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How different can differences be(come)?: Interpretative repertoires of diversity concepts in Swiss-based organizations

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  • Ostendorp, Anja
  • Steyaert, Chris

Abstract

Summary This study looks at how global ideas of diversity are practiced in Swiss-based organizations at a time when related social interventions vary widely: how do those interventions enable or foreclose varieties of difference? Using a discourse psychological analysis, we identify four interpretative repertoires that professionals and participants draw upon to make sense of interventions: luxury, emergency, interest, and inclusion. Examining the consequences these repertoires have for constructing difference, we show that their use often impedes the processes of inscribing differences into the overall organization. We conclude that the way diversity travels is strongly impacted by the political negotiation through which the standard image of the "ideal worker" can be challenged and other images can be infused into a more hybrid organization.

Suggested Citation

  • Ostendorp, Anja & Steyaert, Chris, 2009. "How different can differences be(come)?: Interpretative repertoires of diversity concepts in Swiss-based organizations," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 374-384, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:scaman:v:25:y:2009:i:4:p:374-384
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Leyerzapf, Hannah & Verdonk, Petra & Ghorashi, Halleh & Abma, Tineke A., 2018. "“We are all so different that it is just … normal.” Normalization practices in an academic hospital in the Netherlands," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 141-150.
    2. Holck, Lotte & Muhr, Sara Louise, 2017. "Unequal solidarity? Towards a norm-critical approach to welfare logics," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 1-11.
    3. Maddy Janssens & Chris Steyaert, 2020. "The Site of Diversalizing: The Accomplishment of Inclusion in Intergenerational Dance," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(6), pages 1143-1173, September.
    4. Abdullah Abdulmohsen Alfalih, 2022. "How to Develop Diversity Management Competencies in the Private Sector in Saudi Arabia," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, June.
    5. Omanović, Vedran, 2013. "Opening and closing the door to diversity: A dialectical analysis of the social production of diversity," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 87-103.
    6. Janssens, Maddy & Zanoni, Patrizia, 2014. "Alternative diversity management: Organizational practices fostering ethnic equality at work," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 317-331.
    7. Ghorashi, Halleh & Sabelis, Ida, 2013. "Juggling difference and sameness: Rethinking strategies for diversity in organizations," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 78-86.

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