inclusion
Definition
Inclusion refers to organizational efforts to improve the representation, treatment, and outcomes of historically marginalized groups, typically enacted through formal Diversity and Inclusion policies. Such policies require both attitudinal endorsement and behavioral enactment from employees and managers, and these two dimensions do not reliably align. Among 2,639 employees in a Dutch organization, five distinct support profiles emerged, ranging from Champions who endorse and enact inclusion policy to Bystanders who express ideological endorsement while remaining behaviorally passive. Reasoning patterns underlying these profiles varied by organizational position and minority or majority group membership, with perceived minority status associated with more advocacy-oriented and critically constructive engagement with inclusion policy.
Sources: Bokern et al. (2026)
Related Terms
- leadership (1 shared article)
- diversity (1 shared article)
- D&I policy (1 shared article)
- policy support (1 shared article)
- policy resistance (1 shared article)
Applications
Inclusion and Organizational Policy Support
Support for inclusion policy is best understood as a construct combining attitudinal and behavioral components, which can diverge substantially in practice. Latent Class Analysis identified five reasoning patterns among employees, including Symbolic Support, Advocacy-Oriented Critique, and Meritocratic Rejection, each mapping onto distinct support profiles with a statistically significant association (Cramér's V = .32). This differentiation demonstrates that measuring attitudes alone misrepresents the actual distribution of engagement with inclusion policy across a workforce.
Sources: Bokern et al. (2026)
Inclusion and Group Membership
Perceived minority status shapes how employees reason about and respond to inclusion policy. Employees identifying as minorities were overrepresented among Reluctants and Opponents and more likely to engage in advocacy-oriented critique, whereas majority-group members more often expressed policy unawareness or symbolic support.
Sources: Bokern et al. (2026)
Inclusion and Managerial Role
Managers and non-managerial employees differ meaningfully in their inclusion policy support profiles. Managers were overrepresented among Champions and Reluctants and underrepresented among Ambivalents and Opponents, reflecting the distinct motivational anchors attached to hierarchical position.
Sources: Bokern et al. (2026)
