[U-02] Advancing workplace: progress, challenges and strategies for improvement

[U02-01] Managing Diversity and Inclusiveness

*Jessica Federman¹ (1.California State University, Dominguez Hills)

Keywords:Mentoring , Diversity, Inclusiveness

There is considerable interest in understanding the ways in which diversity can improve work processes and organizational outcomes (Gonzalez & DeNisi, 2009; Homan, Hollenbeck, Humphrey, van Knippenberg, Ilgen, & Van Kleef, 2008) as well as identifying how to attract, retain, and integrate diverse populations in various fields of science (Thomas & Ely, 1996). A promising area of research that's resolved to meet this objective is focused on creating work environments where diverse individuals feel included (Bilimoria, Joy, & Liang, 2008; Roberson, 2006), otherwise known as inclusiveness. The current paper discusses several studies and bodies of work that provide a collection of tools to retain and promote the notion of inclusiveness for underrepresented minorities in geoscience fields and in general, promote diversity in the workplace. The paper focuses on theory and empirical work on inclusiveness, diversity and discrimination in employment and highlights contextual and conceptual tools that address the needs of various fields (including cultural and geographically different environments) and the evolvement and progress of this literature moving forward.