Increasing diversity and inclusion – global strategies, challenges and consequences
Two globally discussed topics that concern contemporary organizations are 1) the possible applications of new digital technologies, and 2) the ways to increase diversity and inclusion. Additionally, while many organizations use social media for their purposes, they are also affected by these media. Two such examples are the #metoo movement and the advertising campaign by Gillette. Simultaneously globally operating organizations develop routines to handle diversity issues, i.e. AI technologies for personnel issues, and internal social media communication systems. How does this technological development contribute to the dissemination of ideals and practices about diversity, within the different parts of the company?
Within the project, scholars from University of Gothenburg, Sweden and from Harvard University, MA, USA, aim to describe, analyze and explain the interplay between digital technologies and diversity work by studying diversity attempts in-built into digital technologies, applied by a Swedish corporation active on several continents. Our research questions are:
-What are the organizational strategies intended to increase diversity and inclusion, and how are these translated into technological solutions?
-What challenges encounter the employees within the subsidiaries when translating the ideals of diversity into their own practice?
-What are the consequences for diversity and inclusion of digital technologies in personnel systems and of social media campaigns?
Final report
Project Purpose and Development
The present project aims to describe, analyze and explain the interplay between digital technologies and diversity work by conducting studies of a Swedish global corporation that operate in many countries. Key research questions have been addressed as follows:
Key research questions have been addressed as follows:
• A study on corporate online communication about D&I (Gillberg, 2024) reveals how companies craft ambiguous messages to appeal to both business and social justice-oriented audiences. The concept of "business case washing" is introduced, where communication becomes aspirational rather than grounded in reality.
• Another study compares how universities globally manage D&I issues. The results indicate that while universities focus on including diverse student groups, women and minorities among faculty remain underrepresented in influential positions, leading journals, and central networks. These issues receive less attention in strategies, and despite the establishment of diversity offices, efforts rarely support marginalized staff (Eriksson-Zetterquist & Sahlin, 2023). Unlike global companies, there is a lack of discussion about using technological tools to strengthen D&I work.
• The study "D&I, AI and HR" (Eriksson-Zetterquist, forthcoming) examines how AI and digitalization in HRM might influence diversity and inclusion efforts. While AI can offer efficiency, it also carries the risk of embedded bias, especially in recruitment and talent management. Globally, companies show interest in these technologies but are hesitant due to concerns about security, costs, and a lack of scientific support. The study emphasizes the importance of careful implementation to prevent AI from undermining D&I work.
• Digital solutions for remote work have become part of strategies for diversity and inclusion. However, Arman, Gillberg, and Norbäck (forthcoming) question whether flexible work arrangements truly promote equal participation for marginalized groups, such as women and older employees. Their study shows that flexibility often pressures workers to hide vulnerabilities, reinforcing the ideal of unlimited commitment. This challenges the assumption that flexibility is inherently inclusive and highlights the need for better strategies to support diversity and inclusion.
Brief Overview of Implementation:
The pandemic led to an update in the project's design, leading to interviews with available HR professionals during lockdown, using snowball methodology, and deepening netnographic studies of corporate social media and websites (see also Eriksson-Zetterquist, 2022 for a detailed discussion on methodology). This approach provided greater access to HR professionals internationally and deeper insights into how social media is used in recruitment and D&I work. It also clarified how D&I is translated and how companies navigate such translations in various contexts.
The Three Most Important Findings and Reflections on Conclusions:
1. HR professionals possess strong insights into digitalization and strategically use proven technological solutions to advance D&I. However, AI solutions require careful programming to address D&I issues effectively; otherwise, they risk undermining diversity efforts (Eriksson-Zetterquist, forthcoming).
2. Corporate online communication about D&I is tailored to various audiences, which can lead to "business case washing" (Gillberg, 2024). Within universities, working globally in a different way, a similar trend is observed, where D&I focus mainly on students, setting other marginalized groups among employees aside (Eriksson-Zetterquist & Sahlin, 2023).
3. The extent to which flexible digital work arrangements promote equal participation for marginalized groups, particularly women and older employees, remains questionable (Arman, Gillberg, Norbäck, forthcoming).
