Valuing difference in the name of diversity : How difference is constructed in Swedish private organizations through the work of diversity and inclusion

Sammanfattning: Diversity and inclusion work is intimately connected to valuing difference in the workplace. This thesis aims to look at how difference is constructed through the language and practices of diversity and what it means to value difference in organizations. Diversity as an organizational principle has gained popularity since the 1990’s and diversity work in Sweden has been, and is still heavily influenced by the US, where the modern diversity work as we know it today originated. When diversity work came to Sweden, it met a strong tradition of gender mainstreaming, that still has a strong impact on diversity work today. I have examined diversity work in Swedish private organizations from the perspective of the diversity practitioner, through qualitative interviews with ten diversity practitioners. The analysis shows that diversity is about working with contradicting value systems of what difference means, which has implications for employees that are named different.