Agency of Diversity Managers in Organizational Change
This paper summarizes and analyzes the conceptual framework developed by Tatli and Ozbilgin (2009) for understanding the agency of diversity managers in organizational change. The framework centers on three core concepts: situatedness, relationality, and praxis. It embeds the diversity manager's agency in three historically formed social structures—cultural and demographic labor market dynamics, institutional structures governing diversity and equality, and the broader business environment. The paper also examines how organizational policy shapes managerial effectiveness, and how micro-, meso-, and macro-level relationality alongside reflexive praxis inform the diversity manager's capacity to exert influence in an increasingly globalized workplace.
- Introduction: Overview of Tatli and Ozbilgin's three-concept framework
- Social Field: Cultural, Demographic, and Institutional Structures: Labor market dynamics and institutional equality structures
- The Business Environment and Globalization: Globalization's role in driving diversity management needs
- Situatedness in the Organizational Field: Organizational policy constraints on diversity manager effectiveness
- Relationality and Praxis in the Conceptual Framework: Micro, meso, macro relationality and reflexive praxis explained
- Conclusion: Synthesis of all three concepts in globalized workplaces
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The paper stays closely tethered to its primary source, using direct quotations strategically to demonstrate engagement with the original theoretical framework rather than simply paraphrasing.
- It progresses logically through each concept—situatedness, relationality, and praxis—building a cumulative understanding of the framework before synthesizing all three in the conclusion.
- The author connects abstract theoretical constructs (e.g., doxa, capitals) to concrete organizational realities, making the framework accessible without oversimplifying it.
Key academic technique demonstrated
This paper demonstrates effective source synthesis in an article review format. Rather than merely listing what the source says, the author explains why each element of the framework matters, interpreting the significance of situatedness within historical social structures and showing how relationality and praxis interact. This interpretive layer distinguishes a strong article review from a simple summary.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with an introduction that identifies the three central concepts and states its purpose. It then moves through the social field elements—cultural/demographic dynamics, institutional structures, and business environment—before addressing situatedness at the organizational level. The final substantive section covers relationality and praxis together, culminating in a synthesis that links all three concepts. The structure mirrors the logical sequence of Tatli and Ozbilgin's own framework, making it easy to follow.
Introduction
The article by Tatli and Ozbilgin (2009) identifies three concepts that are essential for understanding the diversity manager's agency in the organizational change process: (1) situatedness, (2) relationality, and (3) praxis. This three-dimensional conceptual framework, used to chart the manager's agency, embeds it "in the process of organizational change" (Tatli & Ozbilgin, 2009, p. 247). This paper provides a synopsis of the article and describes the authors' conceptual framework in detail, discussing all three concepts in order to develop a deeper understanding of the agency of diversity managers in organizational change.
References
Tatli, A., & Ozbilgin, M. (2009). Understanding diversity managers' role in organizational change: Towards a conceptual framework. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 26, 244–258.
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.