Inclusive climate and the performance of employees from Muslim diaspora in the Western organisations

Abstract

This exploratory study focuses on the impact of inclusive organisational climate on the members of Muslim diaspora in the Western workforce. There are theories and evidence that view increasing diversity in the workforce as a positive rather than a negative phenomenon. This is one of the few research papers that exclusively focuses on the implications of inclusive management practices for Muslim employees in the Western organisations. Evidence from the Muslim employees working in different industrial sectors in Australia, New Zealand, United States, and Canada have been used to explore the positive outcomes of inclusive organisational climate propositioned by the growing Muslim community in the Western workplace. This exploratory qualitative study presents the findings from 30 interviews with purposively selected Muslim employees working in the Western economies. Recursive abstraction and thematic approach have been used to analyse the data. The findings supported the popular assumption that inclusive organisational environment positively influences the desired employee outcomes among the Muslim employees that may lead to the attainment of various organisational goals. The findings also revealed that Muslim workers in the Western workplace feel more comfortable and included in a work climate where co-workers from different backgrounds or orientation are interested and encouraged to discuss their faith, values, and practices openly instead of carefully avoiding such conversation in the social interaction. Inclusiveness, to the Western workers with Muslim identity, is more about the interaction and behaviour of their co-workers at a personal level and less about the organisational system level mechanisms. Social exchange theory underpins the phenomenon explored in this study. Implications have been drawn for managers and human resource experts in the Western organisations.