Conclusions
Currently, D&I issues do not seem to be explicitly translated into technical solutions such as people analytics systems in the HR field. Since AI and machine learning involve the reinforcement and extrapolation of existing data, it is crucial that new technical solutions incorporate conditions that further enable D&I in all aspects of HR practices. Other studies have shown that otherwise, there is a risk that companies will recruit and seek talent based on the same criteria as their existing personnel, often homogeneous groups. This could lead to companies losing both their innovative capacity and external legitimacy. However, it is important not to focus solely on how companies use extensive AI or ML-based solutions. Our studies show that even simpler technologies can be used to develop strategically important practices that enable D&I.
Another aspect of our study concerns how companies and organizations communicate their D&I efforts. As mentioned, there is a risk of "business case washing" when companies use these tools primarily to project a D&I-friendly image that appeals to economic interests without making significant internal changes. Similarly, universities that focus on D&I mainly in relation to student recruitment but do not make other changes to provide marginalized teachers and researchers with the same career opportunities as white men highlight the need for critical examination of what underlies organizations' strong advocacy of D&I messages. It must be ensured that these messages contribute to inclusion rather than serving as superficial symbols of engagement.
Additionally, even though social media and AI-based systems can provide platforms for communicating central D&I strategies, these solutions must be carefully "glocalized" to account for the social and cultural dynamics that shape inclusion in different regions. Global companies must balance the generality of AI-based solutions with cultural sensitivity and good understanding of local conditions.
Potential New Research Questions
Since the launch of the project, both D&I and digital technologies have gained greater significance, particularly D&I through increased demands for ESG reporting. It is important to study how these demands affect D&I practices globally. It is also necessary to investigate how the experience of flexible work varies between different cultural contexts within global companies, especially for marginalized employees.
Furthermore, it is crucial for D&I research to consider the global conditions and challenges faced by organizations.
As the hype around AI continues to grow, there is a need to explore what happens when machine learning with the reinforcement of known data is transformed into applications designed to facilitate various tasks in organizations. How does this impact D&I? What happens when employees start learning from AI-based applications instead of other established methods and previous research?
Dissemination of Research and Collaboration
The project has resulted in four scientific papers, two of which are published open access and two are in process. The studies have been presented at three international scientific conferences, and the topic of AI in organizational contexts was explored in an international seminar series in spring 2021. Additionally, the questions have been explored within the framework of five master's theses supervised by the project leader, and it has also resulted in a doctoral course titled "Social sustainability and work: inequality, precarization, and practices for social justice" within a Nordic network.
The present project aims to describe, analyze and explain the interplay between digital technologies and diversity work by conducting studies of a Swedish global corporation that operate in many countries. Key research questions have been addressed as follows:
Key research questions have been addressed as follows:
• A study on corporate online communication about D&I (Gillberg, 2024) reveals how companies craft ambiguous messages to appeal to both business and social justice-oriented audiences. The concept of "business case washing" is introduced, where communication becomes aspirational rather than grounded in reality.
• Another study compares how universities globally manage D&I issues. The results indicate that while universities focus on including diverse student groups, women and minorities among faculty remain underrepresented in influential positions, leading journals, and central networks. These issues receive less attention in strategies, and despite the establishment of diversity offices, efforts rarely support marginalized staff (Eriksson-Zetterquist & Sahlin, 2023). Unlike global companies, there is a lack of discussion about using technological tools to strengthen D&I work.
• The study "D&I, AI and HR" (Eriksson-Zetterquist, forthcoming) examines how AI and digitalization in HRM might influence diversity and inclusion efforts. While AI can offer efficiency, it also carries the risk of embedded bias, especially in recruitment and talent management. Globally, companies show interest in these technologies but are hesitant due to concerns about security, costs, and a lack of scientific support. The study emphasizes the importance of careful implementation to prevent AI from undermining D&I work.
