Managing Cultural

Diversity at Workplace

How is cultural diversity management perceived by

employees at JIBS?
Are the policies and practices same in terms of how they
are being delivered?

BACHELOR THESIS WITHIN: Business Administration

NUMBER OF CREDITS: 15 ECTS
PROGRAMME OF STUDY: Marketing Management
AUTHOR: Rashidat Abidemi Anjorin, Avni Jansari
TUTOR: Imran Nazir
JÖNKÖPING May 2018
Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration

Title: Managing Cultural Diversity at Workplace

Authors: Rashidat Abidemi Anjorin, Avni Jansari
Tutor: Imran Nazir
Date: 2018-05-21

Key terms: Cultural Diversity Management, Diversity at workplace, Employee perception,

Human Resource Management

Abstract:
Background: Cultural diversity within a workplace is increasingly becoming important as
more organisations are embracing it within the global workforce. Some of its effect have been
linked to performance outcomes according to past reviews and as a result, there are more
suggestions on the need to study how various organisations manage their cultural diversity.
Universities as an organisation has also blended in the internationalisation practice through
human resources and diverse employees to form a part of the economic globalisation.
Purpose: The purpose if this paper is to examine how cultural diversity is managed in a
Swedish university, Jönköping International Business School (JIBS). Also, further
investigation is on the employee’s perception of how the practices and policies of cultural
diversity is being delivered by the management at the university.
Method: An exploratory research is conducted for this paper and the empirical findings is
gathered through a qualitative research. The primary research is retrieved by semi-constructed
interviews. The human resource department and teachers from different backgrounds and
countries were interviewed to find out how the teachers perception of cultural diversity
management at their workplace based on how the practices and policies were delivered to them.
Findings: Based on the interviews it was found that the cultural diversity management as a
topic is well understood by both the management and the employees. However, the study
revealed that the employees do not perceive it in the same manner it was being delivered to
them by the management. The issues and practices connected to managing cultural diversity is
not entirely provided by the management within the work environment. It essential that the
management provide for more effectively communicated structure

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 Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the staffs at Jönköping International Business School and the HR
specialist for their support towards making this thesis possible.

We would also like to thank our tutor Imran Nazir, for the support and insights given during
the course.

____________________ _____________________

Rashidat Abidemi Anjorin Avni Jansari

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction ......................................................................... 1
1.1 Background ............................................................................................ 1
1.2 Problem Formulations ............................................................................ 2
1.3 Purpose ................................................................................................. 3
1.4 Delimitations .......................................................................................... 3
1.5 Definitions .............................................................................................. 4
1.6 Research Questions .............................................................................. 4
2. Theoretical Background ..................................................... 5
2.1 Cultural Diversity Management at Workplace ........................................ 5
2.2 Different Dimensions of Diversity ........................................................... 6
2.3 Benefits & Challenges of Cultural Diversity Management at
Workplace........................................................................................................... 6
2.3.1 Benefits of a Diverse Workforce............................................................. 7
2.3.2 Challenges for Cultural Diversity ............................................................ 8
2.4 How to Manage Cultural Diversity Differences ....................................... 9
2.5 The Relationship between HRM and Cultural Diversity Management .. 10
2.5.1 Human Recourse Management Practices ........................................... 10
2.5.2 The Role of HRM in Cultural Diversity Management............................ 12
2.5.3 Employee Perception Towards HR Practices ...................................... 13
3. Methodology & Method .................................................... 14
3.1 Methodology ........................................................................................ 15
3.1.1 Research Philosophy ........................................................................... 15
3.1.2 Research Approach ............................................................................. 15
3.1.3 Research Strategy ............................................................................... 16
3.1.4 Case Study .......................................................................................... 16
3.2 Method ................................................................................................. 17
3.2.1 Data Collection..................................................................................... 17
3.2.2 Primary Research ................................................................................ 17
3.2.2.1 Criticism of the Chosen Method ........................................................... 18
3.2.3 Sample ................................................................................................. 18
3.2.4 Interview Design .................................................................................. 18
3.2.5 Secondary Data ................................................................................... 20
3.2.6 Data Analysis ....................................................................................... 20
3.3 Trustworthiness of Sources ................................................................. 21
3.4 Ethical Issues with Interviews .............................................................. 21
4. Empirical Findings & Analysis ......................................... 22
4.1 Jönköping International Business School ............................................ 22
4.1.1 JIBS Organisational Structure .............................................................. 22
4.1.2 JIBS Policies, Practices & Strategies ................................................... 24
4.1.3 Associate Dean of Faculty on Diversity Management .......................... 25
4.1.4 HR Specialist for JIBS .......................................................................... 28
4.2 Selected Teachers at JIBS .................................................................. 31
4.3 Diversity Management at JIBS ............................................................. 32

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4.3.1 JIBS Employee’s Perception of Cultural Diversity ................................ 37
4.4 Support from JIBS and HRM ............................................................... 40
5. Conclusion ........................................................................ 42
6. Discussion ......................................................................... 43
6.1 Managerial Implications ....................................................................... 43
6.2 Limitations ............................................................................................ 44
6.3 Future Research .................................................................................. 45
References.................................................................................... 45
Appendix....................................................................................... 50

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1. Introduction

_____________________________________________________________________________________
The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the reader to the study of Cultural Diversity
Management at a workplace. The chapter will begin with presenting the background, and
move on to the problem formulation and purpose of the study.

1.1 Background

With an increasing globalisation, people from diverse cultures, beliefs and backgrounds
are required to interact more nowadays (Mazur, 2010). For years, an effective diversity
management has been utilised as a support and as a defence against discrimination (Shen,
J, Chanda, D'Netto, and Monga, 2009). It became interesting to study diversity at a
workplace, as the authors of this paper have noticed the growth of diversity over the years.
Also, attending an international business school which consist of diverse community
becomes another interesting factor to see how diversity is being managed. In recent years,
diversity has become a significant part for the management. In addition, due to differences
increasing in the population, diversity is expected to become even more significant in the
future. People are now a part of a worldwide economy that involves competition from all
around the world and therefore diversity is needed in organisations. Diversity in
organisations is required to accept and adapt easily to change, and to increase creativeness
(Shen et al., 2009). Furthermore, Shen et al, (2009) adds that diversity issues are
becoming more important and a relevant issue, and especially for the future, since the
differences in the population is increasing in many countries.

Valuing and as well as managing diversity is a key element for an effective people
management, which in turn can improve workplace productivity (Mazur 2010).
Internationalisation of business, growing workforce flexibility, world market
development and increasing the awareness of diverse individuals, results in how diversity
management can take advantage of the increasing multiculturalism. In this regard,
multiculturalism is a process where different culture or groups have same rights and
opportunities and no one is considered unimportant. By having an equality in a workforce,
leads to an organisation that can attract and maintain a qualified workforce. Moreover,

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not only does diversity management identify the diverse workforce, it also values and
controls the multicultural workforce, such as the background, individual characteristics,
orientations and religious beliefs, to fully take advantage of and use the employees’
individual talents, also to fulfil the organisational goals (Shen et. al, 2009).

1.2 Problem Formulations

From previous studies, it was discovered that scholars in the management field and
organisations have increasingly developed interest in the topic of cultural diversity in a
work environment. A review suggests that the topic is not very straightforward and simple
(Gloria. 1999). It is also thought that the method an organisation uses towards managing
diversity forms the negative or positive outcomes they get and not the diversity itself
(Ongori and Agolla 2007). Some of these methods includes attitude, initiatives, work
delegation, performance standards and motivational techniques.

What is also known from findings is that diversity management is an important and
relevant aspect of HRM in organisations (Paul, 2016), especially for the future, since the
differences are growing within the population at the workplace. But then, study suggests
that it may not really be diversity that affects employee retention, motivation and
performance but, an employee’s perception of exclusion or inclusion in organisation
process (Mor-Barak and Cherin, 1998). Having said that, how an organisation and its
employees perceive cultural diversity may be a hindrance without them knowing. Shen
et.al, (2009), mentions a study in his paper conducted by Allen, Dawson, Wheatley and
White (2004), where it was shown the differences in the perceptions of both employees
and the managers in the same companies regarding the diversity practices. The employees
felt that their workplaces were not implementing the various diversity practices and
strategies, while the managers in the same companies thought they were applying the
diversity strategy practices efficiently. In this regard, it can be deduced that what is being
practiced may not align with how or what employees perceives it to be. The performance
standards should be effectively communicated, and objectively established (Ongori and
Agolla. 2007). The research will explain how Jönköping International Business School
(JIBS) manage diversity in terms of policies and practices and what the employees
perceive it to be.

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There is an increasing need to study whether policies, strategy or practices of
organisations could help implement positive outcomes for how they manage cultural
diversity within a workplace. Another aspect is to also find out about the employment
policies and practices provided for the diverse group. This will give better understanding
on the topic of managing cultural diversity by weighing in the employee’s perspective of
how it is being delivered.

The issue of managing cultural diversity is a primary concern for many international
organisations. Previous reviews have discussed different aspect of cultural diversity
management in language, race, religion, ethnicity, age and gender. A few authors in their
findings pointed out the need to assess inclusiveness in work environment practices and
how organizations could benefit from diversity initiatives. The study explains further,
how the employees perceive cultural diversity within their work environment, the practice
of inclusiveness, policy issues and challenges the employees encounter. JIBS was chosen
due to its distinctive position as an international business school with a culturally diverse
background. This study will focus findings on the Human resource department of the
school faculty and the employees of the faculty. Then, an observation of the two will be
made in terms of how diversity policies, practices or strategy are being delivered and
perceived. Does the policies, practices and strategies of the university help or hinder the
management of cultural diversity?

1.3 Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine how cultural diversity is managed through Human
Resource policies and practices, and how these practices are perceived by the employees.
This exploratory research will contribute to the academia for future readers, it will also
add more knowledge and insights on the topic of managing cultural diversity, in terms of
policies or strategies to support the employees in a workplace.

