On sustainable operations and supply chain management: has the debate on diversity, equity and inclusion been settled

Purpose
This article investigates the business case for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within the context of Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM), a topic that has been the focus of intense debate in academic and practitioner circles, and has become strongly associated with conflicting ideological perspectives. It combines an extensive literature review on DEI and potential outcomes, including the other contributions in the special issue “On Sustainable Operations and Supply Chain Management: What about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion?”, with empirical analyses, both quantitative and qualitative, to examine the potential outcomes of DEI initiatives.
Design/methodology/approach
In the empirical analysis, a mixed-methods of explanatory sequential design is used. First, the association between OSCM employees' perceptions of workplace DEI and firm-level performance is examined using matched data from Glassdoor employee-reviews of DEI in Fortune 500 companies and Refinitiv Workspace. Then, a qualitative follow-up analysis is undertaken based on 10 interviews with experienced DEI-leaders and OSCM practitioners.
Findings
DEI research in OSCM is still in its early stages and extant knowledge is predominantly based on case studies. Evidence on the relationship between firm-level DEI and performance is mixed and may reflect the context as well as the available information. While there are arguments for a positive association, our quantitative analysis challenges this expectation. Our interviews highlight potential positive outcomes such as enhanced employee engagement and job satisfaction that could translate into performance, but also suggest negative effects when DEI initiatives alienate core groups, are performative rather than substantive, or incur significant short-term costs. Overall, further academic research is needed to address the rhetorics and realities of DEI, understand unfulfilled expectations, identify moderating and mediating factors, and thus potentially resolve inconsistencies in findings.
Originality/value
This introductory article underscores that the DEI debate is far from settled and offers a future research agenda based on an assessment of the current state of DEI scholarship within OSCM, empirical analyses and a review of the seven papers selected for this special issue.