Demographic and organizational diversity
The project builds on a long-term research program on demographic diversity in organizations which has attracted international attention. The project aims to identify 'social mechanisms' that facilitate breaking the homophilous recruitment into company boards of directors and top management teams that still characterize Swedish firms. The methodology is based on detailed statistical analysis of Swedish matched employee-employer data that exploits exogenous variation to identify causal relationships, in combination with illustrative case studies. Tentative results show that demographic diversity in organizations can be enabled by leadership, but is primarily conditioned by the local labor and housing market. Large organizations change slowly and most of the variability in firms’ demographic diversity is due to the origins of the organizations, i.e. their founders and the environment in which firms are founded. Founders with broad social networks from previous workplaces and/or with access to personal role models in their vicinity tend to recruit more ethnically and gender-diverse company boards, and make more gender-equal hires in general staffing. Even in larger companies, role model effects can be identified in that companies with more equal management teams tend to attract a more equal set of middle managers. By seeking to identify social mechanisms that can improve equality and gender equality in organizations, the research contributes to important societal goals.
Final report
The sabbatical period has built on a long-term research program on demographic diversity in organizations that aimed to identify ‘social mechanisms’ that facilitate breaking the constant ‘homosocial reproduction’ of company boards and management teams that still characterize Swedish companies. The methodology in the program’s research has combined statistical analysis of Swedish company- and individual data that uses exogenous variation to identify causal relationships, in combination with illustrative case study data and simulation studies. A number of publications show that demographic diversity in organizations can be influenced by leadership, but is primarily conditioned by the local labor and housing markets. Large organizations change slowly and the lion’s share of the variability in their diversity depends on the organizations’ origins, i.e. their founders and the social and geographic environment in which the companies are founded. Founders with broad social networks from previous workplaces and/or with access to personal role models in their vicinity tend to recruit more ethnically and gender-diverse company boards, and implement more gender-equal employment decisions. The program has generated a number of publications in well-regarded international journals, where the sabbatical period has contributed through visiting researcher periods in Australia and USA, expanded international networks, and strengthened dissemination of the research. By identifying social mechanisms that improve equity in working life, the research contributes to important societal goals.