1.4 Delimitations

There are a few delimitations to this study. Firstly, not all the teachers are being
interviewed JIBS. Therefore, the authors will get limited information and individual
perceptions of the focus group of the research, since only a few thoughts will be analysed.

3
Secondly, the focus is only on JIBS as an organisation, a comparative study of another
company is not carried out, hence outcomes may be based on JIBS observation.

1.5 Definitions

There are a few key definitions relevant to this paper, this chapter provides definitions of
the keywords that are used throughout the thesis as an effort to interpret its application to
the thesis and to avoid misunderstandings or misinterpretation.

Diversity
Diversity have been defined in different ways but in this case, it will be discussed in the
context of a workplace. According to Sharma (2016), it is any significant difference
amongst individuals such as age, race, religion, functional, profession, sexual orientation,
geographic origin and or lifestyle.

Diversity Management
Pitts (2006) described the concept as multifaceted which includes three components;
programs aimed at increasing cultural awareness, recruitment programs, and pragmatic
management policies.

Cultural Diversity Management

It is any significant difference in race, nationality, language, ethnicity, religion shown
within a community (Martin, 2014). Also, a management of differences and similarities
of employees working at a workplace and further said “the degree of ‘otherness’ felt by
individuals” (D'Netto, Shen, Chelliah, and Monga, 2013).

Human Resource Management

Human resource management is defined as, all the activities related to the management
and the people within an organisation (Boxall and Purcell, 2011). Jose Chiappetta Jabbour
et al. (2011) explained that human resource management is about planning, integration,
and actions to gain an effective management of all employees working in a workplace.

1.6 Research Questions

RQ1: How is cultural diversity management perceived by employees at JIBS?

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RQ2: Are the policies and practices similar in terms of how they are being delivered?

2. Theoretical Background

_____________________________________________________________________________________
This chapter is to introduce the reader to the theoretical background of this paper about
diversity management in workplace, the benefits and challenges, and further connecting
diversity management to human resource management.
______________________________________________________________________

2.1 Cultural Diversity Management at Workplace

Cultural diversity is any significant difference of an individual shown in a culture. The

cultural environment in a workplace is reflecting the present demographics, social and
cultural differences on a societal level. For any organisation, to manage a cultural diverse
workforce is a great challenge (Mateescu, 2018). No person is the same, every individual
is different from each other depending on their religion, background, age, education,
perceptions etc., (Saxena 2014). Saxena (2014) also stated that diversity makes the
workforce heterogeneous, when various multicultural individuals come together to work
at the same place (Saxena, 2014). Mazur (2010) additionally mentions that a cultural
diversity workplace reflects on the changing marketplace and the world.

Sharma (2016) explained six reasons for having a diverse workforce, such as, 1).
Improved understanding of customer base, 2). Increased productivity, 3). Greater
innovation and creativity, 4). Increased skill set, 5). Improve new employee and retention
and 6). A larger talent pool. In the first reason, “Improved understanding of customer
base”, the author mentions that, with a wide range of multicultural workforce with
different backgrounds and experiences, it is easier to serve the customers. The next reason
is about increased productivity, where the author mentions that diversity comes with
different ways of thinking, combining of various experiences and expertise, which result
in teamwork, greater productivity and employee satisfaction. The third reason explains
that having a diverse workforce leads to an increased level of skills, talents, ideas and
innovation. The fourth reason, mentions that with a diverse environment, that has
numerous different skills, it becomes easier to cope with, adjusting to, and further succeed

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in a constant changing market. Reason number five discusses that new employees that are
more comfortable in a multicultural environment since they can easily integrate with
everyone and they also feel more valued. This later benefits into building expertise and
experience of an employee. In the last reason, the author states that rather than viewing
and referring to only select groups with potential applicants, organisations can benefit
from taking advantage of a larger talent pool, since there are individuals from different
backgrounds that provide a variety of skills.

2.2 Different Dimensions of Diversity

Diversity has different dimensions and therefore diversity is complex and requires a lot
of study regarding it (Mazur, 2010). Mateescu (2018) describes the different dimensions
of diversity such as, the primary dimensions, which includes the inborn differences, such
as age, race, ethnicity, gender and disability. These dimensions gives form to an
individual's basic self-image and the fundamental worldviews (Mazur, 2010). The
secondary dimension has to do with religion, beliefs, family backgrounds, culture, sexual
orientations, lifestyle, education etc., (Mateescu, 2018). Mazur (2010) explains that this
dimension is less visible and impacts the self-esteem and self-definition. Finally, the
tertiary dimensions, which is based on beliefs, assumption, perceptions, attitudes, feeling
and values (Mateescu, 2018). Mazur (2010) explains that these dimensions shows the
historical experienced moments. Mateescu (2018) further describes that these dimensions
are interacting with each other to create an identity of an individual that brings out the
similarities and differences that in turn affects the work environment. This study is going
to examine the primary dimensions with the inborn differences, particularly in terms of
race and ethnicity, how these diverse employees are managed and how they perceive the
practices at the university.

2.3 Benefits & Challenges of Cultural Diversity Management at Workplace

Diverse workforce is a “double edged sword” that generates both positive and negative
results. However, if the diversity management is managed effectively, it can lead to great
advantages. There are various challenges and benefits when it comes to diversity
management, however they are likely to vary depending on different countries (D'Netto
et. al., 2013). Another author pointed out that a workplace cultural diversity could be both
unfavourable and favourable. Unfavourable in the sense that harmony is difficult to

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achieve amongst work colleagues which could also bring lost productivity, and
favourable, in terms of creating a strong force on knowledge as a result of cultural
differences or experience (Martin 2014).

2.3.1 Benefits of a Diverse Workforce

There are several benefits and advantages to cultural diversity at a workplace. Cultural
diversity in a multicultural organisation attracts the best talent (Mazur 2010). To have a
multicultural organisation makes it easier to serve an increasingly global market since
these organisations have a deeper insight of the requirements of the legal, political, social,
economic and cultural environments of foreign countries (Saxena, 2018). To retain a
diverse environment results in employees being better at problem solving, suggesting
multiple interpretations and perspectives when managing various complex problems
(Mazur, 2010).

Additionally, the employees are able to comply with the changes and they acquire
organisational flexibility (Mazur, 2010). They also bring their own individual
experiences, talents, and skills to easily adapt to customers’ demands and further serve
customers on a global basis (Sharma, 2014). The presence of diversity in an organisation
also means that the institution is socially responsible and provides equal opportunity to
the groups without discrimination (Cunningham & Melton. 2011). Other authors argue
that diversity increases the innovativeness and creativity at a workplace (D'Netto et. al.,
2013). According to these authors, diversity management improves quality of the
decisions made, and it also increases the organisational effectiveness, efficiency and
profitability. Overall, a diverse environment results in a positive effect on a firm’s
performance and additionally, the author states that diversity management can lead to
competitive advantage, while also improving the quality of an organisation (D'Netto et.
al., 2013). Other advantages of diversity management at a workplace involve, increase in
labour turnover and absenteeism, and employees who see themselves as valued at the
workplace, tend to work harder, more involved in the processes and are more innovative
(Ongori and Agolla, 2007).

Ongori and Agolla (2007), also added that diversity comes with improved decision
making, with immense success in marketing in foreign and domestic ethnic minority

7
communities, and diversity also brings a better distribution of economic opportunity. A
study conducted by (Watson, Kumar, and Michaelsen, 1993), revealed that a cultural
diverse group that has been working together for a longer period, is more effective in the
interaction process and job performance.

2.3.2 Challenges for Cultural Diversity

Diversity management also comes with several challenges or disadvantages; a diverse

environment can create dysfunctional conflicts, which in turn can lead to frustration and
confusion, especially in terms of uncertainty and complexity (Mazur, 2010). Conflicts
arise mainly because of ignorance to diversity (Ongori and Agolla 2007). Combining
different cultures at a workplace can result in employees finding it difficult to arrive at
agreements, which in turn can lead to cultural clashes and negative dynamics (Mazur,
2010). Saxena (2014) additionally stated that, when individuals with different mind-sets,
thinking and perceptions, not agreeing with each other upon decisions, can result in a
damaging effect on the interpersonal relationship among the individuals. According to
previous researches, a diverse environment, especially when it comes to race, may lead
to several issues, such as communications breakdown and low cohesion (D'Netto et. al.,
2013).

Certain individuals may feel threatened when working together with people from diverse
backgrounds such as age, sex or culture. A diverse environment can also lead to lack of
acceptance, due to offensive comments or prejudice feelings, which in turn creates
negative dynamics, for instance, ethnocentrism, stereotyping and culture clashes at the
workplace. On the other hand, members belonging minority-group tend to feel less valued
than the members from majority-group because of stereotyping, prejudice and
ethnocentrism (Ongori and Agolla 2007).

Restricting employees’ abilities and motivation occurs due to unfavourable treatment of

the workers, which in turn results in lower job performance. This situation occurs when
mismanagement of diversity develops at the workplace. Hence, conflicts arise when
corporations neglect the significance of a diverse workforce (Ongori and Agolla 2007).

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2.4 How to Manage Cultural Diversity Differences

To recruit a diverse workforce is hard and, to retain and maintain a diverse workforce is
even a greater challenge. By viewing the “best practices” by Farren and Nelson (1999),
aids in recognising the tools to maintain and manage a workforce that is diverse.

Farren and Nelson (1999), has described the four best practices for a healthier diverse
workforce. The first practice is to have an open communication, since communication is
what holds an organisation together. An open communication is the first critical step,
which subsequently has to be followed by taking actions that shows the concern and needs
of an employee in a workplace. In companies where the workers respect each other, they
are more successful in retaining and maintaining the employees. Another practice is to
educate and give training about other people's cultures, and to make them more sensitive
towards discrimination and other employee’s feelings. Some companies have training
towards how to handle situations regarding the occurrence of cultural clashes. The third
practice is to provide mentors, in order to decrease discrimination. Allocating of mentors
to employees, aids in networking possibilities that can often be missed out for women,
people of colour, and disabled people at work. Finally, the last practice is to make
managers more accountable, by including diverse accountability in the job descriptions
to intensify their actions towards diverse workforce. Even though the top managers
believe that diversity programs are significant, however not many companies link the
diversity practices to performance and compensation.

