Toward a Framework of Social Marginalization: An Integrative Review and Research Agenda

Despite a growing body of research on social marginalization in organizations, this scholarship remains fragmented across identity groups and disciplinary silos. As a result, organizational scholars lack a coherent framework to explain how marginalization persists and evolves across contexts. In this integrative review, we synthesize research from management, psychology, and sociology to develop a multilevel framework that conceptualizes marginalization as a recursive cycle between symbolic disadvantage (e.g., stereotyping, stigma, delegitimization) and material disadvantage (e.g., restricted access to jobs, resources, and institutional protections). We identify recurring mechanisms that operate across micro, meso, and macro levels, demonstrating how these dynamics mutually reinforce one another over time. Our framework also explains why interventions that target only one dimension of disadvantage often fall short or produce unintended consequences. We conclude by outlining a research agenda that advances theoretical development and empirical investigation of marginalization, including approaches to multilevel dynamics, temporal change, and measurement, as well as implications for designing more effective organizational interventions. Together, this integrative framework provides a unifying lens for understanding and addressing the cyclical dynamics of marginalization in organizations.