Since 1994, with the advent of the first democratic elections, organisations in South Africa have embarked on a road of transformation to increase diversity in the workplace. This paper investigates the nature of diversity management initiatives and the extent to which companies in South Africa implement compliance-based and voluntary-based diversity management initiatives. Although literature on diversity management does exist, a paucity of research on compliance-based versus voluntarybased diversity management initiatives is noted. A survey with a web-based questionnaire was conducted among a sample of 342 employees from five TOPCO 500 South Africa’s Best Managed Companies. The findings indicated that a holistic approach towards diversity management is required. In this respect, a formal diversity change strategy and programme, in addition to an employment equity
plan and strategy, should be developed and implemented, and a more concerted effort is required from organisations to recruit, promote and empower women, as well as recruit and accommodate people living with disabilities