Further contribution is that a company that retains a diverse workforce are likely to serve
and compete better in a multicultural market. By maintaining a diverse workforce makes
all employees at a workplace feel connected and relate more to the company they
are working for (Farren and Nelson, 1999).

Kundu (2001) mentioned that in order for a company with a diverse workforce, to
effectively manage in a globally and in a domestic multicultural environment, they must
identify the differences that may occur by working with a diverse people. Moreover,
companies need to turn these differences into the advantages instead of ignoring them or
allowing them to create even more issues. Thus, the managers need to be taught how to
respect the diversity and also learn how to work with them in order to gain full

9
contribution of each worker in an organisation. It depends on how the managers and
employees view the cultural diversity and its advantages and disadvantages, in order for
the organisation to manage the cultural diversity overall. He further explains three
different strategies to manage cultural differences.

The first and the weakest approach is to ignore the differences, where the managers in an
organisation do not see the cultural differences, or the effect it has on the company. The
managers in this situation sees diversity as irrelevant, and believes in what they do is the
correct way. Another method is to minimise the differences, which is followed by an
ethnocentric organisation. In this approach the managers sees the diversity itself as a
problem of the source, and reduces the problem by eliminating diversity overall. The last
strategy is to manage the differences, where an organisation sees the effects of having a
diverse workforce and also its advantages and disadvantages. The managers in this
organisation adopt a synergistic approach, where they try to minimise the issues by
managing the impact of cultural diversity rather than eliminating the diversity itself and
instead increasing the advantages of a diverse workforce. In this strategy, the
organisations train the managers and employees to identify cultural differences and to
turn them into advantages (Kundu, 2001).

2.5 The Relationship between HRM and Cultural Diversity Management

2.5.1 Human Recourse Management Practices

Since the past few decades, human resource management (HRM) has extensively grown,
and now deals with a range of people management processes. The human resource
function is a collection of several different activities, processes and functions, used to
attract, direct and maintain the organisation’s human resource. As widely recognised, the
key practices of HRM department include, recruitment and selection, training and
development, performance management and pay (Shen, Chanda, D’Netto and Monja,
2009).

Recruitment and selection

It has been suggested by previous studies that managers and employees refer equal
opportunity as equal to diversity management for a person to be employed into an
organisation. However, despite equality legislation and commitment to equal opportunity,

10
a systematic discrimination in recruitment and selection process still exists (Shen et. al,
2009). Hiring companies are expected to arrange for an appropriate staffing in their
budget plans before the recruitment process, and grade the number of employees that are
needed for job. Recruitment and selection reduces the cost of mistakes in hiring under
qualified and incompetent employees while the process of firing them is also expensive.
Also, organisations should ensure that its employment practices and policies provide for
career planning, developmental opportunities, mentoring for disadvantaged group and
reduce work-family disputes (Shen et. al, 2009).

Performance management
This is the assessing and observing of employee’s performance, providing feedback and
recording of the employee’s assessment. In this process, managers give feedbacks and
describe the performance areas that requires improvement (Daft and Marcic, 2016).
A study by Purcell and Hutchinson (2007) shows that negative attitude resulting from a
poorly applied HR policy are experienced by employees more than they do when there is
absence of a particular practice. The tolerance for an underperformance could emerge as
a main issue of employee dissatisfaction in an employee opinion survey so an organisation
should specify what an acceptable performance is among its staffs and managers.

Pay
An effective compensation system is important in HRM since it helps organisations to
retain or attract talented workers, also it helps impact on company’s strategic performance
(Daft and Marcic, 2016).

Although, an inequality in Pay could be a cause for job dissatisfaction or demotivation

which is a major issue in diversity. In this regard, gender inequality is still a global issue
because of the differences in earnings between women and men (Shen et al., 2009). The
other HR system and practices may be redundant if there is no satisfaction in the pay and
benefits received by employees

Training and Development

Training and development are necessary functions in human resource management and
studies have proved it is an aspect that have received a considerate amount of attention

11
from most organisational management (Shen et al, 2009). Its functions include job skills
training, employee orientation, professional development and leadership training.
An organisation should always attempt to improve on the future and current performance
of its employees through education that increases their skills and knowledge in a field
(Benson, 2006). The HRM functions here reflects promotion from within practices that
supports employee work goals. Diversity awareness training is also a function that
promotes effective integration of diverse group members and such training promotes a
common understanding and assist in building a sense of belonging that could improve
organisational and individual outcomes. The managers in organisations that lacks
effective policies that guides diversity are likely to rate highly the subordinates that have
similar experience and cultural background (Shen et al, 2009).

2.5.2 The Role of HRM in Cultural Diversity Management

Diversity management in an organisation can lead to positive performance outcomes,

when the HR practices supports the multicultural workforce that possesses the skills to
turn diversity into an advantage for the organisation. Not only does HRM ensure equality,
the function also values and makes use of diversity in an effective way, therefore HRM
has a vital role when it comes to diversity management (D'Netto et al., 2013).

Diversity management and human resource management are two functions that are
overlapping each other (Shen et. al, 2009). The authors further explain the main difference
between the two functions, the human resource management is the function that handles
the people management processes, while diversity management is an approach towards
the employees in an organisation.

Both Shen et al, (2009) and D'Netto et al., (2013) states that the functions, HRM and
diversity management take individual differences, development and the well-being of
every individual at the workplace into interest. Therefore, the authors have concluded
based on previous researchers that, for an organisation to achieve an effective diversity
management, it is necessary to have the appropriate HR strategies and functions. The
organisations’ HR strategies should focus on increasing the learning, flexibility,
knowledge creation and development of the organization’s work environment, in order to
have an effective HR, which is favourable for the diversity management in an

12
organisation. Jose Chiappetta Jabbour et al., (2011) agrees on this statement by including,
that if diversity is the objective and if the HR function supports these objectives of an
enterprise, it can result in the HRM being favourable for the diversity management. Shen
et al, (2009), states that since diversity management is a part of HRM, it should therefore
be at the heart of human resource management policies and practices. Also, (Boerner,
Linkohr and Keifer, 2011) suggests that the upper management of a company is the most
important for making an inclusive culture meaning better that it is relevant for the HR to
be identified with implementing efficient policies.

2.5.3 Employee Perception Towards HR Practices

Perceptions are feelings or notions of an employee’s, concerning fairness, effectiveness

and support of Human Resource Management practices at a workplace. It can be said that
employees are more satisfied with their job and the place of work, if they perceive the
HRM practices to be fair, effective in terms of positive outcomes and, useful and
supportive in welfare and development (Ansari, 2011).

Knowing the perceptions of employee about cultural diversity is important for

organisations, as it may be a tool for forming strategies that may help shape its
management (Hofhuis, 2015). Whether the perceptions have negative or positive effects,
they may be reduced by the manner the policies are being justified and communicated
within the workplace (Harrison, Kravitz, Mayer, Leslie, and Lev-Arey, 2006). When the
managers, employees and other groups in an organisation have different perspectives
towards the diversity management, it is because of poor implementation of the HR
diversity practices (Shen et al., 2009).

A research of HPWS (high performance work systems) revealed that interpretations of

HR practices by employees, are influenced by the employees’ demographics and
attributions (Frenkel, Restubog and Bednall, 2012). HPWS is a theory, where the main
purpose is to support and encourage employees’ skills and involvement (Choi and Lee,
2013) and it is a combination of HR practices to increase individual and organisational
performance (Frenkel Restubog and Bednall, 2012). The processes of communicating HR
practices and the practice itself, influences the employees’ interpretations. Employees
agree more with each other, by generating a strong HR climate, which is created by when

13
HR policy and the practices are visible and attractive, agreed by the managers and
consistent in their message. A positive outcomes of a strong HR climate leads to positive
employee responses and subsequently higher performance by them (Frenkel Restubog
and Bednall, 2012). The authors, further argues that HR practices influences the
employees’ attitudes in complex way, which are related to their sense of what fairness is.

Moreover, the HR policies that are perceived as fair by the employees, when it comes to
outcomes and procedures, leads to strong pay-off in increased organisational
identification, effort and co-worker support (Frenkel, Restubog and Bednall, 2012). The
attitudinal reactions of HR practices can be said to be dependent on employees’
perceptions towards these practices regarding their work. The perceptions of employees
are significant in terms of HR, if an applicant perceive a firm negatively, the applicant
will most likely not select the firm. It is vital for organisations to see how the employees
perceive the HR practices at the workplace, in order for the employees to obtain higher
performance in their work and feel one with the company they are working for (Choi and
Lee, 2013).

3. Methodology & Method

_____________________________________________________________________________________

14
This chapter will explain the methodology and method used in the thesis. A thorough
discussion on why the method and strategy was chosen and how it was used in this paper.
This part will also examine the data collection, data analysis, and lastly conclude with
the trustworthiness and ethical issues regarding the sources.
______________________________________________________________________

3.1 Methodology

3.1.1 Research Philosophy

The philosophical commitments that are made through the choice of research strategy,
has an impact on what is being done and what is further going to be investigated and the
adopted philosophy has to be influenced by practical considerations. There are two
different research paradigms to choose from when conducting a research, namely the
positivist and the interpretivist paradigm, and the better option to adopt depends on the
research questions that are to be examined (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009).

The positivist paradigm is associated with quantitative research, with a traditional and
scientific research and on the other hand the interpretivist is based on qualitative data.
After viewing the different options, an interpretivist paradigm was suggested for
conducting the qualitative research (Collis and Hussey, 2013). The interpretivism refers
to and aids in understanding the differences between individuals as social actors and
therefore putting the emphasis on examining individuals rather than objectives. This
philosophy concerns how humans try to make sense of the world that revolves around
them (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009).

