Applied Anthropology and Business Diversity Management

Abstract

In the early 1990s, the concept of workforce diversity assumed prominence in business, particularly in the United States, and a large number of organizations instituted diversity management programs. Anthropological method and theory are consistent with the goals of diversity management, and the opportunity for applied anthropologists to contribute in this area seemed ideal. However, twenty years later, although diversity remains an important social issue and a relevant concern to businesses and their workforces, consumers, and communities, the applied anthropology presence in organizational diversity management appears to be minimal. This paper provides support for this claim and explores reasons, from both anthropological and business points of view, why this may be the case. It concludes by suggesting that applied anthropology can and should make more significant contributions to this field.