A Latin American Perspective on Diversity Management: What Does “Inclusion” Mean in a Peruvian Context?

Although interest in inclusion is becoming widespread, there remains limited understanding of how organizations can create environments that promote inclusiveness and unlock the benefits of workforce diversity. Additional research is needed to better understand how inclusion is conceptualized and experienced in contexts other than North America and Europe. Taking an exploratory approach, the present research seeks to answer the question of how employees in Peru – one of the most socially and economically unequal nations in Latin America – understand the concept of inclusion in the workplace. Semi-structured interviews with 30 employed individuals found that inclusion was generally described as comprising belongingness, uniqueness, and equal treatment. Six elements emerged as key to the creation of workplace inclusion: participation, positive relationships, equality, feeling valued, climate and culture, and positive work conditions. As inhabitants of a developing country with high levels of inequality and discrimination, Peruvian employees’ views provide valuable insight into how inclusion is lived and understood in such a context, and how it may be augmented.