Disability inclusive workplace cultures – a scoping review and definition

Purpose This scoping review maps and synthesises fragmented research on disability inclusion from a workplace culture perspective and develops a definition of a disability inclusive workplace culture. Design/methodology/approach Following Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review framework, 32 empirical studies across organisational settings were systematically reviewed. The studies were charted according to their characteristics and analysed thematically. The analysis was then synthesised into a definition capturing how disability inclusive workplace cultures are constituted. Findings The review finds that disability inclusive workplace cultures comprise shared patterns of organisational structures, social practices and psychological experiences that enable employees with disabilities to access and engage meaningfully in the cultural life of the organisation. Cultural inclusion develops through the complex interaction of these dimensions, with leadership and job design acting as central mechanisms. Such cultures are characterised by diversity practices and inclusive leadership, by supportive peer relations and inclusive norms and by employees' experiences of self-confidence, belonging and fairness. In this way, a disability inclusive workplace culture represents a structural framework, a social practice and a subjective experience. Originality/value This review is the first to provide an empirically grounded definition of a disability inclusive workplace culture. The review contributes to the field of disability studies in organisations by conceptualising inclusion as a cultural phenomenon and by bringing together fragmented insights that have not previously been integrated.