Search

PurposeThe provision of accommodation devices is said to aid organizational inclusion of employees with a disability. However, devices that are meant to enable might only partially facilitate productivity, independence, and social inclusion if these devices are not accepted by the user's workgroup. The authors outline a conceptual model of accommodation device acceptance through a sociomaterial lens to suggest conditions influencing workgroup device acceptance.Design/methodology/approachTo build the model, the authors draw upon the sociomateriality and disability literature to frame accommodation devices as experienced in ongoing interactions, representing the goals, feelings, and interpretations of specific workgroups. The authors also unpack attributes of devices—instrumentality, aesthetics, and symbolism—and propose how each of these can pattern social conduct to influence device acceptance. The authors then draw upon the disability literature to identify attributes of workgroups that can be expected to amplify or diminish the effect of device attributes on device acceptance in that workgroup.FindingsThe conceptualization, which the authors illustrate with examples particular to visual impairment, presents implications for who and what serves as a gatekeeper to accommodation device acceptance and thereby workgroup inclusion.Originality/valuePrior research has focused on conditions under which devices are requested by users or made available by organizations, undergirded by the assumption that devices are well-specified once provided and that they operate relatively predictably when used in various workgroups. The authors focus instead on what happens after the device is provided and highlight the complex and dynamic interaction between an accommodation device and the workgroup, which influences device and user acceptance.

PurposePersons with disabilities (PWD) are among the largest and most diverse minority groups and among the most disadvantaged in terms of employment. Entrepreneurial pursuit is often advocated as a path toward employment, inclusion, and equality, yet few studies have investigated earning variation among PWD.Design/methodology/approachThe authors draw on social cognitive career theory (SCCT), and the disability employment and entrepreneurship literature to develop hypotheses about who among PWD are likely to earn more (less) from entrepreneurial pursuits. The authors then conduct analyses on the nationally representative sample of the Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) by including all PWD engaged in entrepreneurial pursuit, and matching each to an organizationally employed counterpart of the same gender and race and of similar age and disability severity (n ≈ 810).FindingsEntrepreneurial pursuit has a stronger negative association with the earnings of PWD who experience earlier disability onset ages, those who report more unmet accommodation needs, and those who are female.Originality/valueFirst, this study applies SCCT to help bridge the literature on organizational employment barriers for PWD and entrepreneurs with disabilities. Second, we call into question the logic of neoliberalism about entrepreneurship by showing that barriers to organizational employment impact entrepreneurial pursuit decisions and thereby earnings. Third, we extend the understanding of entrepreneurial earnings among PWD by examining understudied disability attributes and demographic attributes. Lastly, this study is among the first to use a matched sample to empirically test the impact of entrepreneurial pursuit on the earnings of PWD.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe workplace disclosure dilemmas of individuals with hidden mental health conditions who have privately accepted their mental health condition (anxiety and/or depression), but have chosen not to disclose it in their respective workplaces.Design/methodology/approachInterviews were conducted with 15 individuals who experience anxiety and/or depression. These individuals work across diverse organizations and sectors in India (e.g. architecture and health care). Data were analyzed using qualitative methods.FindingsInterviewees grappled with three dilemmas: professionalism versus authenticity (i.e. bringing only a partial professional self or the whole self to work), withdrawal versus participation (i.e. withdrawal from workplace interactions to conceal their condition or participation such that people could know of it) and personal privacy versus general advocacy (i.e. guarding one's privacy or engaging in advocacy for individuals who experience mental health conditions). Overall, findings suggest that the disclosure dilemma can stem from both one's internalized sense of a devalued self and by perceived contextual cues.Research limitations/implicationsFindings imply that perceived contextual conditions that amplify threat of discovery and its anticipated consequences can lead to and reinforce the disclosure dilemma. As individuals internalize others' constructions of themselves, they self-police and do not interrogate assumed normality within their social contexts.Practical implicationsEmployers can create inclusive environments. Present findings suggest some examples of inclusive practices such as the employment of dedicated resident counselors or counselors shared across organizations, training of stakeholders (including human resource personnel), allowing for selective disclosure (e.g. only to medical personnel) and cultivating informal support networks comprising similar others.Originality/valueSuch evidence-based research that can inform practices of inclusion for persons with a disability is especially important, considering that research on mental health conditions is conspicuous by its relative absence in mainstream management journals.