3.1.2 Research Approach

There are three different approaches that can be applied in researches, deductive,
inductive and abduction (Arbnor and Bjerke, 2014). A deductive approach is when
developing a theory and a hypothesis, and subsequently designing a research strategy that
tests the made hypothesis, which is more suitable for a positivism paradigm. On the other
hand, an inductive approach refers to collecting data and as a result of the data analysis,
developing a theory, and this approach is applicable to an interpretivism paradigm
(Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009). The last-mentioned method, abduction, is a
combination of both deductive and inductive, which also brings up new steps (Arbnor

15
and Bjerke, 2014). Since this research is adopting an interpretivism paradigm with
collecting data and later developing a theory, the inductive approach was more suitable
for this paper.

3.1.3 Research Strategy

There are two different ways of collecting data, depending on what type of research is
being conducted, namely quantitative and qualitative data. Collis and Hussey (2013)
mentioned that quantitative is numerical data that can be used for a positivist study,
whereas qualitative is collected data in form of words and images. Saunders, Lewis and
Thornhill (2009), added that the quantitative data is predominantly used for techniques
such as questionnaires and on the other hand, the qualitative data is mostly used for
interviews which requires non-numerical data.

Qualitative data are associated with an interpretivist paradigm and are normally short-
termed and hence, the result comes with a high level of validity. Moreover, in an
interpretivist paradigm, there are no intentions of quantifying data or analysing the data
statistically, since the emphasis is on the quality and depth of the data collected, resulting
in rich data being collected (Collis and Hussey 2013). The more suitable approach for this
thesis was to choose qualitative data as it is based on an interpretivist paradigm to gather
in-depth information about the employee’s perceptions towards the policies and practices
in Jönköping International Business School (JIBS) and how they manage the diverse
background.

3.1.4 Case Study

A case study was chosen for this paper, since the authors wanted to attain rich data and
understanding for diversity at a workplace, (Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill, 2009).
According to, Yin (2003) a case study refers to ‘a strategy for doing research which
involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its
real-life context using multiple sources of evidence’. The study is a focus on cultural
diversity management within a workplace therefore it was based on organisational
perspective. A study should focus mainly on what the authors can present, not on theories
or other sources contributed to a research to form the result (Creswell. 2007). The study
is also about a topic in relation to organisations operating with different nationalities

16
under one umbrella in which the process facilitates benefits and challenges to the
company. It may be interesting to observe a company as opposed to a comparative study
of multiple companies which is more common. Since JIBS has an openness towards the
issue of cultural diversity and interest of its employees on the topic. Therefore, JIBS was
chosen as it is an international school that consists of employees from different countries
and it will be the only organization that will be analysed.

3.2 Method

3.2.1 Data Collection

Previous researches were analysed and investigated in order to get a deeper knowledge
and insight of the topic in question. From previous reviews a gap was found regarding
managing cultural diversity at workplace such as in a university, and a request for further
research was thereby found. Several researches have previously studied cultural diversity
management in various organisations and manufacturing companies, however, there are
not many investigations towards how employees perceive cultural diversity at a
university. For this study, both primary and secondary data were collected in order to gain
as much relevant and rich information as possible regarding the topic.

3.2.2 Primary Research

For primary research of the study, face-to-face interviews were the preferred method for
first-hand information to gather as much detailed information as possible about diversity
in the workplace. The interviews were done to get an overview of how they work and
what policies they implement in their practices at the university.

The reason interview was the chosen method, was to get a deeper knowledge and more
in detail information about the topic and the teacher. Hence, they could give the
information in detail, about their opinions and experiences, and their feelings and attitude
towards the research question (Collis and Hussey 2013).

However, there are a few downsides to interviews as well. Teachers may not feel
comfortable with sharing all information and will conceal confidential information, which
can result in that the authors will not get a full view of what is being asked and the teachers
may tend to be biased in delivering responses. Additionally, interviews are time

17
consuming when it comes to generating and also conducting them, and the teachers may
also have a busy schedule. Also, there could be interviewer bias because of the way the
questions were asked, since there will always be influence from the interviewees (Kvale,
2007).

3.2.2.1 Criticism of the Chosen Method

Several techniques and different qualitative methods to gather data and information were
discussed before selecting and finalising interviews, such as online surveys and
observations. However, the reason for not choosing to conduct a survey or a
questionnaire was because, it would have been harder to get all the information that was
needed for the research question. It will be difficult to determine how the participants will
react and feel about the questions. The observation method was also considered but not
chosen, as the information would not have been enough for what is being researched. The
interviewees may behave in certain ways which can be misjudged or not enough for what
the authors are searching for. Also, observation method could take a longer period and
considering the limited time frame given, this method did not feel possible (Collis and
Hussey (2013). Therefore, it was more efficient to choose the face-to-face interview to
get as deep information and rich data as possible.

3.2.3 Sample

The sample selected for this thesis was five teachers from different backgrounds,
countries and ethnicities within JIBS, and they were conducted with the consent of the
teachers within the university premises. Additional information was also gathered about
JIBS practices and policies through the Human Resource Management specialist for JIBS,
and the Associate Dean of Faculty at JIBS. One teacher that was interviewed gave several
suggestions of other teachers from different backgrounds and ethnicities the authors could
interview and the suggested teacher were later emailed to book time for the interviews.
The ADF also recommended seeing the HR specialist that supports the two ADF’s at
JIBS, for further information regarding the diversity policies and practices.

3.2.4 Interview Design

Interviews were conducted using the face-to-face method to gain a comprehensive data
and easy interaction with the participants. Also, the method was beneficial to this study

18
due to the sensitivity and complexity of the questions. Both authors were present at the
interview sessions, holding the conversation by asking the prepared questions as well as
the questions that developed during the interview. The entire interviews were done by
taking both notes and recording with mobile phones, which were based on the consent of
each interviewee.

The questions for the interview sessions were formulated by the authors in order to get
all the relevant information needed. Interview questions were semi-structured, some
questions were pre-planned and prepared beforehand and other questions were developed
during the interviews. Open questions were prepared to gain as much information as
possible from the staffs, since more insightful answers was needed to get a broad
knowledge of their experiences and perceptions. Therefore, ‘yes’ and ‘no’ questions were
avoided, and when a teacher responded to a question, ‘yes’ or ‘no’, further questions were
asked to elaborate on the answer. The questions were not structured in any particular order
because some responses cover some aspects the interviewees mentioned prior to asking
them. Therefore, the authors were flexible in the process of asking questions, in order to
avoid asking the interviewee repetitive questions. Furthermore, the interviews were
strictly confidential as the teachers were interviewed anonymously.

All the interviews conducted are summarised in a table below, with the date and the length
of the interviews. Since the interviews were conducted anonymously, no names are
mentioned and the teachers are referred to A, B, C, D and E.

Table 1. Interview at JIBS

INTERVIEWEE POSITION DATE LENGTH OF INTERVIEW

ADF ADF at JIBS 19-03-2018 1:28:58

HR Department Specialist for JIBS 03- 04-2018 56:44

19
 Teacher A Teacher 18 -04-2018 42:06

Teacher B Teacher 23-04-2018 55:27

Teacher C Teacher 27-04-2018 1:10:43

Teacher D Teacher 27-04-2018 52.45

Teacher E Teacher 2-05-2018 47.36

3.2.5 Secondary Data

The information of JU and JIBS, was gathered from their self-assessment report for
EQUIS (Jönköping International Business School Self-Assessment Report for EQUIS
Re-Accreditation, 2017), a quality improvement system which accredits JIBS, and the JU
webpage. The report aided in getting a reliable insight of the university’s
internationalisation and HR practices, and additionally, what they state in their strategies
and policies. Further, other reports and documents regarding diversity management of
JIBS were searched and viewed at.

3.2.6 Data Analysis

The method for choosing how to analyse data depends on what paradigm was chosen and
whether it is qualitative or quantitative data (Collis and Hussey, 2013). After collecting
the data for the study, it was analysed by transcribing the interviews.

Since the initial stages of collecting data and throughout the whole process of the data
collection, the data has been added and removed, as it is important in a process of
selecting, focusing and simplifying of data. This is to make sure that the data that is being
collected is coherent and this results in making the data more stronger (Miles, Huberman
& Saldaña, 2014). Therefore, the data collected from the case study was intended to gain
an insight of the practices of the organisation and perceptions its employees regarding
managing cultural diversity. One difficulty with qualitative research is that it instantly
produces a large database, since it relies heavily on prose, such as media as interview
transcripts or documents (Bryman and Bell, 2015). A selection of relevant aspect of the
data has been carefully chosen after much evaluation in order to arrive at a credible

20
outcome. The authors Bryman and Bell (2013) further suggests that collecting and coding
of data should be executed together and be intertwined, instead of waiting until all data
has been collected.

3.3 Trustworthiness of Sources

Reliability and trustworthiness concerns with questions such as whether the sources and
the results of a study can be repeated and used again or not (Bryman and Bell, 2015). The
sources used throughout this paper, were chosen carefully to collect relevant and
trustworthy data, hence only scientific articles and published books have been used. It
can however be argued and that some articles and books are fairly old, however recent
articles and researches still mention and refer to these articles till date. Therefore it can
be concluded that these articles are still relevant and reliable to be used in this paper. It is
however acknowledged by the authors about the use of these relatively old sources in the
paper. Interviews were done face-to-face, which makes is relevant since it is the
interviewee's own experiences and opinions regarding the subject. However there is a
possibility of them concealing information they do not intend to discuss with the authors.

3.4 Ethical Issues with Interviews

For any research the ethical issues needs to be considered as well, it needs to be seen by
the authors that people are not being harmed by the study or the methods used in the study
(Bryman and Bell, 2015). There are several ethical issues and concerns in the entire
process of an interview investigation, and should therefore be considered from the
beginning of an investigation until the report is finally finished. An interview research is
infused with both moral and ethical issues. Ethical issues arise especially when it comes
to complexities with the research of private lives and also placing these records in the
public area (Kvale, 2007).

The teachers were informed beforehand about the confidentiality, the purpose of the
research, the questions they were going to be asked, and also the benefits from their
participation in the research. The teachers were also asked in advance whether the
interviews could be recorded with notes taken. They were further informed regarding the
participation being voluntary and that they have a right to withdraw from the study at any
time, also, that their private data will not be reported outside this report (Kvale, 2007).

