Från piska till morot - Ett mångfaldsinitiativ från näringslivets perspektiv

Sammanfattning: Diversity Management is a field within organizational research that has grown in popularity due to the acknowledgment in business life. Diversity management has developed from belonging to the ethical field to now being a part of business development. In a global market, Diversity management has become a crucial component in the struggle for competitiveness; when attracting and retaining talented employees and when trying to reach new customer segments. Due to this progress, initiatives by businesses, such as diversity networks, have become popular. The present research regarding Diversity management comprises of investigations of the benefits and potential downsides of a diverse workforce and implementation practices for diversity initiatives. The specific research regarding certain initiatives primarily touch upon formal programs such as policies and standards, while the research of less formal practices such as diversity networks is near absent, even though a combination of the two kinds of programs are proven to be most successful. The present research regarding informal diversity networks primarily focuses on inter-firm networks. Diversity Charter is a network within the EU with autonomous branches in 15 countries and more than 7000 member organizations. It's Swedish branch, Diversity Charter Sweden, was an initiative by ten influential companies and businesspersons founded in 2010. Since then, around 50 companies have joined the network. Through an empirical study of interviews and observations, we deeply investigate this initiative and what impact it has on its members. Through extensive review of the empirical material, we conduct an analysis and theory application to reach conclusions beyond the shallowest findings such as employee attraction and retention, approaching new customer segments, and being a potential source of diversity knowledge. The main finding of this study that adds to the current research in the field of Diversity Management is the substation of membership in Diversity Charter Sweden relating to confidence and confirmation. This substation is derived from the sensitive character, and the many challenges, working with diversity questions means. Thus, this study has implications for its organizers, for its participants, and for labor and consumers that somehow come across this network.