This study explores how heterogeneous actors produce solidarities to address institutionalized infrastructural inequalities. We trace fifteen years over which diverse actors constructed community palliative care infrastructure in Kerala, India. We analyse how actors engaged in solidarity processes of recognizing interdependences, reconfiguring spaces and re-imagining accountability to challenge exclusionary institutions and construct inclusive infrastructure at different scales. We foreground solidarity-making as an indispensable yet under-theorized aspect of institutional research on inequalities. We inform solidarity studies by illustrating how solidarity-making pulsates infrastructures with diverse webs of relations and spatial configurations. Overall, we advance a generative engagement with heterogeneity in institutional analyses and discuss the implications of solidarity-making to address infrastructural inequalities.

Drawing upon the functional account of emotions—the view that emotions can facilitate adaptive responses—I analyze how Javed Abidi harnessed moral anger to promote inclusion of persons with disabilities in India. The data comprise articles obtained from digital archives covering the period from 1993, when Abidi began his work, to 2018, when he passed away. Findings suggest that harnessing moral anger can facilitate social change through two mechanisms: disciplined collectivization wherein aggregated stakeholders can appraise injustice; and enabling collective enactment wherein they can redress injustice by choosing if, when, and how to effect change. Despite ongoing propriety breaches, moral anger can remain functional when stakeholders can balance their immersion across initiatives and can perceive change as a beneficial proxy for or an expansion of existing values. As such, the study contributes by drawing attention to the theoretical significance that a functional account has for expanding the literature on moral anger as it applies within the context of social change.

PurposeOrganizations are increasingly investing in disability-specific sensitization workshops. Yet, there is limited understanding about their hoped outcomes, that is, increased knowledge about disability-related issues and behavioral changes with respect to those with a disability. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness and boundaries of disability-specific sensitization training in organizations.Design/methodology/approachThis is an interview-based study where 33 employees from five industries across India were interviewed over the span of a year.FindingsThe findings suggest that sensitization workshops are successful with regard to awareness generation. Paradoxically, the same awareness also reinforced group boundaries through “othering.” Further, workshops resonated more so with individuals who already had some prior experience with disability, implying that voluntary sensitization is likely attracting those who have the least need of such sensitization. The findings also suggest that non-mandated interventions may not necessarily influence organizational level outcomes, especially if workshops are conducted in isolation from a broader organizational culture of inclusion.Originality/valueThe present study helps outline effects of sensitization training initiatives and enhances our understanding about how negative attitudes toward persons with a disability can be overcome. The study also indicates how such training initiatives may inadvertently lead to “othering.” Finally, this study offers suggestions to human resource managers for designing impactful disability sensitization workshops.

Purpose In outlining the author’s experiences as a researcher and as an individual who engages with persons with a disability, the author wonders what meaningful research means when research subjects are people that society lumps together, largely views as stigmatized, and does not seem to understand. The author also notes how the research journey has impacted the author as an individual in rather unexpected ways. The paper aims to discuss this issues. Design/methodology/approach The author notes her personal experiences which can help all of us surface and think through our attempts at meaning-making through research. Findings When we do not quite understand our research subjects, the syntax of our thoughts can be dictated by our institutional contexts, and it is likely that we capture and feed the period’s dominant assumptions back into the context. Originality/value The author’s journey has been marked with worries, and has taught the author humility and acceptance. It has taught the author how we need to understand the subjects as whole beings, our institutional setting as it predisposes us to organize our research worlds, and our own biases as a researcher. Learning this is especially important for all of us when we study stigmatized subjects because definitions, measurement, and how we showcase a collective have implications for individual human beings.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to integrate research on human resource systems with work on disability management practices to outline how multinationals across India and Germany are engaged in efforts to increase workplace inclusion of persons with a disability. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews with respondents from multinational corporations in India and Germany were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed. Findings Employers followed three guiding principles (i.e. beliefs): importance of harnessing diversity, encouraging multi-stakeholder engagement internally, and engaging with the external ecosystem to build internal human resource capabilities. Respondents further noted two interdependent and mutually constitutive programs that covered the life cycle of the employee: job flexibility provisions and integration programs. Country-specific differences existed in terms of perceived external stakeholder support and availability of talent. Research limitations/implications The results complement prior research with respect to the importance of organizational factors for the inclusion of persons with a disability and also extend prior research by shedding light on the role of the national context in such inclusion endeavors. Practical implications Findings indicate that disability-inclusion principles may be universal, but their operationalization is region specific. Global organizations must be aware of these differences to design effective inclusion programs. Social implications The study helps in designing and evaluating appropriate inclusion initiatives for persons with disabilities, an important yet underutilized group of potential employees in both India and Germany. Originality/value This is the first study to investigate country-specific commonalities and differences in fostering workplace inclusion of persons with disabilities in India and Germany.

