ABSTRACT
Employees come from different backgrounds bringing with them existing identities based in previous life experience. In the context of D&I, identity means self-image or sense of who one is. Identity may be personal, meaning one’s sense of traits, physical attributes, skills, and other characteristics. Or, identity may be social, based in feelings of relationship to others. As people continue working in an organization they develop or modify aspects of identity based on such things as assignments, interactions with others, developmental experiences (e.g., training), length of employment, or location in the organizational structure. These social identities have important effects on work attitudes and behaviors (Blader & Tyler, 2009).
