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The theme of the 2023 AOM conference is "Putting the Worker Front and Center." The meeting description talks about the ways in which work has changed over the last few years and speculates that a research focus on workers, and not just leaders and managers, is important to expand our knowledge. Consistent with that theme, our symposium focuses on employee resource groups (ERGs), which are a bottom-up, volunteer worker phenomenon driving not only diversity goals but also innovation, new business, crisis response, employee retention and community support. ERGs are run by workers at all job levels (not just managers). ERGs are, in a majority of cases, started by volunteers who build a business case to create an ERG for a key demographic group at the company (e.g., Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asia/Pacific, Veterans, LGBTQ+ or Disabilities) (Friedman, 1999). ERGs may also be started by groups of people who have passion for a mission that, to date, was not seen as important by the company (e.g., sustainability, palliative care, neuro diversity, and more (Welbourne, Rolf, & Schlachter, 2017). ERGs attempt to put all workers front and center and provide members with visibility, advocacy, support and opportunities that help not just the members but all workers. ERGs are found in over 90% of Fortune 100 companies, are being started in smaller organizations, and they have evolved while experiencing significant growth since 2020. Recent growth is due to ERGs being viewed as a powerful solution to the racial unrest and inequalities that became more visible during the pandemic and after murder of George Floyd (Asare, 2021; Lewis & Simmons Fisher, 2022) Even though these groups have been in existence since the early 1960s, there is very little research on them (Friedman & Craig, 2004), and much of the work being done has been limited to case studies and published by consulting firms or published in outlets focused on diversity. Although the impact and importance of ERGs for achieving diversity goals is positive and worth significant research, the effect of ERG work on other outcomes is also critical knowledge for organizations because higher impact creates a stronger business case, which is necessary for ERGs to receive funding and other sources of support. Thus, our symposium focuses on not only the role of ERGs for driving diversity, equity and inclusion but also the ways in which ERGs are impacting other organizational goals, including sales, innovation, personal development and more (VanAken et al.,1996; Welbourne & McLaughlin, 2013). Employee Resource Groups: Member Experiences and the Role of Allies Author: Gregory Robert Beaver; Suffolk U. Author: Mary E Zellmer-Bruhn; U. of Minnesota What's in it for Me? Enhancing ERG Leader Performance Through Innovation Author: Sanjay K. Dua; The Coca Cola Company The Impacts of ERGs on Organizational Performance: A Strategic HRM Perspective Author: Theresa M. Welbourne; U. of Alabama Author: Seth Butler; U. of Alabama Employee Resource Groups in United States Higher Education: History and Applications Author: Dennis McIver; U. of California Office of the President [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
