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- Knights, David, et al.
(författare)
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(Mis) Managing Diversity: Exploring the Dangers of Diversity Management Orthodoxy
- 2016
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Ingår i: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal. - 2040-7149. ; 35:1, s. 5-16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to challenge the dominance of the mainstream discourse and practice of diversity management (DM) by identifying and problematizing three distinct but related issues that it encompasses: first, its tendency to displace all alternative approaches; second, its general neglect of the social-historical context and third, its almost exclusive focus on the business case rationale for supporting diversity. Design/methodology/approach – Employing ethnographic research methods, the empirical material was collected in an international manufacturing corporation based in Sweden. It consists of three different, but interconnected approaches: archival research, interviews and observations. Findings – The paper shows that in neglecting power, identity, intersectionality and the changing socio-historical context of diversity, a well-meaning corporate diversity programme tended to obscure ethnic and age-related disadvantages at work. Research limitations/implications – The limitations of this research relate largely to its dependence on a single case study and the limited focus on diversity as it affected able-bodied, white male immigrant workers. A broader study of the multiplicity of types of discrimination and ways in which diversity is managed in a range of countries and organizations could facilitate a more in-depth exploration of these issues and arguments. Originality/value – Although not entirely new, the three arguments that have been drawn upon to discuss, analyse and illustrate DM through our data have rarely been brought together in one theoretical and empirical study.
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| 2. |
- Knights, David, et al.
(författare)
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Rethinking Diversity in Organizations and Society
- 2015
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Ingår i: The Oxford Handbook of Diversity in Organizations. - Oxford : Oxford University Press. - 9780199679805
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The problem addressed in this chapter is whether emphasis on the ‘business case’ has gone too far, for even on its own terms there have been questions concerning the actual commercial benefits of diversity management. The concern is that if practitioner interests in anti-discrimination are reduced to the business case, then any failure to achieve commercial benefits will condemn the whole programme. Consequently, there has to be some return to the social justice arguments for managing diversity. As a way of seeking to stimulate such developments, we have conducted a literature survey of the various methodological and analytical frameworks deployed in diversity in organizations research. This is in order to search for alternatives to the reduction of ideas and interests in diversity to a single managerial preoccupation with making diversity ‘pay’, or limiting diversity practices to their potential to generate commercial benefits.
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