Introduction: CSR and Diversity Management

Both corporate social responsibility (CSR) and workforce diversity and, further, the question how to manage diversity have become increasingly important areas for organisations, businesses, countries and researchers worldwide over the last decades. A wide range of CSR and diversity management (DM) initiatives and practices has been initiated and introduced at different levels stretching from organisational to national and international level. Despite the increased global focus, the understanding and approaches vary both between and within countries. In response, this book sets out to explore the current international understandings and approaches of CSR and DM. In particular, this book investigates the relationship between CSR, diversity and DM. In our introduction, we will first present a brief discussion of the development of CSR as well as diversity and DM. Next, we will present three perspectives we consider applicable to potential intersections between CSR and DM, which might help build bridges between the two concepts/approaches/fields/strategies. In particular, we discuss how a process model of organisational sensemaking can be important for both CSR and DM and the interweaving of the fields. Moreover, we argue for the importance of considering both CSR and DM as multi-level constructs in a holistic approach that acknowledges macro-, meso- and micro-level linkages. We also present specific practical cornerstones for the implementation of both CSR and DM strategies introducing possible relations of the concepts. Finally, we will draw some conclusions and outline the structure of the edited volume.