Loosening Categorical Thinking: Extending the Terrain of Theory and Research on Demographic Identities in Organizations

Traditional systems for categorizing individuals into demographic groups have become increasingly misaligned with how individuals understand their own demographic identities. For organizational scholars, considering this misalignment has significant implications for theory and empirical research on demographic diversity in organizations; misalignments between traditional categorization systems and individuals’ demographic identities also have important implications for managers who seek to create inclusive work environments. In this paper, we offer a conceptual framework that articulates four types of demographic identities that are misaligned with traditional categorization systems, which are not adequately recognized in existing organizational diversity research or in organizations: intra-categorical multiplicity, intra-categorical mobility, intra-categorical uncertainty, and identities that are acategorical in nature. We build from this framework to theorize that individuals who identify demographicall...