Beyond Compliance: Increasing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Improved Organisational Outcomes in South Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51137/wrp.ijarbm.697Keywords:
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Organisational Performance, Inclusive Leadership, Organisational Culture, South AfricaAbstract
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) remain unevenly realised in South African organisations despite extensive legislative efforts to address historical inequalities. While workforce diversity has improved, gaps in inclusion, representation and employee outcomes persist. This highlights a disconnect between policy intent and organisational reality. This study aims to synthesise existing scholarly evidence on the role of DEI in shaping organisational outcomes in South Africa and to identify barriers to effective implementation. A qualitative systematic literature review was conducted using 20 peer-reviewed and accredited academic sources. The study employed thematic synthesis to analyse literature across multiple sectors, including public administration, higher education and corporate organisations. The findings reveal six dominant themes. These include a shift from compliance-driven diversity to inclusion-oriented DEI, the critical role of leadership and organisational culture, and persistent gaps between policy and practice. The results show that diversity alone is insufficient to improve organisational performance without inclusive environments and equitable systems. The study highlights the need for organisations to move beyond compliance towards integrated DEI strategies. It recommends embedding inclusion within leadership practices, organisational culture and governance systems to achieve sustainable transformation and improved organisational outcomes.
References
Abrahams, D. (2025). Understanding diversity and inclusion: A way to improve graduate employability and transform the tourism sector in South Africa? Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313220.2025.2594549
Abrahams, M. (2025). Diversity, inclusion and professional hierarchies in South African healthcare institutions. African Journal of Health Management, 17(1), 45–61.
April, K., & Blass, E. (2021). Diversity, inclusion and leadership in South Africa. Routledge.
Booysen, L. (2007a). Barriers to employment equity implementation and retention of Blacks in management in South Africa. South African Journal of Labour Relations, 31(1), 47–71.
Booysen, L. (2007b). Managing cultural diversity: A South African perspective. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 5(2), 1–9.
Booysen, L., & Nkomo, S. M. (2023). Organisational culture, transformation and leadership in South Africa (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Daya, P. (2020). Diversity and inclusion in an emerging market context: A South African perspective. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 39(3), 249–263. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-01-2019-0034
de Souza Santos, B., Meneses, M. P., & Nunes, J. A. (2025). Diversity, equity and inclusion backlash: Organisational retreat and symbolic compliance. Organization Studies, 46(2), 215–234.
Deloitte. (2024). Global Gen Z and Millennial survey 2024. Deloitte Insights.
Dobbin, F., & Kalev, A. (2016). Why diversity programs fail. Harvard Business Review, 94(7–8), 52–60.
Ferdman, B. M., & Deane, B. R. (2023). Diversity at work: The practice of inclusion (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Guest, G., MacQueen, K. M., & Namey, E. E. (2014). Applied thematic analysis. Sage.
Gündemir, S., Dovidio, J. F., Homan, A. C., & De Dreu, C. K. W. (2022). The impact of diversity ideologies on the inclusion of minority group members. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 123(2), 342–364.
Gündemir, S., Homan, A. C., & Van Kleef, G. A. (2024). Resistance to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in organisations. Team Performance Management, 30(1–2), 1–18.
Hlobo, M. (2015). Employment equity and organisational transformation in South Africa. University of South Africa Press.
Horwitz, F. M., & Jain, H. (2011). An assessment of employment equity and broad-based black economic empowerment developments in South Africa. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 30(4), 297–317. https://doi.org/10.1108/02610151111135750
Irini, R. D. (2021). Main challenges in the path of efficiently managing workforce diversity. In Proceedings of the 38th IBIMA Conference (pp. 1181–1187).
Jolly, P. M., & Lee, L. (2023). Inclusion, fairness perceptions and turnover intentions among early-career employees. Human Resource Management Journal, 33(2), 389–405. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12425
Job Crystal. (2024a). Diversity, equality and inclusion: Unlocking business growth with an unbiased approach. Job Crystal.
Job Crystal. (2024b). Inclusive leadership and organisational trust in South African workplaces. Job Crystal Research Unit.
Kulik, C. T. (2024). From numbers to norms: Why representation alone does not transform organisations. Academy of Management Perspectives, 38(1), 65–82. https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2021.0095
Maepe, M. S., & Malaza, S. (2025a). Leading in a world of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Occupational Health Southern Africa, 31(1), 18–24.
Maepe, M., & Malaza, N. (2025b). Inclusive leadership and employee engagement in post-apartheid organisations. South African Journal of Industrial Psychology, 51(1), 1–12.
