Strategic Diversity Leadership: The Role of Senior Leaders in Delivering the Diversity Dividend

In “Strategic Diversity Leadership: The Role of Senior Leaders in Delivering the Diversity Dividend,” Luis Martins proposes a new way of linking diversity and inclusion efforts to an organization’s performance through a framework he calls “strategic diversity leadership.” As a professor and chair of the management department at The University of Texas at Austin, Martins is an expert on innovation, change, and performance. He defines strategic diversity leadership as “the shaping of the meaning of diversity within an organization by the organization’s senior leaders” (Martins 1194). What sets his framework apart from prior studies in this area is the idea that supervisory managers can only do so much if the organization’s top executives do not lead the way. Because of they hold positions of authority, top executives have both the platform and the responsibility for unleashing the benefits of a diverse workforce. He argues that these senior leaders must use the power of communication to establish a vision for diversity and inclusion and articulate that the “current state is unacceptable” (Martins 1198). They must also participate in public activities that promote diversity and inclusion, including rituals and ceremonies. In other words, top executives must symbolize the value of diversity and inclusion through their words and actions. By doing so, their internal and external stakeholders will follow their lead and the organization will realize the diversity dividend.

Martins, Luis L. “Strategic Diversity Leadership: The Role of Senior Leaders in Delivering the Diversity Dividend.” Journal of Management, 1 September 2020, pp. 1191-1204, https://doi-org.libezproxy2.syr.edu/10.1177/0149206320939641.