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From words to action: Challenges and opportunities on diversity management in Finland
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School of Business |
Master's thesis
Electronic archive copy is available via Aalto Thesis Database.
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en
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87+13
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Abstract
This thesis supports prior research in revealing the prevalence of moral foundations in promoting diversity management within Finnish managerial discourses. Additionally, the findings emphasize a managerial desire to lead with a service-oriented mindset, fairness, and equality rather than prioritizing gaining financial benefits from diversity management. The findings further address the prevailing challenge of harmonizing global diversity, specifically Anglo-Saxon principles, with local cultural norms and welfare practices. The examination of three identified discourses indicates that through dialogue, both the manager and researcher take part in a performative engagement, resulting in a production of a well-refined portrayal of managerial competency in leading equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), while potentially concealing underlying tensions.
The thesis is conducted as part of an EU-funded project, EDIFY-EDU, that aims to bridge the competency gap in managing diversity and inclusion. A multilayered theoretical framework that includes discourse analysis and different theoretical lenses is utilized to analyze the narratives of 10 Finnish managers from different organizations. Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is applied to further examine how the identified discourses support, disagree with, or add to the current understandings of diversity management and EDI in Finland. Furthermore, the findings illustrate how managers build their identities and incorporate leadership approaches, relevant concepts, and organizational culture into their unique sociocultural frameworks.
Ultimately, the thesis presents the challenge of connecting diversity management theory with specific actions that fit local limitations and complex organizational power relationships. The findings show that while there is a strong moral basis for the discussion on diversity management, it is challenging to put these practices into action. As a result, engagement with EDI and diversity management can result in a superficial display that may not lead to actual transformation within the managerial realm. The findings suggest that to ensure the successful execution of diversity management initiatives, it necessitates a future-oriented effort to provide managers with the necessary abilities to move from talking about actions to actually taking them.