ual ac o s ela ed o
he social dimension we e o en s udied in combina ion wi h
esou ce p ac ices and o ganiza ion- ela ed a i udes, belie s,
and pe cep ions (e.g., job pu sui in en ions, job sa is ac ion,
and o ganiza ional a ac ion) as ou comes. They we e also
s udied wi h DMPs i ing combina ions o he es ablished
ca ego ies and pe o mance ou comes (Table 4). The s udied
con ex ual ac o s we e ca ego ized in o social s uc u e, cul-
u e, and poli ics and legisla ion. Social s uc u e, which is
ela ed o he dis ibu ion o di e si y dimensions, was ound o
es ic ange, a ec base a e, and p omp cu ilinea e ec s
(Table 3). The ep esen a ion o women ac oss hie a chical
le els, a con ex ual ac o s udied mul iple imes, mode a ed
he ela ionship be ween DMPs and ou comes. Fo ins ance, in
o ganiza ions wi h a emale execu i e, childca e lea e and lex-
ible wo k a angemen s con ibu ed o posi i e ela ionships
be ween emale manage s and hei emale supe iso s (Shin
and Kim2022). Ali and Kon ad(2017) ound ha he posi i e
associa ion be ween DMPs and CSR pe o mance was s onge
in o ganiza ions wi h g ea gende di e si y in lowe and mid-
dle managemen .
The in luence o cul u al aspec s on he ela ionship be ween
DMPs and o ganiza ional pe o mance ou comes was equen ly
s udied. The s udied cul u al aspec s a ied widely depending
on he le el o analysis and es ic ed ange, a ec ed base a e,
p omp ed cu ilinea e ec s, and changed causal di ec ion
(Table3). While di e si y clima e, di e si y en i onmen , and
di e si y pe spec i e we e ela ed o he o ganiza ional le el,
b oade cul u al p ac ices we e analyzed on he coun y le el.
Fo ins ance, ollowing Dwe mann e al.'s(2016) sugges ions o
ad ancing esea ch on di e si y clima e, Ali and F ench(2019)
ound ha in o ganiza ions wi h a syne gy pe spec i e (as op-
posed o a ai ness and disc imina ion pe spec i e), DMPs we e
posi i ely associa ed wi h e u n on asse s. Bake e al.(2021)
ound ha in o ganiza ions wi h a s ong di e si y en i on-
men , DMPs con ibu ed o p o i be o e ax. While hese wo
s udies ocused on he o ganiza ional le el, Pe e z e al.(2015)
conside ed a iables ac oss le els o analysis. Speci ically, hey
in es iga ed he in luence o na ional cul u al p ac ices on he
ela ionships be ween DMPs and o ganiza ional absen eeism
and u no e . Fo ins ance, in low powe dis ance coun ies,
he adop ion o DMPs con ibu ed o ewe absen days pe em-
ployee han in high powe dis ance coun ies.
Poli ics and legisla ion, analyzed in only wo ins ances, e-
s ic ed ange and p omp ed cu ilinea e ec s (Table3). The
wo s udies' esul s poin ed in di e en di ec ions. Whe eas
Con ex dimension Con ex ual ac o
Le el o analysis
Indi idual Team Depa men O ganiza ion Indus y Coun y
Omnibus When E en X X X X X X
T ends X X X X X
Du a ion o
p ojec /ac i i y
X X X
Whe e Loca ion X X X X X X
Who Demog aphics X
A i udes, belie s,
and pe cep ions
X
Pe sonali y X
Why Reason o collec ing
in o ma ion
X X X X X X
TABLE 2 | (Con inued)
6468 Co po a e Social Responsibili y and En i onmen al Managemen , 2025
TABLE 3 | Con ex e ec s.
Con ex
dimension
Le el o
analysis
Con ex ual
ac o
Con ex e ec s
Res ic ed
ange
A ec ed
base a e
P omp ed
cu ilinea
e ec s
Changed
causal
di ec ion
Re e sed
signs
Disc e e Social Team Social
s uc u e
4 1 1
Cul u ea4 2 2
O ganiza ion Social
s uc u e
3 3 1
Cul u e 3 2 1 1
Coun y Cul u e 4
Poli ics and
legisla iona
4 2
Task Depa men Resou cesa4 3
O ganiza ion Resou ces 4 2 1
Indus y Resou cesa4 2
Omnibus When Coun y E en sa3 3
Whe e Depa men a4
O ganiza iona4 4
Indus ya4 3
Sec o a4 4
Who Indi idual A i udes,
belie s, and
pe cep ions
4 2 1 1 1
Demog aphics 4 3 1 1 1
No e: 1, occu ed in less han 25% o he imes he con ex ual ac o was examined; 2, occu ed in 25%–50% o he imes he con ex ual ac o was examined; 3,
occu ed in 50%–75% o he imes he con ex ual ac o was examined; 4, occu ed in mo e han 75% o he imes he con ex ual ac o was examined.
aExamined ewe han i e imes.
TABLE 4 | DMPs and ou comes epea edly s udied oge he by con ex dimension.
Con ex dimension DMP ca ego y Ou come
Disc e e Social Resou ce p ac ices O ganiza ion- ela ed a i udes, belie s, and pe cep ions (e.g., job
pu sui in en ions, job sa is ac ion, and o ganiza ional a ac ion)
Resou ce p ac ices Pe o mance
Combina ion Pe o mance
Task Resou ce p ac ices Pe o mance
Omnibus When N/AaN/Aa
Whe e N/AaN/Aa
Who Resou ce p ac ices O ganiza ion- ela ed a i udes, belie s, and pe cep ions (e.g., job
pu sui in en ions, job sa is ac ion, and o ganiza ional a ac ion)
Combina ion O ganiza ion- ela ed a i udes, belie s, and pe cep ions (e.g., job
pu sui in en ions, job sa is ac ion, and o ganiza ional a ac ion)
Nondisc imina ion p ac ices O ganiza ion- ela ed a i udes, belie s, and pe cep ions (e.g., job
pu sui in en ions, job sa is ac ion, and o ganiza ional a ac ion)
aNo pa e n eme ged due o he small numbe o s udies examining he in luence o his dimension.
