Social procurement as a catalyst for DEI in construction: some takeaways for HRM?

Purpose Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives aim to foster workplaces where all employees feel valued and can add value. Increasingly, the success of these initiatives is influenced by environments and interactions beyond organisational boundaries, including recent backlash. Despite this, most DEI research remains focused on intra-organisational aspects and human resource management (HRM) activities. The purpose of this paper is to introduce social procurement as a novel and promising framework for advancing DEI in theory and practice through a collaborative, inter-organisational approach that has the potential to overcome institutional barriers and mitigate backlash. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through 15 in-depth interviews with social procurement professionals in the Australian construction industry using Thorne’s interpretive and descriptive approach to capture their lived experiences and perspectives on implementing social procurement. Findings SPPs are actively reshaping their industry’s DEI landscape by engaging in institutional work and utilising collaborative governance mechanisms that leverage networks to challenge and reconfigure dominant institutional logics. This strategic disruption not only advances DEI outcomes but also generates actionable insights for evolving collaborative HRM practices. The findings offer valuable insights for embedding DEI and mitigating backlash. Originality/value The research identifies processes within social procurement and its characteristics that advance current DEI theory and practice. It also offers practical insights for DEI programs on building cross-organisational networks to instil inclusive practices, break down institutional barriers and mitigate backlash.