21
4. Empirical Findings & Analysis

_____________________________________________________________________________________
This chapter will introduce the empirical findings and the analysis of this research. It
explains the organisational level information that was sought from the ADF and HR
specialist who are managers/decision makers on how cultural diversity is being managed
and experienced at JIBS, followed by interviews of selected teachers and their analysis.
______________________________________________________________________

4.1 Jönköping International Business School

JIBS is an international business school and a faculty under Jönköping University. It is

well known for its diversity in terms of its students, professional staff, faculty, research,
student exchange and global partnership with other schools and organisations. It was
founded in 1994 as part of an effort to integrate further the European Union and the first
Swedish business school with a mission to educate people from diverse backgrounds and
help to promote its international trade opportunities. As part of the school’s requirement
for study and employment, all international programmes are taught in English language
and there is a high collaboration between the school, staffs and students with several
international association. In JIBS mission statement, the aim is to mainly advance in the
theory and practice of business with specific emphasis on Entrepreneurship, Ownership
and Renewal. One of the relative principle to the mission is the school’s promise to be
international at heart which represents its culture of internationalising their practices on a
local, regional and global level. About 37% of the core faculty staff comprises of 17
different nationalities and the study is mainly focused on employees and not students.

4.1.1 JIBS Organisational Structure

The study of previous review shows that in order to gain an understanding of how
diversity is managed, it is particularly relevant to take into consideration the specific roles
of an organisation’s primary decision makers (Podsiadlowski, Gröschke, Kogler,
Springer and van der Zee, 2013). Ensher, Grant-Vallone and Donaldson (2001) also
argued that it is the approval from the top management support that are important for a
workplace positive intergroup relations. They are considered valuable information source
on how diversity is being managed and how the employees perceives it (Cox, 1993; Dass

22
and Parker, 1999; Ely and Thomas, 2001). Therefore, this study puts an insight in the
roles played by JIBS HR Department.

The JIBS faculty is under the umbrella of JU, in which the appointment of its chairperson
and external members are performed by the Swedish government based on
recommendations of a nominee committee. There are four schools under the university
that is being governed by a board including a service company that collaborate in the
support of the school. The leadership team comprises of the Dean of faculty, Associate
Dean for research and education as well as the operations manager. The JIBS Dean of
faculty is responsible for all school operations with the power to decide over employment,
finances, school’s programme portfolio and fulfilment of JIBS strategy. The Associate
Dean of Faculty (ADF) is also a member of the leadership team in which its role includes
an overall development of JIBS for instance, revising of JIBS strategies and the
competence supply plan (kompetensförsörjningsplan).

JU operates a centralized Human Resource (HR) department and there is an external

sub-division of HR specialists affiliated to each of JU faculty. The managers contact the
HR for support and they (HR) have the power to propose actions for implementation in
terms of equal opportunity, development, rehabilitation and competence. The ADF
performs duties relating to Human Resource within the faculty and reports to the Dean as
the line manager, the office supervises the leaves of absence of staffs, annual evaluation,
training and development, holidays. The other responsibilities of the ADF includes
implementing strategic priorities and fostering new initiatives among faculty staffs,
tracking and supporting competence faculty development, fostering new initiatives
among staffs and allocating resources for activities. There is the Associate Dean of
Education (ADE) who also supervises budget, development, assessment and international
accreditation for JIBS. They allocate teaching resources and pedagogical training, they
foster educational initiatives for teaching according to the school strategy. Office of the
Operations Manager coordinates the activities of the University’s operational staffs,
Unions and compliance to administrative rules and policies.

23
4.1.2 JIBS Policies, Practices & Strategies

Managing cultural diversity is said to be based on the organisational approach used in

terms of initiatives and methods that are adopted. Which in turn, should have its
consequences between the organisation and staffs. A standardised and dependable
measurement of these approaches is expected to help in clarifying the effects of diversity,
create an identification of an organisation’s strategy and help in monitoring the
management of diversity (Podsiadlowski et al. 2013). Initiatives that are adopted for
managing diversity can be complex, therefore there are no standardised measurement
approach mapped out towards analysing the process (Richard and Johnson. 2010).

JIBS practice an internationally oriented school activities where the governance and
management of nationalities is not separated. There is a strategy board both internal and
external that handles matters relating to the faculty alongside the Dean of faculty who
ensures that there is continuity in programme improvement to meet global standard. The
strategy group act as advisers to the Dean in terms of budget, annual action plan, they
play a role in reviewing strategies, give feedbacks to member’s constituencies and inform
important issues to the Dean regarding colleagues. The school support its staffs from
various nationalities in terms of their work environment, inclusion activities amongst
colleagues. There is a yearly reviewed action plan towards equal opportunity treatment
of staffs, which is significantly emphasized upon in the yearly self-assessment report.

In the latest review of the action plan (2017), the university re-emphasized its
commitment towards providing an inclusive work environment where all employees are
treated with respect. They mentioned that a great importance is attributed to employees
well-being, performance related needs and personal development. They also stated that
the Discrimination Act requires active measures towards combating discrimination and
promotion of equal treatment should be taken by employers towards their employees. The
active measures in this context means analysis, continuous identification, and elimination,
a follow-up of risks for discrimination and equal treatment barriers.

However, there was a review on some aspects relative to equal opportunity management
in this document, such as working conditions, recruitment and promotion, education and
skills developed, salaries and terms of employment and lastly, combining work with

24
parenting. Certain risks for discrimination or obstacles to equal treatment were identified
under the above mentioned aspects, which are related to cultural diversity management
and a future plan was identified with each examined area.

After a review on the last JIBS policy dated back to 2002, the faculty decided to
re-strategize by embracing a no-written policy on cultural diversity, rather, they chose to
embrace it through visible practice within the workplace.

4.1.3 Associate Dean of Faculty on Diversity Management

An interview with the ADF of JIBS was conducted in order to gain more insight about
the policies and practices that were implemented by the management, and how they work
and manage their cultural diversity at JIBS. As mentioned before, part the role of JIBS
Associate Dean of faculty is be responsible for employee operations.

The author started by asking the ADF how the recruitment process is at JIBS, and the
ADF mentioned that the aim is to get the best candidate as possible for the job, which
usually takes time. The Dean went on to explain the full process of the recruitment.
First, an analysis will be made of what competent profile is needed for teaching of courses
or in research areas and there are strategic discussions taken in the leadership teams.
Secondly, announcements are published and applicants are received. Recruitment group
will decide whether to take all applicants out for review or not, by looking into all
candidates, view their strength and weaknesses then select the best ones. The reviews are
then approved by the research faculty members.
Lastly, interviews are held with candidates with trial lectures, trial seminars, trial research
site, there is also a whole day to one and a half day arrangements with the applicants, with
social meetings such as dinners. The recruitment group subsequently gives
recommendations to the dean regarding what candidates are suitable.
Recruitment takes time and therefore they are satisfied if the process could be done within
six months, however it could take up to seven to nine months.

The ADF was also asked whether there was any help provided by the University for the
Family that moves along the selected employee. According to the ADF, there is no formal
process regarding this matter and the family that comes with the employee has to
unfortunately do everything alone. This means they have to look for a house and job

25
personally, and also it may depend on the spouse’s type of profession, they need to find
a job or have to learn Swedish in order to work in that profession in Sweden.

Since no policy was found regarding internationalisation or diversity management in the

self-assessment report for EQUIS, the ADF was asked questions regarding the situation.
The ADF confirmed that the management decided not to have a specific policy, because
they have it everywhere else and in everything they do. The management discussed about
the matter last year and worked internally, they also involved external people in the
process and raised a question whether to formulate a policy or not, they concluded with
not having a policy at all. JIBS is an organisation that shows internationality everywhere,
in the corridors, classrooms, what is seen in JIBS cannot be seen in other universities.
Therefore, it was decided that it may not be right to state a policy about something that is
self-evident, according to the ADF.

“You can see the internationalisation everywhere and in everything we are doing”

A question was asked regarding how the ADF embraces and values diversity and the ADF
stated that he follows JU’s guiding principle “International at heart”. How the university
works, how they are teaching, are viewed as a competitive advantage and as a strength,
which can be seen in the classroom with all the different nationalities. The ADF believes
that the skills and resources are welcomed along with the international employees. They
wanted an international business school, and it can be said that they have succeeded in
that, as it can be seen when students from other parts of Sweden and people from other
countries are continuously applying to JIBS for their English programs.

“We welcome the skills and resources with the international employees”

Regarding where the employees can seek help and how the ADF helps them, the ADF
said that the way they work is very limited, but they want to support the new entrants
even more than what is being done right now. With the change of management, the
support reallocated from JIBS to JU and the resources now being central in JU, comes
with limitations. Employees can get support from the HR, but according to the ADF, it is
hard for the department to sort some of the matters out, since there is lot of responsibility
on the person who moves as well.

26
 “We want to support the new entrants even more than what is being done right now”

Based on a recent survey made by the management, it was revealed that the employees
mostly get support from their colleagues with the usual problems. The employees know
they can get help from the ADF if they have any problems and they try to do the best they
can. The ADF mostly get questions regarding the Swedish system, health and childcare,
and accommodation. Every week, these types of issues are being addressed by the ADF
and they are mostly from the new entrants.

On the matter of cultural diversity challenges that occur, the ADF said that mostly
everything is in English now but they still need to take more steps towards this, since a
few documents are still in Swedish, such as the collective agreement along with some
other important documents. According to the ADF, they are aware of this issue and
address the challenges that occur, and are in constant discussions with the accreditation
organisations to understand the situation more in order to take action towards it.

