Diversity and Inclusion in the Food Industry in Colombia: enablers and challenges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18041/2539-3669/gestion_libre.21.2026.14088Keywords:
Diversity, Inclusion, Food Industry, ColombiaAbstract
Introduction: Social changes and the systematic discrimination against vulnerable populations have led to the emergence of diversity and inclusion strategies in companies, primarily in the United States. However, little is known about their application in specific industries in countries of the Global South.
Objective: To identify the enablers and challenges for the establishment of diversity and inclusion (D&I) strategies in the food industry in Colombia.
Method: The study is qualitative in nature. Preliminary data collection was conducted with stakeholders within the D&I ecosystem in Colombia to test instruments, and a survey was administered to establish initial contact with companies. Finally, 17 interviews were conducted with leaders responsible for D&I strategies.
Results: Five enablers were identified: establishing the foundations for programs, formalizing through policies, generating cultural change, building support networks, designing a monitoring system, and seeking alliances to strengthen programs. Likewise, three types of challenges were identified: structural, cultural, and lack of technical capacities.
Conclusion: D&I strategies require cultural and organizational transformations at different levels, from leadership to the day-to-day interactions among employees, while also needing to draw on external resources to remain sustainable over time.
Downloads
References
Aequales. (2023). Ranking PAR. https://form.aequales.com/es ARN. (2024). ARN en Cifras. Colombia: ARN. -
Ahmed, S. (2017). Living a Feminist Life. US. Duke University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv11g9836.9
Blackwell, A. G., Kramer, M., Vaidyanathan, L., Iyer, L., & Kirschenbaum, J. (2017). The Competitive Advantage of Racial Equity. www.fsg.org
Blount, I. Y. (2021). How Do Large Purchasing Organizations Treat Their Diverse Suppliers? Minority Business Enterprise CEOs’ Perception of Corporate Commitment to Supplier Diversity. Business and Society, 60(7), 1708–1737. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650320936974
Campbell, S. (2013). The Good, the Bad, and the Data: Shane the Lone Ethnographer’s Basic Guide to Qualitative Data Analysis. US: Left Coast Press
DiTomaso, N., Post, C., & Parks-Yancy, R. (2007). Workforce diversity and inequality: Power, status, and numbers. In Annual Review of Sociology, 33, 473–501. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.33.040406.131805
Dixon-Fyle, S., Hunt, V., Dolan, K., & Prince, S. (2020). Diversity wins: How inclusion matters. https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters
Derven, M. (2014). Diversity and inclusion by design: Best practices from six global companies. Industrial and Commercial Training, 46(2), 84–91. https://doi.org/10.1108/ICT-09-2013-0063
Equipares. (2023). Sobre Equipares. https://www.equipares.org/quienes-somos/
Ferdman, B. M., & Deane, B. R. (2014). Diversity at work: The practice of inclusion. US: Jossey-Bass/Wiley.
Gould, R., Harris, S. P., Mullin, C., & Jones, R. (2019). Disability, diversity, and corporate social responsibility: Learning from recognized leaders in inclusion. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 52(1), 29–42. https://doi.org/10.3233/jvr-191058
Harrison, D. A., & Klein, K. J. (2007). What’s the difference? Diversity constructs as separation, variety or disparity in Organizations. Academy of Management Review, 32(4), 1199–1228. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2007.26586096
Jonsen, K., Point, S., Kelan, E. K., & Grieble, A. (2021). Diversity and inclusion branding: a five-country comparison of corporate websites. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 32(3), 616–649. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2018.1496125
Jonsen, K., Maznevski, M. L., & Schneider, S. C. (2011). Diversity and its not so diverse literature: An international perspective. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 11(1), 35–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470595811398798
Kalev, A., Dobbin, F., & Kelly, E. (2006). Best Practices or Best Guesses? Assessing the Efficacy of Corporate Affirmative Action and Diversity Policies. American Sociological Review, 71(4), 589–617. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240607100404
Kluch, Y., Wright-Mair, R., Swim, N., & Turick, R. (2023). “It’s Like Being on an Island by Yourself”: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Administrators’ Perceptions of Barriers to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work in Intercollegiate Athletics. Journal of Sport Management, 37(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2021-0250
Leslie, L. M. (2019). Diversity initiative effectiveness: A typological theory of unintended consequences. Academy of Management Review, 44(3), 538–563. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2017.0087
Linneberg, M. S., & Korsgaard, S. (2019). Coding qualitative data: A synthesis guiding the novice. Qualitative Research Journal, 19(3), 259–270. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRJ-12-2018-0012
Mor Barak, M. (2022). Managing Diversity, toward a globally inclusive workplace (5th edition). US: Sage.
Mor-Barak, M. E. (2019). Erecting Walls Versus Tearing Them Down: Inclusion and the (False) Paradox of Diversity in Times of Economic Upheaval. European Management Review, 16(4), 937–955. https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12302
Mundy, T., & Seuffert, N. (2020). Are we there yet? Best practices for diversity and inclusion in Australia. International Journal of the Legal Profession, 27(1), 81–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/09695958.2019.1676754
Nkomo, S. M., Bell, M. P., Roberts, L. M., Joshi, A., & Thatcher, S. M. B. (2019). Diversity at a critical juncture: New theories for a complex phenomenon. Academy of Management Review, 44(3), 498–517. https://doi.org/10.5465/ amr.2019.0103
Ozbilgin, M., Tatli, A., & Jonsen, K. (2015). Global Diversity Management: an evidence-based approach. In Global Diversity Management: an evidence-based approach (Second Edition). UK: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.
Portocarrero, S., & Carter, J. T. (2022). Diversity initiatives in the US workplace: A brief history, their intended and unintended consequences. Sociology Compass, 16(7), e13001. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.13001
Saldana, J. (2011). Fundamentals of Qualitative Research. Ok: Oxford University Press.
Shore, L. M., Randel, A. E., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., Holcombe Ehrhart, K., & Singh, G. (2011). Inclusion and Diversity in Work Groups: A Review and Model for Future Research. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1262-1289. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310385943
Tang, N., Jiang, Y., Chen, C., Zhou, Z., Chen, C. C., & Yu, Z. (2015). Inclusion and inclusion management in the Chinese context: an exploratory study. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(6), 856–874. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2014.985326
Trujillo, D., & Puerto, A. (2021). Scaling up Inclusive Distribution Networks (IDNs) Inertias against sustainability. In X. Rueda Fajardo, G. Arnold, J. Muthuri, & S. Gold (Eds.), Base of the Pyramid Markets in Latin America: Innovation and Challenges to Sustainability (1st ed.). England: Routdlege. https://doi.org/https://doi-org.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/10.4324/9780429424168
Yadav, S., & Lenka, U. (2020). Diversity management: a systematic review. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 39(8), 901–929. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-07-2019-0197
Yang, Y., & Konrad, A. M. (2011). Understanding diversity management practices: Implications of institutional theory and resource-based theory. Group and Organization Management, 36(1), 6–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601110390997
Wang, M., & Fang, Y. (2020). Age Diversity in the Workplace: Facilitating Opportunities With Organizational Practices. Public Policy & Aging Report, 30(3), 119–123. https://doi.org/10.1093/ppar/praa015
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Gestión y Desarrollo Libre
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
