Multicultural Management Taxonomy: Theories and Components

This assignment presents a taxonomy of three foundational theories in multicultural management: Institutional Theory of Diversity Management, Resource Based Theory of Diversity Management, and Cognitive Diversity. For each theory, the document includes the name, publication year, the theorist(s), and the key components. Institutional Theory, by Meyer and Rowan, emphasizes understanding the social environment within an organization to assess its structure. Resource Based Theory, by Birger Wernerfelt, focuses on the impact of diversity on organizational resources, advocating for equal distribution. Cognitive diversity, by Barrick et al., argues that varied cultural backgrounds can benefit organizational growth. The assignment provides concise summaries of each theory's core arguments and implications for managing multiculturalism within organizations, supported by cited references.

Running head: MULTICULTURAL MANAGEMENT TAXONOMY
MULTICULTURAL MANAGEMENT TAXONOMY
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1MULTICULTURAL MANAGEMENT TAXONOMY
Name of the Theory:
Institutional Theory of Diversity Management.
Publication Year:
Around 1990s.
The Theorists:
Meyer and Rowan.
Key Components:
The main argument of the theory is that in order to assess upon the organizational structure it is
important to gain an understanding of the social environment practiced within the organization.
The organizational behavior and the rules and norms practiced within the organization all
determine the structure of the organizations. According to the theorists, the organizational norms
are to be practiced similarly towards each and every members of the organization, however, in a
number of situations, it is found that there is a disparity existing and practiced within the social
environment of the organizations (Thornton, Ocasio, & Lounsbury, 2015). The diverse culture
and the differences among the employees, including a number of factors like the language the
culture, the status, and the like, lead towards a disparity in the practice of the organizational
norms and rules, and thus, it determines the structural aspects of the organizations.
Name of the Theory:
Resource Based Theory of Diversity Management.

2MULTICULTURAL MANAGEMENT TAXONOMY
Publication Year:
Between 1980 and 1990.
The Theorist:
Birger Wernerfelt.
Key Components:
The main argument or the prime focus of the theory is to understand the implications and the
impact, made upon the organizational resources because of the aspects and the practices of
diversity. The theorist had opined that there are four resources in an organization the physical
capital, the financial capital, the corporate capital and the human capital. The organization make
use of these resources with a convenience, and according to the needs of the organization. Now
according to the theorist, there are often disparity within the organizations in the equal
distribution of the resources (Wernerfelt, 1984). The theorist have propounded that in order to
manage diversity and multiculturalism within the organization, the grounds of disparity must be
identified and eliminated, and the access to the organizational resources must be equally
distributed by all of the members of the organization.
Name of the Theory:
Cognitive diversity
Publication Year:
1998

3MULTICULTURAL MANAGEMENT TAXONOMY
The Theorists:
Barrick, Murray R., Greg L. Stewart, Mitchell J. Neubert, and Michael K. Mount.
Key Components:
This particular theoretical perspective argues that people belonging to different and varied
cultures can prove to be helpful and effective for the organizational growth and management.
According to the theorists, people belonging from varied cultural and social backgrounds possess
varied perspectives, and these varied perspectives can prove to be helpful and effective for the
organizational growth. The theorists have argued that incorporating varied perspectives can
suggest incorporation of innovation within the organizational conducts and management. More
importantly a right way of channeling and managing the multicultural perspectives can help the
organization in reducing conflicts and can manage the problem solving situation (Barrick et al.,
1998). Thus, the theorists have suggested that the existing differences among the employees of
the organization, must not be used in order to create disparity and difference within the
organization, rather it must be channelized towards the growth of the organization.

4MULTICULTURAL MANAGEMENT TAXONOMY
References:
Barrick, M. R., Stewart, G. L., Neubert, M. J., & Mount, M. K. (1998). Relating member ability
and personality to work-team processes and team effectiveness. Journal of applied
psychology, 83(3), 377.
Thornton, P. H., Ocasio, W., & Lounsbury, M. (2015). The institutional logics
perspective. Emerging trends in the social and behavioral sciences: an
interdisciplinary, searchable, and linkable resource, 1-22.
Wernerfelt, B. (1984). A resource‐based view of the firm. Strategic management journal, 5(2),
171-180.