Understanding Diversity in Nonprofit Organizations: An Institutional Logics Perspective

Abstract

This article offers a contextual and explanatory framework for understanding workplace diversity in nonprofit organizations. Drawing on the institutional logics approach, it addresses how and why nonprofit organizations incorporate diversity into their organizational structures and how this informs employees’ identities. Based on 42 in-depth interviews with leaders and staff members of two welfare organizations in Belgium, our study shows how diversity “enters” nonprofit organizations through a professional and community logic, affecting organizational structures and employee experiences.