• Digital solutions for remote work have become part of strategies for diversity and inclusion. However, Arman, Gillberg, and Norbäck (forthcoming) question whether flexible work arrangements truly promote equal participation for marginalized groups, such as women and older employees. Their study shows that flexibility often pressures workers to hide vulnerabilities, reinforcing the ideal of unlimited commitment. This challenges the assumption that flexibility is inherently inclusive and highlights the need for better strategies to support diversity and inclusion.
Brief Overview of Implementation:
The pandemic led to an update in the project's design, leading to interviews with available HR professionals during lockdown, using snowball methodology, and deepening netnographic studies of corporate social media and websites (see also Eriksson-Zetterquist, 2022 for a detailed discussion on methodology). This approach provided greater access to HR professionals internationally and deeper insights into how social media is used in recruitment and D&I work. It also clarified how D&I is translated and how companies navigate such translations in various contexts.
The Three Most Important Findings and Reflections on Conclusions:
1. HR professionals possess strong insights into digitalization and strategically use proven technological solutions to advance D&I. However, AI solutions require careful programming to address D&I issues effectively; otherwise, they risk undermining diversity efforts (Eriksson-Zetterquist, forthcoming).
2. Corporate online communication about D&I is tailored to various audiences, which can lead to "business case washing" (Gillberg, 2024). Within universities, working globally in a different way, a similar trend is observed, where D&I focus mainly on students, setting other marginalized groups among employees aside (Eriksson-Zetterquist & Sahlin, 2023).
3. The extent to which flexible digital work arrangements promote equal participation for marginalized groups, particularly women and older employees, remains questionable (Arman, Gillberg, Norbäck, forthcoming).
Conclusions
Currently, D&I issues do not seem to be explicitly translated into technical solutions such as people analytics systems in the HR field. Since AI and machine learning involve the reinforcement and extrapolation of existing data, it is crucial that new technical solutions incorporate conditions that further enable D&I in all aspects of HR practices. Other studies have shown that otherwise, there is a risk that companies will recruit and seek talent based on the same criteria as their existing personnel, often homogeneous groups. This could lead to companies losing both their innovative capacity and external legitimacy. However, it is important not to focus solely on how companies use extensive AI or ML-based solutions. Our studies show that even simpler technologies can be used to develop strategically important practices that enable D&I.
Another aspect of our study concerns how companies and organizations communicate their D&I efforts. As mentioned, there is a risk of "business case washing" when companies use these tools primarily to project a D&I-friendly image that appeals to economic interests without making significant internal changes. Similarly, universities that focus on D&I mainly in relation to student recruitment but do not make other changes to provide marginalized teachers and researchers with the same career opportunities as white men highlight the need for critical examination of what underlies organizations' strong advocacy of D&I messages. It must be ensured that these messages contribute to inclusion rather than serving as superficial symbols of engagement.
Additionally, even though social media and AI-based systems can provide platforms for communicating central D&I strategies, these solutions must be carefully "glocalized" to account for the social and cultural dynamics that shape inclusion in different regions. Global companies must balance the generality of AI-based solutions with cultural sensitivity and good understanding of local conditions.
Potential New Research Questions
Since the launch of the project, both D&I and digital technologies have gained greater significance, particularly D&I through increased demands for ESG reporting. It is important to study how these demands affect D&I practices globally. It is also necessary to investigate how the experience of flexible work varies between different cultural contexts within global companies, especially for marginalized employees.
Furthermore, it is crucial for D&I research to consider the global conditions and challenges faced by organizations.
As the hype around AI continues to grow, there is a need to explore what happens when machine learning with the reinforcement of known data is transformed into applications designed to facilitate various tasks in organizations. How does this impact D&I? What happens when employees start learning from AI-based applications instead of other established methods and previous research?
Dissemination of Research and Collaboration
The project has resulted in four scientific papers, two of which are published open access and two are in process. The studies have been presented at three international scientific conferences, and the topic of AI in organizational contexts was explored in an international seminar series in spring 2021. Additionally, the questions have been explored within the framework of five master's theses supervised by the project leader, and it has also resulted in a doctoral course titled "Social sustainability and work: inequality, precarization, and practices for social justice" within a Nordic network.