Research and Insights Archive

Research and Insights from the Center for Effective Organizations

The Case for Employee Resource Groups: A Review and Social Identity Theory-Based Research Agenda

Despite their prevalence in the business world, there has been a scarce amount of theorizing and research focused on ERGs. To help facilitate the development of this work, the authors (Theresa M. Welbourne, Skylar Rolf, and Steven Schlachter) introduce a theoretical framework using social identity theory, as well as propositions that can serve to spur additional research on a critical topic for today’s businesses.

Employee Resource Groups: An Introduction, Review and Research Agenda

Employee resource groups (ERGs) are within-organization groups, staffed by employee volunteers, which have evolved since their inception in the 1960s. In this paper, Theresa M. Welbourne (CEO), Skylar Rolf (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), and Steven Schlachter (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) provide an introduction to ERGs, review the literature that exists to date, and provide ideas for a research agenda.

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