Conclusion

The purpose of this research was to explore how employees managed the religious aspects of their lives and those of their coworkers, and to add to the development of the theory in that area. This research project grew from being fascinated with why people do the things they do and the realization that a primary driving force behind many people’s lives is religion. The literature review revealed scant literature on religious diversity management with most written from a managerial viewpoint and focused on accommodation. The search for a theoretical connection among the various factors led to stigma theory, which became a strong explanatory tool. A review of the diversity management literature, which placed religion in the category of an invisible characteristic, revealed that religion could be classified as a stigma characteristic. A key point of stigma theory is the recognition that context is an important factor. What is a stigma in one environment may not be in another. A second key point was the provision of stigma management strategies. Therefore, the concepts of invisible diversity management and stigma theory provided a strong starting point for data analysis.