Constructions of diversity. Research among staff leaders in the learning and skills sector

This paper explores the rhetoric of engagement with diversity in post-compulsory education and discovers paucity in research-informed practice to develop that engagement among staff and leaders. The paper draws upon new and established concepts to consider how and why leadership development, linked...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of further and higher education 2006-05, Vol.30 (2), p.169-180
Main Author: Morrison, Marlene
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case Studies
Cultural Pluralism
Educational organization
Educational sciences
Equal Opportunities (Jobs)
Focus Groups
Foreign Countries
General points
Higher education
Interviews
Leadership Training
Literature Reviews
Postsecondary Education
Staff Development
Surveys
United Kingdom
Western Europe
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Summary:This paper explores the rhetoric of engagement with diversity in post-compulsory education and discovers paucity in research-informed practice to develop that engagement among staff and leaders. The paper draws upon new and established concepts to consider how and why leadership development, linked to diversity, might be elevated to first-order constructs. The evidence base for constructions of diversity is derived from published literature and from staff respondents in recently completed research for the learning and skills sector (UK) in which the author was team member. Findings suggest that first, issues of diversity and diversity management were not of great interest to participants in the study; second, that definitions of diversity were mixed and, where considered, were viewed predominantly as issues of concern for providers located among 'diverse' rather than homogenous populations; and third, where it existed, organizational action to promote diversity was episodic, and dominated by outdated concerns to monitor representativeness. Parallels are drawn between this research and studies recently completed in higher education. Research findings inform needs for researchers, policy-makers and practitioners to penetrate the performance cultures of post-compulsory education in order to pursue, with emotional intelligence and labour, the strategies required to effect action, revitalize theory, and engage iteratively with diversity.
ISSN:0309-877X
1469-9486
DOI:10.1080/03098770600617661