“Everything is mostly in English now, but we still need to take more steps”

There was further question asked on how they tackle the culture clashes when they occur.
The ADF mentioned that the management is aware of some issues, but want to dig deeper
into them, and want to understand more about the layers that has not yet being
acknowledged, such as what is driving those situations, and whether the culture clashes
are based on religious or values. The ADF has not seen any problems regarding
someone’s ethnic background, and on the other hand it is more about the practical issues
the staff experience. This could be that the employee may end up in a bad situation by
stating issues with someone’s background and therefore act strategic. Also before getting
employed, they are well aware of the university being an international school and
therefore will not choose the university if they do not want to work with diverse people.
The ADF further added that they want JU to be more international, and further wants to
get all documents and regulations into English for the international people. The university
is completely not there yet, but JIBS has come a long way. There are always going to be
challenges and culture clashes, but people that chooses JU comes with an open mind when
it comes to internationalisation.

27
 “We are aware of the issues but we want to dig deeper to understand more”

Since the university involves both Swedish and international employees, the ADF was
asked whether the Swedish employees have more advantages than the international
employees. The ADF explained that the Swedish staff have huge advantage in terms of
the Swedish background, since they know more about how to manage and how everything
works around in Sweden. The Swedish employees help and introduce the other colleagues
with some issues. They do have several other benefits, since they have lived and being
raised here and knows what values are there, which others could find hard for being
international. However, the ADF sees that there is an equal treatment in this university
and it is expected of him to be fair on common ground. International employees do not
have a big advantage when it comes to the Swedish language either. Mostly everything
within the university is in English however, when they step outside the university campus,
every other thing will be tied to the Swedish language and not English.

“I see that there is an equal treatment in this university and it is expected to be fair on
common ground”

The ADF has acknowledged the various issues occurring with new entrants and wants to
help them even more. Currently, they have very limited resources and are not able to help
them as much as they want. The management are however trying to figure out several
ways of how to help the international employees even more. They are also aware of the
problem that the university is not challenging international employees to learn the
Swedish language. Therefore there is need to integrate employees and make them
connected as a team, the university could encourage the employees to learn Swedish.

4.1.4 HR Specialist for JIBS

An interview was also conducted with the HR specialist for JIBS in order to get more
information about the HR practices, and also how they view and manage the cultural
diversity within JIBS. The HR specialist that was interviewed supports the ADF of JIBS
and they work with equal opportunities among employees throughout the whole JU.

28
The HR specialist mentioned that they have an old diversity policy from 2002, however
most employees are not aware of any diversity policy that previously existed, since it is
very old. It was acknowledged by the HR specialist that the school intend to update and
improve the policy in future. Employees who have recently started to work at the
university or who has been working since after 2002 do not know that there is a policy
about diversity. JIBS has come a long way in becoming an international school where
English is the number one language at the university and, mostly everything is in English
language now. Although, many documents are still written in Swedish language till date
but the department said that they are in a process of improving and are still trying to make
all documents in English. On the other hand, the HR department also wants to encourage
the international staff to learn Swedish, since it will be easier for life outside the
university. The HR specialist mentioned that they are thinking of providing training in
the Swedish language for the international employees.

“English is the number one language used throughout JIBS”

“We want to encourage new entrants to learn the Swedish language”

When asked whether the HR specialist had employees coming to the HR for help, the
specialist said that mainly, employees would first talk to their managers when any
problem or issue occur. However, the HR specialist has helped some employees in terms
of work permit and issues concerning Migrationsverket, the Swedish migration authority.
Regarding employee’s accommodation, the HR specialist mentioned that JIBS could help
the staff by providing “emergency” apartments, for a period of time, until they find
themselves a place.

There are several issues regarding new international employees moving to Jönköping, in
which the department is well aware of. For instance, there are problems with finding
accommodation, adaption into the society, childcare, healthcare, families moving with
the selected employee amongst others. The HR department want to make a change where
they want the international employees to feel more welcomed to the university and retain
them for a longer period, and they are trying to take actions to improve these matters. The
department occasionally hold reference group meetings and a tip off box was made

29
available online a few months ago, for employees to see whether they see any type of
barriers in the workplace.

“We want to support them in every way possible”

Furthermore, the HR department has started a relocation project which is still in its initial
stage, where they are trying to gather all the necessary information a new entrant needs
when moving to another country. The focus of this project is to figure out what problems
occur for a moving employee and how they can improve and help them in the process.
This will help to provide the employees with all necessary information, and to be able to
support them in every way possible. The HR also recently launched a new page on the JU
website for the diverse employees, providing all essential information needed prior to
moving to Sweden and after they have arrived. Information concerning employment,
migration, registration in the Swedish Population Register, salary and taxation, bank,
housing, insurances, accompanying families and an A-Z guide with several Swedish
essential (good-to-know) terms were included.

“The department has started a relocating project for international people moving to
Jönköping”

According to the HR specialist, the department has acknowledged several issues the new
entrants have when relocating to Jönköping and are trying many different ways to help
them. They have several good ideas, but still have a long way to go. Especially when it
comes to accommodations, since Jönköping is a small city it is very difficult to find an
apartment, the management would need to get assistance from other companies in order
to help the new entrants with housing, however it can be costly in the long-term. The
department are taking all the problems into consideration to trying and improve for the
new entrants coming to JIBS.

“We are in a process of improving”

30
4.2 Selected Teachers at JIBS

Interviews were conducted with five teachers from different nationalities to get an insight
of their thoughts about cultural diversity and how they perceive the practices and policies
the university applies.

The teachers were asked how they found the recruitment process to be when selecting
JIBS, both Teacher A and D said that the recruitment process was very competitive since
it was open for both Swedish and international applicants. On the other hand, Teacher C
and E suggested that the management needs to create better and easier processes for the
international profiles. Teacher B stated that the process is different for each position at
JIBS. Overall, it can be concluded that the teachers found the recruitment process to be
competitive and there should be better processes for the international students made by
the management.

“It is very competitive” - Teacher D

“They need to create better processes for international profiles” - Teacher C

As the ADF said during the interview, the recruitment process is a time-consuming
process, and the aim is to select the best candidate for the job. Additionally, since the
applications are open to both international and Swedish applicants, the process tends to
be more on the competitive side, as there are plenty of good candidates to be selected.

The teachers were also asked why they chose JIBS. Nearly all of the teachers had at least
two different options before choosing JIBS, and they chose this university based on
different aspects. Teacher A expressed an interest for the Nordic countries since the
salaries and work conditions are better here than in other countries. Teacher A, D and E
stated that the content of program in JIBS was appealing when choosing the university,
and Teacher C liked that JIBS is practitioner oriented that works with sustainability and
with a young team. Based on the responses, it could be said that the teachers chose JIBS
for its appealing content and what it offered.

“The content of program was better at JIBS” - Teacher B

31
 “JIBS is a practitioner oriented school who also works with sustainability and works
with a young team” - Teacher C

When the teachers were asked about how they were welcomed into the school system,
different answers were received depending on the teachers different experiences. Teacher
A got help from colleagues outside Sweden, whereas Teacher C was handed a tutor during
the first days. However, Teacher C was lucky as this is not a formal process, this was
done because a staff was available to help C around. C further explained that there were
some meetings and introduction of employees. However, both Teacher C and D said that
they received no formal processes of training or orientation when coming to the
university, which made it very hard. Teacher B had another experience since B came as
master student and later got employed by the university and by that time B already knew
the way around. Conclusively, the teachers found that there was no formal process with
training or orientation at the university for the new entrants.

“I came as a masters student and later got employed by the university” - Teacher B
“I received no formal process of training or orientation” - Teacher D

4.3 Diversity Management at JIBS

Regarding the cultural diversity, the teachers were asked whether they knew about the
JIBS practices and policies towards it. None of the teacher knew of any policies regarding
diversity management. Teacher A is aware of the basic aspects of respecting other people.
Teacher B has not been in any situation where a policy needs to be viewed at, since B has
never being treated differently from others. However B believes that JIBS takes actions
if any problems occur since the university is an equal opportunity employer. Teacher C
and D received no information regarding any policy either, and added that most
documents were in Swedish. All the respondents said that there is no visible policy to
follow at JIBS.
“I do not know about the policy” - Teacher A
“JIBS is an equal opportunity employer” - Teacher B

The management is aware of the challenges that occur with the language barriers and
most documents still being in Swedish. However, according to the ADF they are in

32
constant discussions with the accreditation organisations in order to take further action
towards it to try and change this matter.

The teacher did not know about the diversity policy from 2002 either, which the HR
specialist talked about, as it was not mentioned during the interviews. The
implementations of HR diversity practices are poor when the employees and the managers
within an organisation perceive and view the diversity management differently (Shen et
al., 2009). Therefore there should be a visible policy, which everyone is aware of,
regarding diversity management, and it should be followed by everyone at an
organisation. However, one of the teachers believed that JIBS gives equal opportunity to
all the international and Swedish workers, even though it is not visible in any policy. As
previously reviewed, Cunningham & Melton (2011) said that an organisation with diverse
workplace provides equal opportunity without discrimination.

Because the teachers work with different international and Swedish employees, they were
asked whether there are activities that facilitates inclusion. According to most teachers,
there are always activities such as after-work, “fika” (A Swedish tradition of having
coffee with a snack) and lunch with colleagues. However, not many activities are formal
or provided by the university. Teacher A said that these activities happen naturally and
Teacher C and E added that these activities are informal and personal which are created
by the colleagues. Teacher B mentioned that when JIBS plan activities, they are not
planned after the culture or what country the employees are from, they are rather
organised based on what role or occupation you have at the university. Overall, based on
the responses, there are not many formal activities by the university and the employees
create most of the activities themselves. However, when JIBS organise activities, they
organise different activities for teachers, different activities for PhD students, and
different for other occupations at the university, and they are not organised based on the
countries.

“Not many activities are provided by the university” - Teacher A, C and E

“The activities that are organised are based on the role you have at JIBS and not where
you are from” - Teacher B

33
As there are employees from many other countries and culture working together within
the same faculty, problems may occur on various reasons, since everyone works in a
different way or behaves in certain ways which is different from others. Therefore, the
interviewees were asked whether they have experienced any cultural differences, and how
they tackle them. Teacher A is used to working with people from different countries, and
noticed the teaching becomes different in every country and if any problems arise, A will
consult with other colleagues. Teacher B has experienced problems with the English
language, since everyone speaks in different accents. B also added that people speak in
different manners, for instance with hand gestures, which can be misinterpreted by others
from different countries. Teacher C also stated that there should be formal process for
this and further added that C wants to connect more with people and in order to minimise
the cultural issues, there should be training regarding cultural understanding. B also said
that being understanding and respectful, helps in those situations. By viewing the
responses, if any problems occur with any colleague, all the teachers said that they would
speak to the specific colleague personally to resolve the issues.

