Castro Christiansen, Liza & Sabine Bacouel-Jentjens. The business case for diversity and inclusion in Denmark: A multi-level perspective from discourse to reality. (2022)

Castro Christiansen, Liza & Sabine Bacouel-Jentjens. The business case for diversity and inclusion in Denmark: A multi-level perspective from discourse to reality. Question(s) de management, 38(1), 2022, 137–149.

The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of the macro level factors that impact the way in which a company approaches and conceptualises diversity management (DM) in Denmark. A multi-level relational framework was adopted to uncover the contextual situation of DM in a Danish manufacturing company. Twenty semi-structured indepth interviews have been conducted and analyzed using the Gioia method. The findings show how diversity-related factors on the societal level favour the adoption of a business case rationale for DM on the organizational level of the case company. A deeply ingrained societal orientation of voluntarism (in contrast to a legal obligation) combined with low Power Distance seem to favour a “walk the talk”– attitude, which goes beyond the mere establishment of demographic diversity.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3917/qdm.218.0137