Leveraging Variety for Creativity, Dialogue and Competition

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a suitable framework for managing diversity in organizations coping with social, communication, marketing, and organizational challenges. Design/methodology/approach – The issue of diversity is explored from the organizational, marketing, and corporate communication viewpoints. This multidisciplinary approach leads to the design of qualitative exploratory research based on three case studies of multinational companies. Findings – The companies cover a wide range of diversity, including all visible and non-visible features, especially in relation to competencies and expertise. They pursue social, competitive and communication aims and strive to reflect internal and external stakeholders' expectations. They all implement integrative managerial practices and show an increasing orientation to the leveraging of people's uniqueness in their daily activity. Practical implications – Managing the diversity issue means that companies must develop a concept of variety, which involves more than mere diversity. They must balance social, communication, marketing and organizational aims and enhance the development of individual talent. All organizational functions must be included in the definition of a contextual approach to the implementation of diversity policies. Originality/value – The paper suggests a model centred on the leveraging of variety that goes beyond assimilating minorities and integrating diversity. The “Leveraging Variety Model” takes into account both economic and social pressures in order to maximize the ability to satisfy stakeholders' expectations, reflect the external environment, enhance the knowledge creation potential and communicate effectively from an intercultural perspective.