What does WID do?

Background

Diversity, equality, and inclusion in working life are important for all types of organizations as well as for individual employees. Societal changes, along with shifting understandings and increased political focus on diversity, equality, and inclusion, make this an essential area of focus. The research group's purpose is to promote diversity, inclusion, and belonging in Norwegian organizations by developing high-quality research projects.

The group gathers and shares knowledge and insights by connecting researchers, organizations, and practitioners—both nationally and internationally—through forums and networks that foster dialogue on current issues.

Founded in 2020, the group consists of faculty members from the School of Communication, Leadership, and Marketing (SCLM), including PhD candidates. We conduct research on topics such as:

  • Diversity in top management and boards

  • Inclusion of immigrants

  • Diversity management

  • International approaches to diversity and inclusion

  • Inclusive and health-promoting leadership

  • Inclusion policies and practices

  • Realizing the economic and social benefits of integrating people into a diverse workforce

  • Social innovation to promote equality

How we define diversity changes over time—it is often political, overlapping, and complex. Because of this complexity, society and organizations often reduce diversity to numbers. But working with diversity, inclusion, and belonging is about more than metrics. It requires active engagement, participation, and involvement in a community that embraces the dynamic nature of diversity.

The group also highlights the lived experiences of marginalized groups in working life, as well as vulnerability in different work situations—particularly in light of the gig and platform economy, the Norwegian labor model, the green transition, and technological developments.

In addition to sharing timely and relevant knowledge, the group’s ambition is to help Norwegian organizations strengthen their diversity “muscles” and inclusive practices, and to ensure that our research communication leads to concrete actions and continuous improvement.

In this work, we seek collaboration with stakeholders across the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Members of the research group contribute both individually and collectively to books, international journals, national and international conferences, and are active disseminators of knowledge.