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This paper examines how lateral accountability mechanisms may be used to address the unity–diversity tension in a large not-for-profit (NFP) inter-organizational partnership governed under a lead organization model.

A case study was conducted in the New South Wales Settlement Partnership comprising 23 NFP organizations providing settlement services for migrants and humanitarian entrants. Multiple data sources included semi-structured interviews, proprietary and publicly available documents and observation.

The paper demonstrates (1) the usefulness of a strength-based approach that the lead organization adopts in enacting lateral accountability mechanisms, which enables a balance between unity and diversity in the partnership; and (2) the capability of the lead organization governance model to address the unity–diversity tension.

The paper (1) identifies the importance of a strength-based approach in implementing lateral accountability mechanisms to address the unity–diversity tension; and (2) challenges prior research that advocates the network administrative organization governance model in addressing the tension.

For practice, the paper identifies a suite of lateral accountability practices designed to address the unity–diversity tension. For policy, it provides confidence for government in promulgating the lead organization governance model in “purchasing” public services.

The paper demonstrates how lateral accountability mechanisms may be used to provide a balance between the objectives of preserving and leveraging the benefits of partner diversity and achieving unity. The strength-based approach (used in enacting the accountability mechanisms), while having a history in psychology and social work research, has not been recognized in prior partnership accountability and governance studies.

Asserts that the opposite of a rule may be true, particularly with regard to the creation of “unity in diversity” – the simultaneous strengthening of the two seemingly contradictory factors of integration and multiplicity – which will fundamentally enhance organizational performance. Common experience shows that there are plenty of diverse world views around. This multiplicity has many sources. Suggests that, in order to reap the benefits of this diversity, we need first to understand and indeed encourage it through empowerment, decentralization and self‐management. Second, we need to integrate the differences and ensure that everyone is working towards a common good under the influence of a unified company vision and a shared set of values. Argues that such a mature state of “unity in diversity” can only be realized through higher stages of individual and organizational development.

There are the interesting words of Myrdal in respect of the universality and commonness of what a scientific problem means:From then on more definitely I came to see that in reality there are no economic, sociological, psychological problems, but just problems and they are all mixed and composite. In research the only permissible demarcation is between relevant and irrelevant conditions. The problems are regularly also political and have moreover to be seen in historical perspective. (Myrdal, 1979, p. 106)

Taking a clue from the aftermaths of colonisation and the need to manage an “unholy marriage” created by the British colonial masters, the purpose of this paper is to examine the peculiar challenges of managing Nigeria’s unique diversity in the public sector through the critical lens of the Federal Character Principle (FCP) with specific focus on how this invented model of diversity management ended up creating more serious problems than it was meant to solve in the Nigerian public administration.

The paper is essentially a review, and it relies on previous studies and real-world evidence on the subject. The paper systematically traces the evolution of diversity management in Nigerian public administration through the critical lens of the FCP with specific focus on how problematic it is to management Nigeria’s unique diversity with more serious problems being created by the FCP application in the public sector.

The paper reveals that the constitutional provisions of the “Federal Character Principle” ended up in creating more problems than it set out to solve, reflecting in the “melting pot” allegory. It reveals how problematic it is to manage the country’s diversity, and highlights some of the problems created by the FCP. The review makes a case for an urgent need to intensify empirical research on the subject in order to fashion out a better way of managing Nigeria’s diversity in the public sector.

One major limitation of this paper is rooted in lack of empirical research such as survey to further explore the topic. Few real life examples and cases provided are considered insufficient to justify some of the assertions. Thus, a call for more systematic and empirical research is made.

The implication of the finding is that the model for managing workforce diversity especially in the Nigerian public sector (not limited to the public administration) must be “Nigerianised” such that the unique socio-cultural realities of the Nigeria’s society as well as benefits accrued to diversity can be fully explored in driving the growth of the country and survival of the “unity-in-diversity” goal.

The paper will benefit the government, all stakeholders, and the Nigerian society at large. It offers some useful insights into public administration. It stimulates an interest to conduct further research on diversity management with a view to producing some useful findings that could lead to a better management of diversity in the country.

