Diversity A Strategic Imperative Or A Basic Business Requirement? A Proposed Taxonomy

Abstract

A Taxonomy of Diversity is developed to examine the connection between diversity and strategy. Academic and popular management literatures, as well as the popular press, promulgate the idea that social diversity is a strategic imperative for success in business. This paper presents a taxonomy of social diversity, defines its variables and examines their potential use as a source of a competitive advantage in the formulation of business strategy. Six types of diversity are defined De jure Diversity, De facto Diversity, Market Driven Diversity, Skill Driven Diversity, Cost Driven Diversity, and Ethics Driven Diversity.