Despite decades of discussions and the implementation of numerous diversity management programs in the business world, achieving a truly inclusive environment remains a challenge. Previous research as well as the rhetoric and practices of managers, often separates diversity management programs into business case discourse and social justice arguments. This study moves beyond this dichotomy to better understand how managers’ perceived values of diversity influence the implementation of diversity management programs. It reexamines the origin of these programs under the lens of Rokeach’s (1973) values theory and highlights how legal obligations and social pressures shape organizational responses.
About 34 in-depth interviews with human resources professionals (31 HR managers and three subject matter experts) were conducted in France. Data were analyzed using NVivo software to uncover managers’ values and motivations for implementing diversity management programs.
The findings reveal that while managers prioritize the business case for diversity, subject matter experts emphasize legal obligations and social responsibility. Building on these insights, the study proposes a typology of four non-mutually exclusive implementation strategies shaped by legal and social pressures. This typology bridges the business-ethical divide by showing how instrumental, terminal and hybrid values coexist in practice.
The paper makes a theoretical contribution by operationalizing Rokeach’s instrumental and terminal values in the context of diversity management and linking them to concrete organizational strategies. The typology further provides conceptual and societal insights: it helps managers balance business goals with ethical and legal imperatives, while guiding policymakers on how regulatory and social levers can support authentic inclusion.