This paper aims to analyze the relationship between religious differences (i.e. religious diversity and tolerance diversity), on the one hand, and dysfunctional intergroup conflicts, on the other.

A quantitative research design is used, through which the paper examines 47 public schools in India.

Religious diversity, that is, the distribution of heterogeneous religious affiliations in an organization, is unrelated to dysfunctional intergroup conflicts. By contrast, tolerance diversity, that is, the heterogeneity of organizational members' beliefs regarding the question of how strictly religious commandments should be followed, is positively related to dysfunctional conflicts.

The results of this study are limited to public organizations in the Indian context.

Since religious diversity is not connected to intergroup conflicts, fostering religious diversity in organizations could render the societal norm “unity in diversity” more authentic and attractive. This in turn would enhance the ability of different religions to cooperate in Indian organizations. In contrast with religious diversity, the heterogeneity of religious tolerance is significantly related to intergroup conflicts; a possible remedy could be the use of a transformational leadership style.

This study is the first to investigate both religious diversity and tolerance diversity in their effects on the emergence of intergroup conflicts, that is, apparent emotional tensions between organizational subgroups.

Asserts that the world needs to integrate economic issues with social demands and discusses ideas on the unity of knowledge (including Islamic theories). Develops a string model of the process of unification as seen by the Koran and applies it to the Islamic financing division of a Saudi Arabian bank to show how it can produce an “interactive financial index” encompassing social well‐being, economic development and financial profitability. Claims that this could not be achieved in any other way and contrasts the Islamic approach with mainstream economic ideas. Assesses how the Islamic approach works in practice by looking at the bank’s portfolio and relating it to social well‐being and policy.

The purpose of this paper is to offer an editorial introduction to the special issue on “Gender and diversity in organizations in South Asia”.

The paper reviews the state of extant research on equality, diversity and inclusion in South Asia. It also offers an overview of the papers included in the special issue and the unique contributions they make to this field of knowledge.

Findings vary for each paper; however, overall, the special issue brings to the fore theoretical ideas, alternative organizing and organisations and challenges involved in diversity management in South Asia.

The papers offer fresh insights in theorizing and managing diversity and equality which depart from the dominant Anglo‐centric theorizations in this field.

Educators, policy makers and managers in organisations may take into account various findings and recommendations offered in the papers leading to greater awareness of the challenges and opportunities to formulate context‐sensitive policies and practices of diversity in South Asia.

Barring a few exceptions, the topic of gender and diversity management in South Asia, as for example the centrality of national culture and values, remains generally ignored in work and organization studies. Papers that are published appear in a wide variety of journals rarely achieving a critical mass. The current (special) issue of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion addresses these gaps and seeks to strengthen understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion pertaining to the region classified as South Asia.

A methodological study of religion including moral, ethical, and social values and economics takes us into the search, discovery, and establishment of a formal epistemological premise. Social economics is now studied as a methodological investigation of evolutionary and embedded systems integrating the moral, social, and economic systems. Thus an integrated theory of religion representing the realm of moral and social values and economics is formalized. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The author writes on the conjoint methodological perspective of the integrated domain of religion and economics. A formal ontology of the unified field of religion and economics is established in such an inter-causal and organically unified realm of moral, social, and economic values. A phenomenological model of the unified worldview that applies to a systemic concept of “everything” emerges. This methodology and the immanent phenomenological model relating to it convey the principle of inter-systemic organic symbiosis by a unique and universal worldview.

The systemic integration between religion and economics is formally studied within the immanent system methodology that formalizes inter-disciplinary symbiosis. The result is a new formal model of integration between religion and social economics.

Empirical work can further expand the scope of the paper.

Immense social, ethical, and cross-cultural implications emanate from the study.

The morality and ethical implications of religious values are imputed in the formal model and implications of the social economy.

The paper is of an original nature in establishing the episteme and formalism of integration between ethical and moral values of religion into the structure of the social economy. From this both a theoretical rigor as well as logical formalism can be drawn.