Shared human identity theory: a call to humanization

Purpose This conceptual paper develops shared human identity (SHI) theory to explain how sustainable organizational inclusion emerges when members recognize one another's fundamental humanity as equivalent despite differences in identity, status, culture, or organizational role. It introduces a four-component architecture comprising fundamental humanity, fundamental humanity recognition, equivalent human perception and shared human identity. By integrating dehumanization research, social identity theory, leadership scholarship, and critical human resource management, the paper clarifies how organizations may support belonging and authentic self-expression without requiring assimilation. Design/methodology/approach This study develops SHI theory through a conceptual theory-building approach. It critically synthesizes insights from dehumanization theory, social identity theory, identity leadership and critical human resource management to construct an integrative conceptual architecture. Rather than developing or validating a measurement instrument, the paper advances a theoretically grounded explanatory framework, clarifies its conceptual distinctiveness from related constructs, formulates testable propositions and identifies directions for future qualitative and quantitative research. Findings The paper identifies equivalent human perception as the central psychological mechanism through which sustainable organizational inclusion emerges. It proposes a four-component conceptual architecture linking fundamental humanity, fundamental humanity recognition, equivalent human perception and shared human identity. This framework explains how belonging and uniqueness can coexist without assimilation, extends dehumanization research by explaining organizational humanization, and integrates insights from social identity theory, leadership research, and critical human resource management within a unified identity-based explanation. Research limitations/implications As a conceptual theory, SHI requires empirical refinement across diverse organizational and cultural contexts. Future research should develop and validate measures of its core constructs, examine their distinctiveness from related concepts, and test the proposed relationships using qualitative, quantitative, experimental, longitudinal, multilevel and cross-cultural designs. Such work will clarify the theory's boundary conditions and further establish its contribution to organizational humanization, inclusion, and dehumanization research. Practical implications SHI theory suggests that sustainable inclusion requires more than inclusive leadership behaviors or diversity policies. Organizations should design leadership practices, HR systems, and technology-enabled management processes that reinforce recognition of employees' equivalent fundamental humanity. By supporting equivalent human perception and shared human identity, organizations can strengthen psychological safety, trust, belonging, authentic self-expression and organizational humanization while reducing subtle forms of dehumanization and assimilation. Social implications By emphasizing equivalent fundamental humanity as the basis of inclusion, SHI theory offers a perspective that extends beyond organizations to broader social relationships. The theory suggests that recognizing one another as fundamentally equivalent despite differences in identity, status, culture, or background may help reduce subtle forms of dehumanization, polarization, and assimilation pressures while supporting more respectful, inclusive, and cooperative interactions. As workplaces increasingly reflect diverse societies, SHI theory provides a conceptual foundation for promoting human dignity and strengthening social cohesion across organizational and cultural boundaries. Originality/value This article introduces SHI theory, a novel identity-based theory that explains how sustainable organizational inclusion emerges through the recognition of equivalent fundamental humanity. By integrating dehumanization theory, social identity research, identity leadership and critical human resource management, the theory identifies equivalent human perception as the key psychological mechanism linking humanization and inclusion. In doing so, it offers a conceptually distinct explanation of organizational inclusion that complements existing leadership and social identity perspectives while providing a foundation for future theoretical and empirical research.