Leadership and diversity in the Canadian Forces: A conceptual model and research agenda

This chapter presents a conceptual model and a research agenda regarding leadership and diversity issues as they pertain to the Canadian Forces (CF). First, background information and definitions are provided. Then, the benefits of organizational diversity are reviewed. Following this, the current Canadian employment equity legislation is explained, including how it applies to the CF. Then, statistics pertaining to the degree of diversity in the CF are presented. After this, a conceptual model of diversity dynamics in organizations is presented and used as a framework for a review of the research on diversity issues in leadership. The issues that are discussed include tokenism, jobholder schemas, occupational segregation, prejudice and discrimination, organizational cultures and cultural adaptation, ingroup/outgroup dynamics, and stressors and the negative outcomes that result from them. Examples of the application of the research results to leadership in the CF are provided throughout. Some of the possible interventions that can be utilized to alleviate the problems that arise from these dynamics are then presented. Then, the best strategies for integrating diversity into the military are discussed, Throughout, specific suggestions for a research agenda for leadership and diversity in the CF are proposed, with a more general research agenda being presented at the end.