Diversity as a Vehicle to Improve the Innovative Capacity of Organizations: A Case Study within the Framework of the European Program on Regional Development

The research is framed within a European Program for Regional Development geared at improving the innovative capacity of SMEs in several regions in The Netherlands. The purpose of the research is to establish whether diversity can be implemented within organizations in order to improve the innovativ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The international journal of organizational diversity 2014, Vol.13 (1), p.11-23
Main Authors: Harkema, Saskia, Otaredian, Navid
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Innovations
Owners
Regional development
Small & medium sized enterprises-SME
Workplace diversity
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Summary:The research is framed within a European Program for Regional Development geared at improving the innovative capacity of SMEs in several regions in The Netherlands. The purpose of the research is to establish whether diversity can be implemented within organizations in order to improve the innovative capacity of firms. According to Thomas (2003), "When we talk about managing diversity, we're referring to creating an environment where people's differences in perspective can be valued and allowed to influence positively their experience in and contribution to the work of the organization." Research findings so far are not conclusive. Our research builds forth on those findings. We interviewed a large number of owners of SMEs and representatives of organizations and they confirmed that there is a relation between diversity and innovation. The paper illustrates this relation and opens up new areas for research.
ISSN:2328-6261
2328-6229
DOI:10.18848/2328-6261/CGP/v13i01/58055