Adopting the view that career development can be influenced by the organization, the present study outlines employer initiatives aimed at developing careers of employees with a disability. More specifically, through 17 in-depth interviews – across five states in India – with human resource personnel in companies known for good policies in hiring people with disabilities, the study outlines how employers have helped and continually aim to help those with a disability attain career success through certain human resource philosophies and practices. The present study complements prior research which has noted barriers to career success and outlines how employers and human resource practitioners can help develop careers of employees with a disability.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how employers define overqualification and mismatched qualification and whether they are willing to hire applicants whose educational and work experience credentials do not match job requirements. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws from qualitative interview data from 24 hiring managers across a wide range of US public sector and private industries. Data were analyzed and coded to identify themes related to managers’ perceptions of overqualification, matched, and mismatched qualification, and how these were related to selection decisions. A typology is proposed for categorizing applicant qualification levels and their potential human resource outcomes such as hiring decisions. Findings – Hiring managers report that they are willing to interview and hire individuals whose education or experience exceed a job’s requirements as well as applicants with less than required education, but only if they possess sufficient compensatory experience. Research limitations/implications – Findings may not apply to industries where minimum educational levels are essential or to small organizations with few opportunities for career advancement. Social implications – Given current unemployment and underemployment levels, the findings can inform the job search strategies of job seekers. Overqualified applicants should not refrain from applying to job openings, particularly in organizations with opportunities for advancement and where education is considered an asset. Additionally, applicants should reveal their motivations for pursing positions that are intentional mismatches. Originality/value – In contrast to previous studies conducted during periods of lower unemployment and underemployment, these data include managers’ perceptions of overqualification in a recession and post-recession job market context and thus are especially relevant to today’s employment context. The proposed typology distinguishes between categorizations of qualified, overqualified, and underqualified, and helps refine studies aimed at selection decisions.

Organizations can be seen as amalgams of languages that can serve as a source of divisive tensions among employees. In our conceptual model, we draw upon social identity and social exclusion research to propose that linguistic diversity increases the potential for language-based exclusion in multilingual work settings. Language may cue listeners to ethnic or cultural stereotypes as well as negatively affect perceptions of speakers’ competence, leading listeners to exclude speakers of certain languages. We contend that when excluded, perception of oneself can be cast in an antagonistic relation to perceptions of others, with detrimental effects on prosocial behaviors. Perceptions of procedural unfairness, a weakened identity, and impaired mood serve to amplify the association between language-based exclusion and prosocial behaviors. However, organizational factors such as positive diversity climate may mitigate experiences with language-based exclusion. We outline an agenda for future research and discuss implications for human resource practice

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual model for conducting research on how human resource and hiring managers form impressions of overqualified individuals and how these impressions affect their treatment of overqualified individuals during selection decisions. Design/methodology/approach – Given the central role of psychological processes within the proposed model, this conceptual paper builds on a social cognition approach. Findings – The proposed model consists of seven primary factors that can help propel research that is dynamic and contextually driven: attributes of the overqualified individual; job attributes; observers’ cognitive overqualification schemas; observers’ attitudes; observers’ categorization processes; the organizational context; and individual factors, all of which influence the observers’ treatment of overqualified individuals. Originality/value – Most research has focussed on individual-level outcomes of overqualification such as job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and physical and psychological health, while overlooking how organizational decision makers perceive overqualification and how this subsequently affects the likelihood of individuals being selected for an interview. Given the global growth in the number of overqualified workers, understanding antecedents and correlates of overqualification and how these affect organizational selection decisions is a pressing need. The proposed model outlines several factors that can help us better understand the phenomenon of overqualification.

