ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the positive attributes of psychological empowerment that have accrued from access and inclusion. In some settings, positive outcomes accrue from equitable access and inclusion. In the South African context, documentation of such outcomes is sparse. Since 2000, successive Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) reports have lamented the slow pace of change related to the representation goals and inclusion of designated groups. But little research has documented or analyzed the nature of positive change and the evolving workplace as it relates to the inclusion of traditionally marginalized groups. The chapter focuses on the theory of psychological empowerment, exploring the degree to which access has provided empowerment and how much value it has for individuals and the organizations in which they are employed. A Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS) lens can help create a vision of what equitable access and inclusion would look like in South Africa.
