Investigating perceived implications of EDI implementation : A case study of EDI work in the Swedish industry

Abstract: By successful implementation of EDI both individual and company gains can be achieved, based on a sense of satisfaction, belonging, and additional thinking perspectives. That result in increased likelihood and conditions for innovativeness and competitiveness. EDI is perceived as necessary for companies to become and remain attractive and competitive. At the same time it is based on voluntary commitments which might affect resource dedication. The focus of the study is the perception and management of EDI based on empirical and theoretical grounds, i.e., contrasting theory and practice of EDI. It was performed as a qualitative case study with an inductive approach, by purposefully sampled respondents within HR management, to enable understanding and knowledge about the notion of EDI in the Swedish industry. Notable observations and valuable additions for future research are an absence of practical possibilities to demonstrate result-wise advantages of implementing a wider range of diversity dimensions, complexity in measuring multiple diversity imensions without violating personal integrity, lack of or active negation of general framework models, unclear responsibility distribution, lack of dedicated resources, homogenous approach without uniqueness towards EDI incentives, and reward issues. The result indicates that the focus is on equal conditions for everyone, e.g., by conscious knowledge-based recruitment, to a greater extent than fulfillment of diversity, e.g., nonnuanced gender focus, and inclusion, e.g., changes in policies and job descriptions. This study contributes to and extends existing EDI literature and emphasizes codification of knowledge to increase the transferability of EDI-related perceptions and incentives between and within individual Swedish industrial companies.