The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication: A Guide to Internal Communication, Public Relations, Marketing, and Leadership

Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion represent two related organizational approaches to diversity in the workplace. According to Roberson (2006), “Diversity focuses on organizational demography, whereas inclusion focuses on the removal of obstacles to the full participation and contribution of employees in organizations” (p. 217). Woods (2002) provides a similar dichotomy: “Diversity is about people. Inclusion, on the other hand, is about organization” (p. 38). Often used interchangeably, these initiatives challenge communicators to respect diverse populations by managing multiple organizational strategies that employ multilingual approaches and multiple media. These two initiatives may result in different approaches to diversity in ...