“I talk to the colleagues to resolve any problems” - Teacher D

“There should be training regarding cultural understanding” - Teacher C

In view of the “best practices” by Farren and Nelson (1999) in this situation, the first step

to manage the diversity differences, is to have an open communication and later on taking
action towards the matter. This phase is followed by all the teachers, were they first talk
to the respective colleague to solve any issues with them. Farren and Nelson (1999) also
explained that if the employees respect each other, they are more likely to stay in an
organisation for a longer period. The teachers are well aware of respecting each other at
the university, and they feel respected as well.

Another practice discusses that employees should be educated and given training on other
people's cultures, and further make them more understanding about discrimination and
other employees feelings (Farren and Nelson, 1999). This point was stressed by Teacher
C, suggesting that the university should provide formal process and give training in
cultural understanding, to learn and understand more about other cultures. Teacher A also
mentioned that the Swedish employees should be more sensitive and considerate towards

34
the international employees, since they tend to think that the internationals knows
everything, when it is actually not the case.

Kundu, (2001) mentioned that for a company with a diverse workforce to effectively
manage a multicultural environment, it is significant to identify the differences that may
arise. In Kundu’s (2001) last strategy, managers should minimise the issues by managing
the impact of cultural diversity also, managers and employees within the organisation
should be trained to identify the differences that arise and turn them into advantages.
Therefore, the managers should identify the culture clashes that arise at JIBS and turn
them into something they can benefit from. According to the ADF, the management is
aware of the issues occurring and they want to understand the problems even more to be
able to solve them. The management could also try to make the issues beneficial and turn
them into advantages, as suggested by Kundu (2001).

Teachers were also asked about their relationship with other employees, whether they
have any social interactions with each other. The responses were all positive and all of
the teachers have a good relationship with their colleagues, they spend time with them,
have dinner together sometimes, along with other activities created by them or the
university.
“I have a good relationship with the colleagues” - Teacher A
“We try to get together for different activities and events” - Teacher D

As reviewed by Farren and Nelson (1999) the teachers are well aware of respecting each
other at the university, and they feel respected as well. This is evident in the sense that
they have a good relationship with each other and they spend time together by
participating in various activities. A study revealed that a diverse workforce that has
worked with each other for a long time, tend to be more effective in terms of interacting
with other people and also in their job performance (Watson et al., 1993).

Since the teachers that were interviewed are from different countries apart from Sweden,
they were asked whether their opinions are welcomed by the managers and other staff
around the university. Teacher C, said that there used to be formal meetings where
employees could bring up different sort of issues or improvements, however since the
change of format, there is no such platform anymore. Both C and E also argued that, at

35
this point, there is no formal place or time allocated for brainstorming or discussions.
Teacher A stated that the system is built in a certain way, hence they are not a part of the
decision making.

“There is no formal place or time allocated for brainstorming or discussions to be

heard” - Teacher C

According to (D'Netto et. al., 2013), through diversity management the quality of the
decisions made are improved, along with the increase of effectiveness, efficiency and
profitability of an organisation. Therefore, the management should include employees in
decision making, especially with a diverse workforce that brings their own experiences,
talents and skills in order to serve people from other countries (Sharma, 2014). A good
example here is JIBS being an international school that employs staff from culturally
diverse backgrounds to match and meet some of the expectations of its culturally diverse
students and community.

The authors asked whether the teachers had any recommendations regarding managing
cultural diversity at JIBS. All of the teachers agreed on the fact that there is lack of
information and that there should be more support regarding relocating and
accommodation in Jönköping, and the university should take action and help them more.
Teacher B mentioned that it is good to work with a diverse workforce, where everyone
comes together with various ideas and different ways of working. Teacher B and C further
suggested that there should be a possibility for the international students to learn the
Swedish language and also about the Swedish culture. Teacher B, C and D added that it
is important to connect with other people as well as other Swedish colleagues. C also
argued that they should learn more about each other, internationals should learn from
Swedish people and vice-versa, and internationals should also learn from other
internationals. Teachers C and E mentioned that there should be more activities and
events provided by the universities, and the language should be consistent everywhere.
Teachers A and D added that even though the policy is not visible, JIBS is a very
welcoming university. Based on the responses, it can be deduced that there is a lack of
information and there are some areas that the management has to improve on, however
the teachers are still enjoying working at JIBS.

36
 “There is a lack of information” and “The policy is not visible, but JIBS is very
welcoming” - Teacher A
“We should learn and interact more with people from other culture” - Teacher D

As mentioned previously in the interviews with the ADF and the HR specialist, they are
aware of some issues that constantly arise and they are trying their best to identify them
and improve on them. Also, when it comes to the Swedish language, both of them
suggested and wants to encourage the teachers to learn Swedish. The specialist also added
that they are considering providing training in the Swedish language for the international
employees. Farren and Nelson (1999), also mentioned that maintaining a diverse
workforce in an effective way results in the employee’s feel for more connection to each
other at a workplace and relate more with the company they are working for. Therefore,
the management at JIBS should manage the diverse workforce in a more effective way,
in order for the international employees to feel more connected to each other and feel one
with the university.

4.3.1 JIBS Employee’s Perception of Cultural Diversity

The teachers were asked about how they view the cultural diversity and the managing of
the cultural diversity at their workplace. Overall there were positive responses from the
teachers about cultural diversity and all the teachers that were interviewed said that they
are happy that many international people can be seen at the university. Teacher A said
that it sometimes does not feel like A is in Sweden and thinks JIBS is a good working
environment. Teacher C said that it is very motivating to be an international employee at
JIBS and that the university is very ambitious in their work. Both Teacher A and E added
that there is a feeling of inclusiveness amongst the employees.

On the other hand, Teacher B also stated that JIBS has good approaches, but there are
areas that needs improvement, especially when it comes to the new relocating employees,
they need to think more about how to help them. However, the teachers have over the
time come across some problems regarding the language spoken at the university and also
the level of the organisational structure. Even though mostly everything is in English
language, all the policies, the organisational structure, and the way the entire university
is run is still very Swedish. Although everyone speaks English at JIBS, there are times

37
where, for instance, emails are only written in Swedish and in meetings some speak in
Swedish rather than in English. This is when the international staff feel that they are being
left out. Regarding this matter, Teachers C suggested that the university needs to embrace
the international side even more. Even though there are good responses regarding the
diversity management among the teachers at JIBS, there are few areas that needs to be
improved on according to the responses, particularly in terms of newly relocated
employees and language issues.

“I know that JIBS prides itself for being international and I am happy to see more
international people at the university” and “JIBS has good approaches, but there are
areas that needs to be improved”- Teacher B
“JU overall needs to embrace the international side even more” - Teacher C

There are several different benefits and challenges with diversity management, which
tend to vary depending on different countries (D'Netto et. al., 2013). Those teachers that
has been working in several countries has seen the distinctive ways of how diversity
management has been viewed at and being managed. The teachers have additionally
noticed differences between their home countries and Sweden, in terms of how people
work, the different culture, the language, and also living in Sweden. As Ongori and Agolla
2007 said, members from a minority-group tend to feel less valued than the members
from majority-group in terms of stereotyping, prejudice and ethnocentrism. In this case,
it can be seen that although some communications are still in English, the university itself
is international and very welcoming towards the international employees. It is perceived
by the diverse employees that the Swedish employees rather speaks in Swedish and other
areas at the university are also managed in a Swedish manner, which is when the
international employees feel left out. Furthermore, all the teachers also noticed that the
university is grouped, with only Swedish employees in one place and the international
employees in another place, and not many groups are mixed.

The teachers were asked whether they think JIBS practices meet their policies. As
mentioned previously, none of the teachers found any policy regarding cultural diversity,
hence they were unsure whether the practices meet the policies. Teacher C stressed that
there are still language barriers and that many documents are still in only Swedish.

38
Teacher B on the other hand, mentioned again about JIBS being an equal employer and
they are big on internationalisation, and cultural diversity is always welcomed. B further
believes that the management is doing everything in their part to conform to their policies
and to keep cultural diversity growing. On the overall responses, there is no visible policy
for the teachers to see whether the practices meet the policies. On the other hand, the
teachers know that the management are trying to take action towards the issues constantly
occurring.

“I do not know of any policy” - Teacher A, C, D, E

“The university is big on internationalisation and cultural diversity is always
welcomed” - Teacher B

When comparing this paper to Allen et al’s., (2004) study, differences in the perceptions
of both employees and the managers in the same companies regarding the diversity
practices were revealed. The employees felt that their managers were not implementing
the diversity practices and strategies in their workplace, while the managers thought they
were. Whereas in this study, it was found that the diverse employees did not find any
policy at all, additionally the ADF revealed there is no policy. Hence, in this paper it is
consistent between the management and employees about there being no policy in place.

Based on where the employees are from, they build up their own perceptions and
interpretation towards HR practices (Frenkel, Restubog and Bednall, 2012). It is of great
importance to see how the employees perceive HR practices for an organisation, this is
for employees to obtain higher performance in their work and also to feel one with the
company (Choi and Lee, 2013). Frenkel Restubog and Bednall (2012), argued that when
HR policy and practices are visible and attractive, consistent and agreed by managers, the
employees can easily work with each other. Due to people coming from different places
and they view diversity in different ways, there should be a visible policy about diversity
management and internationalisation for the employees, to work efficiently and to interact
with other employees.

It was reviewed by Ansari (2011) that when HRM practices are perceived to be just and
fair at a workplace, it results in employees being more satisfied, positive outcomes and
further, supportive when it comes to welfare and development. This promotes an

39
increased organisational identification, effort and co-worker support (Frenkel, Restubog
and Bednall, 2012). Therefore, it is significant that the employees are treated fairly and
also, should be perceived to be treated fairly by everyone at JIBS. This in turn will result
in the employees being more satisfied and the identification of the faculty will also
increase.