Mafongosi, Z. (2019). Employment equity implementation and lived experiences of African professionals. African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, 10(4), 468–482. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJEMS-12-2018-0410
Majova, E. (2022). Employee voice and inclusion in South African organisations. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 20, a1894. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v20i0.1894
Mor Barak, M. E. (2015). Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace (3rd ed.). Sage.
Mor Barak, M. E., Findler, L., & Wind, L. H. (2022). Cross-cultural perspectives on workplace inclusion and turnover intentions. Human Service Organizations, 46(3), 221–238.
Mulyanti, R., Rony, Z. T., & Ali, H. (2024a). The impact of diversity, equity and inclusion on employee performance: A systematic literature review. Dinasti International Journal of Digital Business Management, 5(4), 635–649.
Mulyanti, R., Setiawan, R., & Prabowo, H. (2024b). Diversity, inclusion and organisational performance: Evidence from emerging economies. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 32(2), 210–229.
Nishii, L. H. (2023). The benefits of climate for inclusion for diverse groups. Academy of Management Journal, 66(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2020.0083
Nkomo, S. M. (2021). Race, gender and leadership in post-apartheid South Africa. Gender, Work & Organization, 28(1), 1–15.
Parliamentary Research Unit. (2025). Inclusive social development: Promoting social inclusion and reducing inequality in South Africa. Parliament of South Africa.
Perumal, J., & Perumal, S. (2018a). Managing and valuing diversity in the South African public healthcare system. Journal of Public Administration, 53(2), 321–336.
Perumal, J., & Perumal, S. (2018b). Transformation and inclusion in the South African tourism sector. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 7(4), 1–15.
Phiri, M. A. (2019). Workplace diversity and employee well-being in South Africa. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 29(3), 243–250. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2019.1616811
Randel, A. E., Galvin, B. M., Shore, L. M., Ehrhart, K. H., & Chung, B. G. (2024). Inclusive leadership and employee engagement: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 45(1), 3–25.
Republic of South Africa. (1996). The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996). Government Printer.
Republic of South Africa. (1998). Employment Equity Act (Act 55 of 1998). Government Printer.
Roberson, Q. M. (2022). Diversity, equity and inclusion at work: A review and synthesis. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 9, 239–267.
Roberson, Q. M. (2023). The evolution and future of diversity, equity and inclusion research. Academy of Management Annals, 17(1), 1–38. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2021.0080
Seekings, J., & Nattrass, N. (2005). Class, race, and inequality in South Africa. Yale University Press.
Seopetsa, M. P. (2020a). Challenges facing policy implementation in South Africa. Africa Institute of South Africa.
Seopetsa, M. (2020b). Policy implementation challenges in employment equity. Journal of Public Administration, 55(2), 312–329.
Shore, L. M., Cleveland, J. N., & Sanchez, D. (2018). Inclusive workplaces: A review and model. Human Resource Management Review, 28(2), 176–189.
Shore, L. M., Cleveland, J. N., & Sanchez, D. (2020). Inclusive workplaces: A review and model. Human Resource Management Review, 30(2), 100689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2017.07.003
Shore, L. M., Randel, A. E., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., Ehrhart, K. H., & Singh, G. (2011). Inclusion and diversity in work groups. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1262–1289.
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
Strydom, J., & Erwee, R. (1998). Diversity management in South African companies. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 1(2), 1–16.
Tessema, M. T., Ready, K. J., & Embaye, A. B. (2023a). DEI: History, climate, benefits and challenges. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 42(4), 613–632. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-06-2021-0177
Tessema, M. T., Ready, K., & Embaye, A. (2023b). Diversity and organisational performance. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 34(9), 1765–1788.
Webber, M., Werner, A., & Doubell, M. (2018). Compliance-based and voluntary diversity management. Journal of Contemporary Management, 15, 290–311.
Webber, G., Nienaber, H., & Joubert, Y. (2018). Employment equity and organisational transformation. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 16, 1–10.
Zhuwao, S., Ngirande, H., Ndlovu, W., & Setati, S. T. (2019). Gender and ethnic diversity on employee performance. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 17, a1061. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v17i0.1061
Zhuwao, S., Setati, S. T., & Chinyamurindi, W. T. (2019). Transformation and inclusion in higher education. South African Journal of Higher Education, 33(6), 200–217
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Luvuko Nkwenkwe, Msizi Vitalis Mkhize, sachin Suhnunan (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
