Organizational Diversity and Inclusion Scale (ODIS): A multilevel approach

Introduction

In the current social context, organizations need to deal with an increasingly heterogeneous workforce. It is therefore necessary to develop measures capable of detecting dynamics of diversity and inclusion in organizations.

Objective and method

This study introduces a new scale, namely the Organizational Diversity and Inclusion Scale (ODIS), which consists of 61 items measuring perceived discrimination, inclusive and discriminatory attitudes toward minority social groups (women, physical/sensory disability, youth workers, seniors, workers of different races and ethnicities, LGBT) and perceptions of diversity management (policy, compliance and structures) in the organizational context. One thousand seven hundred and eighty-four respondents, from both public and private Italian organizations filled in the self-report questionnaire.

Results

Accordingly, an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated a sixteen-factor structure. Criterion and construct validity were tested through correlation analyses with other scales (affective commitment, job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and mobbing at work) and similar measures (Diversity Climate Scale). Results suggest that the ODIS can be reliably used to measure organizational perceptions of diversity and inclusion in a multilevel perspective.

Conclusion

Findings suggest the importance of using ODIS for multilevel and multidimensional surveys in order to plan and apply actions and interventions, especially among managers.