4.4 Support from JIBS and HRM

The international employees had to leave their homes and relocate when accepting the
job at JIBS and moving to Sweden. Many employees moved with families, therefore the
teachers were asked whether they received any support from the University for their
Families when relocating. All of the interviewees said that there was no support plan
regarding moving with family to Jönköping. Teacher A and D said that because Jönköping
is a small city, it becomes very hard to find a place to live in and also, finding a job for
their spouse is very difficult since the language becomes a barrier. Teacher C also found
no plan for family and also mentioned that during application to the university it was
encouraged by the school that the spouses will get job in Jönköping, which turned out to
be wrong. C further stressed that there should be better processes for families that come
along with the employee. According to the teachers, no support or formal processes were
provided for families by the universities, when moving to Jönköping.

“There was no plan provided for family by the school when relocating” - Teacher A, B,
C, D and E

As previously mentioned by the ADF, they are very limited in the way they work,
however the management wants to help more. The ADF further added that there are
unfortunately no formal procedure for families moving along with the selected employee.
Everything is on the employee who moves, both looking for a place to stay and also a job
for their spouses. However, one of JIBS challenges is to maintain a high quality and fast
recruitment process for internationally diverse employees and provide relocation services
to support them.

The authors asked the teachers whether they received any support from the university.
The teachers once again had different answers regarding this matter based on their various
experiences. Teacher A and D said that they did not receive much help from JU, but

40
instead got help from other colleagues at the university who has been working at the
university longer. Whereas, Teacher C mentioned again that there was a lot of help from
the tutor, however, this was not a formal process. On the other hand Teacher B believed
that there is help for them who seek it.

On whether the teachers know where to seek help if they have any questions or problems.
Teacher A, C and D mentioned that they first talk to their colleagues and later take the
matter further to the manager and lastly to the ADF. Teacher C and E added that they
however do not always help, but they know that the management is aware of several
issues and knows that they need to improve in some areas. Teacher B knows that there
are different levels of seeking help, there are different colleagues to approach for different
types of issues. B receives help from the manager, and if it is not enough, B knows the
matter can be taken further. Conclusively and based on the responses, the teachers know
where they can go to find help, however there is not much help provided by the university,
according to the teachers and mostly receive help from fellow colleagues.

“I did not get much help from JU” - Teacher D

“I believe there is help for them who needs it” - Teacher B

It was further asked whether the teachers refer to the HR department when they seek help.
Most teachers replied that they received no help from the HR either. Teacher A did not
receive any assistance from them, especially with the housing problems, the HR said that
accommodation issues are personal problems, and have to deal with them by themselves.
On the other hand, Teacher B has no dealings with the HR on a daily basis, the HR is
approached when B wants to take holiday or other reasons. Teacher C and E further added
that a new website was recently launched by the management, with links including
various important information needed for the internationals. By the responses it can be
seen that not much help is received from the HR.

“The HR does not help much” - Teacher A, C, D and E

HRM has a significant role within the diversity management (D'Netto et al., 2013). HRM
and diversity management concerns about the individual differences, development and

41
the well-being of individuals at the workplace (Shen et. al., 2009; D'Netto et al., 2013).
The HRM department along with the ADF at JIBS, knows about the issues occurring for
international employees and are trying to make a change towards it and help them even
more. They are taking their well-being into consideration by acknowledging the problems
and trying to figure out how to help them further.

It was stated by two of the teachers about the new webpage that was launched, which the
HR specialist mentioned. Providing all necessary information for the international
employees coming to Jönköping, and added that in this way it is visible that the
management is considering the issues and are trying to help.

According to Benson (2013), organisations constantly have to improve on the future as

well as the current performance of their employees in terms of education in order to
increase the skills and knowledge. Furthermore, diversity awareness training is also
another way to promote effective integration of the diverse workforce in an organisation,
this benefits into understanding, a sense of belongingness, and improving organisational
as well as individual outcomes (Shen et al, 2009). Therefore, JIBS could also implement
training and development in their practices in order to improve in various areas. With the
help of training and development, one will become more aware of the cultural diversity,
individuals will develop an understanding towards it and both individuals and
organisations will benefit from positive outcomes.

5. Conclusion

_______________________________________________________________
This chapter provides a conclusion drawn from the research conducted in the empirical
finding and analysis and the research questions will be answered.
_______________________________________________________________

The purpose of the thesis was to examine diversity management at Jönköping

International Business School. The authors wanted to investigate how the diverse
workforce is being managed at the university from an employee’s perspective as well as
to view whether the policies and practices are met.

42
RQ1: How is cultural diversity management perceived by employees at JIBS?
Based on the research conducted on this study, the authors found that Cultural diversity
is a topic that is well understood by the management and employees at JIBS. The
university has a strategic method they follow in terms of recruiting diverse people and
welcomes a diverse community to maintain its international standard. However, the study
also reveals that there is no unification in terms of how diversity is being perceived. There
is more evidence of equal opportunity than they have on cultural diversity. The major
issues and practices that are associated with diversity are not entirely provided by the
management within the work environment.

RQ2: Are the policies and practices same in terms of how they are being delivered?
JIBS operate on a deliberate no-policy rule in terms of cultural diversity. This is a way of
re-strategizing from the old policies when it was due for a review. The new method is to
have a practice that is rather evident in practice and everyday performance. As a result, it
is more of a spontaneous practice and this in turn has many implications and challenges
that constantly occur according to the information gathered from the interviewees.
Therefore, it can be concluded that the policies and practices are not same, since every
issue is treated differently and there is no structured procedure towards employee
management. Employees have different personal experiences but same understanding that
no policy is being provided by the university.

6. Discussion

_______________________________________________________________
This part will conclude the thesis by including a general discussion regarding this paper,
with a managerial implication, recommendations, the limitations and the future research.
_______________________________________________________________

6.1 Managerial Implications

There are managerial implications that were deduced from the empirical findings of this
research, as well as recommendations for the human resource and managers towards
managing cultural diversity at JIBS.

43
The management are recommended to have a more effectively communicated structure,
which will make significant emphasis on cultural diversity within the workplace as well
as be a reminder of the Internationalisation nature of JIBS. They can introduce a more
formal recruitment process, which will include orientation and training process to
initiate employees into the Swedish/ school system. There should be provision for
platforms where employees can be heard and have a say in development of the faculty
and in decision-making. Employees need to understand the different cultures of people
within their environment in order to avoid misinterpretations or culture clashes.

The management is aware of some occurring issues and taking all the matters into
consideration but a further delay in implementing the new practices could bring further
damage to the main mission and vision of the school. It is important that the management
increases their awareness towards cultural diversity, in terms of language, training and
development, communication within the working environment, employee’s phase of
integration, feedback on employee’s personal lives and well-being. Also, more social
events could be provided by the university that will promote inclusivity of the diverse
staff and their families to promote and achieve a better work productivity and positive
outcomes within their diverse workforce.

6.2 Limitations

There were limitations faced by the authors in the process of writing this thesis. More
data could have been collected in terms of number of interviewees if the time frame given
was longer, therefore the conclusion made was based on the perception of only five
teachers and two managers at JIBS. Another limitation was the time schedule of the
interviewed teachers, the authors were restricted to the time given by the interviewees
which in turn took a longer time to finalise the analysis based on the interview responses.

Lastly, writing a case study itself was a great challenge for the authors and a lot of
uncertainties occurred during the process. Even though it was a time-consuming process
trying to understand how to structure the whole thesis, it was a learning experience
throughout the wholes.

44
6.3 Future Research

As diversity keeps growing globally, it becomes even more interesting to investigate

diversity from other perspectives and in different areas. Sweden has over the years
become a multicultural country, people from different countries can be seen in the schools
and universities therefore, a future research could also examine;
The diversity management from the student perspective, it would be interesting to see
how the students perceive the diversity at their university.
Another focus could be on the implication of poor organisational awareness on cultural
diversity.
Lastly, researchers could look at how employee’s perception of cultural diversity affects
employee’s work performance.

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Appendix

Appendix A - Interview Questions (ADF)

Interview Questions
1. What is the relationship between the university HR department and the ADF
since both offices are different under HR?
2. What is the role of an ADF?
3. You oversee the development as well?
4. What are the criteria for the recruitment?
5. We could not find policy for internationalisation, why?
6. Any challenges that occur?
7. How do you value and embrace diversity?
8. How do you support staff? Where can they seek help?
9. Is the family included in the school plan?
10. How do you tackle culture clashes?
11. Do the Swedish employees have more advantages than the international
employees?

Appendix B - Interview Questions (HR)

Interview Questions
1. What is the role of the HR department The ADF and HR specialist at JIBS?
2. What are the policies and practices you implement towards managing diversity?
3. How are you trying to improve on cultural diversity management?
4. Where/how do employees seek help? Do they come to you?
5. What are the school’s future plan for managing diversity?

Appendix C - Interview Questions (Teachers)

Interview Questions
1. What are your thoughts about JIBS recruitment process?

50
2. Why did you choose JIBS?
3. What do you know about JIBS policies and practices about cultural diversity?
4. What are your thoughts about cultural diversity in your workplace
5. Are you aware of JIBS policy and practice about cultural diversity?
6. How were you welcomed into the school system?
7. What kind of support did you get during your relocation to Sweden?
8. What are the activities that facilitate inclusion of diverse staffs in the workplace?
9. What support do you get since it is a different culture here?
10. Is your family included in the school’s support plan?
11. How do you seek support/help?
12. How do you tackle the cultural differences?
13. Do does the school’s HR lend support/assistance?
14. What is your relationship with other employees, what type of social interaction
exists?
15. How do you think JIBS practices meet the policies?
16. What is your opinion regarding managing cultural diversity here?
17. How are your opinions welcomed by the people around you or the school?
18. Any recommendation about managing cultural diversity in your workplace?

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