This study seeks to outline activities of training and placement agencies in India aimed at employment of persons with a disability. We contend that persons with a disability are an underutilized human resource and that utilizing their abilities should be a key part of an inclusive approach to talent management. As there is little empirical research on this subject, our approach is exploratory and we seek to create a platform for further studies. A key finding of the study is the preference of agencies to engage in non-traditional and ad hoc approaches to build and showcase underutilized talent of those with a disability. Based on present findings and the contextual approach to talent management, a more comprehensive agenda for future research areas in inclusive talent management is outlined.

People with disabilities (PWD) tend to experience less career success than their counterparts without a disability, and their talent and skill remain underutilized. Disability literature also outlines various barriers to careers of PWD. Yet there are those who successfully manage their careers. Our aim in the present interview-based study was to understand which strategies PWD engage in to manage their careers proactively. Findings indicate that strategies include maintaining a positive mind-set; trouncing competence stereotypes by sensitizing people to their ability through learning and applying new skills, and by seeking feedback; engaging in disability advocacy to remove performance myths; and building, leveraging, and contributing to disability networks. We noted gender and tenure differences with regard to strategies employed. Findings imply that career objectives of PWD are not those traditionally expected or lauded by organizations, and motivations for career self-management are unique to PWD as compared to those without a disability

Anchored in institutional theory, our aim in the present study was to understand how large and economically successful organizations in India engage with the issue of disability within and outside of their organizational boundaries, and communicate such engagements through their annual reports. Based on a qualitative content analysis of the organizations' annual reports for the year 2009–2010, we examined if these organizations spoke about recruitment and other organizational treatment of people with disabilities (internal focus), and if they engaged with issues related to disability in the realm of corporate social responsibility (external focus). We found that, despite no institutional pressures, organizations engaged with disability-specific issues both internally and externally. While we found differences with respect to organizational age and sector (public and private sector), we did not find any differences in the engagement and communication of activities based on organizational industry type and ...

Many people with disabilities continue being unemployed or underemployed. One way to rectify this situation is through leveraging the services of disability training and placement agencies which can appropriately train candidates with a disability and then connect them with potential employers. Unfortunately, employers profess ignorance about the availability of such services, such service agencies, and continue being wary of employing people with disabilities. In the present article, based on interviews with twelve policy makers in five agencies, we examine services offered by such agencies. Results showed that agencies engage in the following four roles when trying to secure employment for candidates with a disability- the Facilitator, the Trainer, the Marketer, and the Partner. Based on present findings, we note a few broad recommendations for employers with regards formulating their disability policies.

PurposePast research has largely portrayed job choice as a relatively rational and goal‐directed behavior where applicants make decisions contingent on organizational recruitment activities, or evaluations of job and organizational attributes. Research now informs us that job choice decisions may also be based on social comparisons and social influence. The purpose of this paper is to add to this body of knowledge by examining reasons why social influence is a key factor in job choice decisions of relatively young job seekers.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on in‐depth interview data from graduating seniors at an elite business school in India.FindingsRespondents did not see themselves as acting based on social influence as much as they perceived others around them to be. Reasons they noted for others’ socially influenced job choice decisions were: peers and seniors are seen as more accessible and trustworthy than organizations; organizations do not share all and/or objective data, driving job seekers to other sources; job seekers are clueless and hence follow a “smart” herd; and job seekers make decisions for social status signaling. Respondents pointed to socially influenced job choices as being rational behaviors under certain conditions.Research limitations/implicationsGeneralizability of findings may be limited to young job seekers or to the Indian context, and the authors encourage replication. The authors also acknowledge the importance of individual difference variables in job choice decisions, a factor not considered in the present research.Practical implicationsGiven that job seekers rally around others’ notion of an attractive job or an organization, the paper outlines several implications for managerial practice.Originality/valueThis study, in a yet unexamined cultural context, points to the simultaneous and combined importance of normative and informational social determinants of job choice, bias blind spots in one's own job choice perceptions and decisions, gender specific socialization influences on job choices, and the notion of job fit in terms of fitment with expectations of important reference groups.

Drawing upon in-depth interviews with forty-one respondents, the present study explores how different types of pre-entry relationships influence post-entry help-seeking of people with disabilities during the socialization period. Findings indicate that help-seeking is influenced by pre-entry relationships that persist post organizational entry and by coworkers who can trigger a self-perpetuating cycle of relational acceptance by the broader group of colleagues. Findings imply that pre-entry relationships with coworkers can offer newcomers relational benefits that are similar to those afforded to longer tenured employees. The study raises questions about optimal balance in workplace relationships and about social boundaries created by fairness considerations.

