Florence Villesèche

Identity, diversity and diversity management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the identity and diversity literatures and discuss how a better understanding of the theoretical connections between the two informs both diversity research and diversity management practices. Design/methodology/approach – Literature review followed by a discussion of the theoretical and practical consequences of connecting the identity and diversity literatures. Findings – The authors inform future research in three ways. First, by showing how definitions of identity influence diversity theorizing in specific ways. Second, the authors explore how such definitions entail distinct foci regarding how diversity should be analyzed and interventions actioned. Third, the authors discuss how theoretical coherence between definitions of identity and diversity perspectives – as well as knowledge about a perspective’s advantages and limitations – is crucial for successful diversity management research and practice. Research limitations/impli...

Beyond nostalgia: Identity work in corporate alumni networks

Although corporate alumni networks are a developing practice, academia has said very little about them and their members. In this article, our goal is to provide an account of how members of such networks construct themselves as alumni. To that end, we adopt a narrative approach to identity construction and empirically explore the identity work that the members of one corporate alumni network carry out in order to sustain their identification with a past organizational setting. Our case study leads us to document four ‘identity stratagems’ (Jenkins, 1996) through which members incorporate elements of their past professional experience into their self-narratives: nostalgia, reproduction, validation and combination. It thus allows for a better understanding of corporate alumni networks and their members, while also contributing to the broader identity literature by further documenting how organizational participants can incorporate elements of a past professional experience into their self-narratives.

Formal women-only networks: literature review and propositions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the emerging literature on formal women-only business networks and outline propositions to develop this under-theorised area of knowledge and stimulate future research. Design/methodology/approach The authors review the existing literature on formal internal and external women-only networks and use the broader social capital and network literature to frame their arguments and develop propositions. Findings Propositions are developed regarding how both internal and external formal women-only business networks can be of value for members, firms/organisations and the wider social group of women in business. Research limitations/implications The authors focus on the distinction between external and internal formal women-only networks while also acknowledging the broader diversity that can characterise such networks. Their review provides the reader with an insight into the state of the art and a set of propositions that present opportunities for future research. Practical implications The paper provides insights into how women in business, organisations and wider society can leverage value from both internal and external formal women-only business networks. Social implications The paper contributes to research showing that the social structure of interactions and context can impact women’s standing in the workplace. Originality/value The paper sheds light on the under-studied and under-theorised phenomenon of formal women-only business networks. Beyond the individual member level, the authors suggest that such networks can be of value for organisations and the wider social group of women in management and leadership positions.

Introduction: From Diversity to Identity and Back

This chapter serves as a short introduction to the topics of this book: identity and diversity. We also expose how these topics link with issues in the workplace and explain how we have organized our discussion in this book. Finally, we provide an overview of the different chapters.

Categorizing Diversity and Managing Identities

Social identity theory (SIT) is arguably the most influential identity theory today. The grounding idea in this theory is that individuals not only have ‘personal identities’ but also have ‘social identities’: that is, they feel an attachment to one or more groups with which they believe they share an attribute or value that is identity-defining. Group-based diversity management, especially when related to gender- or race-/ethnicity-based social identity, is linked and discussed with regard to SIT-inspired scholarship in its original and more recent developments. The chapter also offers some thoughts on the limitations of the theory to give a complete picture of how to address diversity and identity in the workplace.

Diversity Management: Invisible Identities

In this chapter, we expand on the links between diversity and identity and on the relevance of considering them jointly in the context of the workplace. The chapter provides the reader with a succinct historical background of diversity management and a reflection on categories and categorization. The chapter also examines how the management of diversity contrasts with how individuals attempt to make sense of their identities in the workplace, thus speaking to the broader intellectual conversation about structure and agency.

Post-identities: The Transgression of Diversity Categories

In Chapter 5, we unfold and discuss the post-structuralist view of identity, diversity and diversity management. Arguably, the post-structural perspective builds on and extends the critical one, as it emphasizes that identities are fragmented, fluid and thus ultimately non-manageable. The post-structural perspective suggests a reconceptualization of difference where difference is always becoming. This means that post-structural takes on diversity and identity insist on the instability and transgression of categories. Post-structural approaches thus encourage constant reflexivity about the way that norms structure our concepts and they foreground the continual need to undo these to pave the way for equality.

Reclaiming Identity: The Critical Diversity Project

Critical scholars of identity and diversity share an interest in uncovering social injustice and domination in organizations. Their chief object of criticism is the perceived apolitical approach of mainstream identity and diversity management research. Such practices are criticized for being blind to measures of managerial control and marginalization through identity categorization and assignment. The critical perspective focuses on how organizational members as agents can actively alter and resist organizational modes of domination. However, we also contend that a critical approach must be supplemented with the development of practical solutions to the progressive changes that the critical scholarship otherwise expounds. This chapter ends with a discussion of how this might be achieved.

Gender Diversity on Boards in Switzerland

Switzerland is known by most for its banks, watches, mountains, and chocolates. However, the small Alpine country is also one where the traditional view of the family is still prevalent and emphasizes the role of the husband as the breadwinner, and where diversity is not generally acknowledged as a business issue. Although gender diversity is increasing only slowly at higher hierarchical levels in Switzerland, there are signs of change, nevertheless. For instance, in December 2015, a draft for non-binding quotas was adopted for both boards of directors and top-management teams, with a recommended minority gender representation of 30 percent and 20 percent respectively (Swissinfo.ch 2015). However, those guidelines have yet to be drafted as legislation, and repeated attempts to introduce binding quotas have all failed. This chapter will give the reader an in-depth insight into the situation in Switzerland to shed light on how the current circumstances came about and the developments that may unfold over the coming years and decades. The chapter concludes with insights from an individual who is involved in practice in securing more positions for women on boards in Switzerland, as well as a short overview of the chapter’s main points.

Networks as Media for Nostalgia in an Organisational Context

Nostalgia is popularly associated with the idea of the difficulty of letting go of a past when life was somehow ‘better’ (Gabriel, 1993). Such a perspective is reflected in the organisational literature, for example through the work of Strangleman (1999), Brown and Humphreys (2002) or McCabe (2004), who show how nostalgia can be present in an organisational setting. These works also highlight that nostalgia is a social emotion that is shared and co-constructed; it follows that nostalgia is to be experienced not only individually, but also with others, and thus through a variety of media. This idea that nostalgia is a social emotion has notably been leveraged in marketing, and is discussed in the related literature (see, for example, Cutcher, 2008; Kessous and Roux, 2008), but there is no discussion of the media aspect. Thus, these literatures fail to inform us about how nostalgia is mediated in organisational contexts. Given the general lack of scholarship about the functional relationship between media and nostalgia (see volume Introduction by Niemeyer), this is hardly surprising.