Originally found at Phys.org

There has been significant growth in the implementation of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives in the workplace—but that doesn't mean businesses are getting it right. In their efforts to break down barriers, firms often end up marginalizing disadvantaged groups, resulting in more harm than good.

Patricia Hein, professor of sustainability at the Ivey Business School at Western University, and Shaz Ansari, professor of strategy and innovation at Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, U.K., gained insights from a decade of research on benevolent marginalization experienced by women and individuals with disabilities in the workplace. This phenomenon manifests as subtle discrimination that impacts various groups and makes them unlikely to intervene or dissent, thereby hindering their advancement and perpetuating organizational inequality.

The work is published in the Academy of Management Journal.

Continue reading the original article at Phys.org.

Read the original research in Academy of Management Journal.

Learn more about the AOM Scholars and explore their work:

• Patricia Hein, Western University
• Shaz Ansari, Cambridge University