Organizational experts have long touted the importance of delivering negative performance feedback in a manner that enhances employee receptivity to feedback, yet the broader impacts of constructive feedback have received relatively little attention. The present investigation explored the impact of constructive, critical feedback on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) intentions and job satisfaction. A demographically diverse sample of 128 employees drawn from a variety of organizations completed a survey online. Employees whose supervisors used constructive feedback felt more respected by their supervisors and perceived greater opportunities for advancement within the organization. These variables, in turn, predicted better mood at work, greater job satisfaction, and stronger OCB intentions. The present findings highlight the importance of delivering performance feedback in a manner that emphasizes problematic behaviors over personal weaknesses and makes clear reference to standards and strategies for improvement. Implications for managerial training and human resource development are discussed.

We explore the role of social networks used by people with disabilities for finding employment. In addition, we outline obstacles to network building for those with a disability. We contend that this group is often constrained and they underutilize their networks during job searches. Both factors are likely to result in negative employment outcomes and contribute to the employment gap between those with and without a disability. We outline how key network characteristics such as homophily, tie strength, and centrality influence job search outcomes for those with a disability differently than for those without a disability. Furthermore, we propose that although individuals with disabilities develop and rely upon networks that are comprised of close bonds with similar individuals that are either unemployed or underemployed in lower status positions, optimal networks for employment purposes should consist of diverse acquaintances that occupy central positions and higher status jobs within organizations. Finally, we outline propositions to guide future research on this neglected topic and also suggest practical implications.

Socialization has crucial outcomes for both the employee and the employer. Through an exploratory qualitative study conducted in India, we examined how people with disabilities (PWD) viewed various aspects of their socialization process. Specifically, we looked at the role of coworkers, supervisors, organizational practices, and employee proactive behaviors in influencing organizational integration. We found that integration was most influenced by coworkers and supervisors. Organizational practices and employee proactive behaviors were less important. Respondent gender and tenure also influenced certain findings. Specifically, PWD with less tenure sought and accepted more help from coworkers and supervisors. Further, more men with disabilities than women with disabilities indicated that they were proactive in terms of obtaining training to make themselves employable, and more men with disabilities indicated that having coworkers with a disability helped them during socialization. We discuss both theoretical and practical implications as well as future research directions based on our findings. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

As employees' international mobility has increased, implementing repatriation processes has become a significant human resource (HR) issue. Through an exploratory study using a semi-structured interview method, we examine repatriated employees' views about HR activities that facilitate and hinder the repatriation process in the emerging economy of India. Respondents described lack of formal repatriation assistance, no contact person in HR to help with repatriation, and lack of re-entry culture-related training as characteristic of the repatriation process. Managing employees' expectations, along with creating a more sensitive, structured, and strategic HR function, are recommended to improve the repatriation process. From a theoretical perspective, results point to the multi-dimensionality of the repatriation construct and provide evidence of the context-specificity of HR practices. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The retirement of baby boomers along with a smaller cohort group of young people replacing them poses a challenge for employers in the future—where will they find the workers they need? One largely untapped source of human resources is people with disabilities (PWDs). Why have employers mostly ignored this large labor pool? This research used a semistructured interview approach with 38 executives across a broad array of industries and geographic regions to examine why employers don't hire PWDs and what they believe can be done to change this situation. Results show that most employers are not very proactive in hiring PWDs and that most employers hold stereotypical beliefs not supported by research evidence. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

As complex systems, organizations exist far from equilibrium where the ongoing interaction of system components leads to emergent and self-organizing behavior. What, then, is the role of leadership in systems where change often emerges in unexpected ways? In this paper, we build on the work of Marion and Uhl-Bien who suggest that in complex systems leaders enable rather than control the future. While traditional views of leadership focus on the leader's responsibility for determining and directing the future through heavy reliance on control mechanisms, we offer empirical support for a different view of leadership based on a complexity perspective of organizations. Our findings show that as enablers, leaders disrupt existing patterns of behavior, encourage novelty, and make sense of emerging events for others. The results of our qualitative study include a set of research propositions as well as a discussion of the implications for managers and researchers.