Diversity Management

a method for integration promoting democracy and wealth.

Sweden is a part of the western European and American cultures. It has a culture wherein individuals are judged not only by their family backgrounds but also by their position in the work force. Being part of that work force is the single most important factor for determining an individual's acceptance, self respect and integration into society.

In regard to equal rights, Sweden is considered to be ahead of many other countries with both men and women working on the regular job market. Housewives are few in number and most mothers work outside the home. Living in the country without a regular job is extremely stressful for any adult since there is such a clear feeling of being alienated.

Sweden has witnessed great cultural changes in recent years due to immigration. It has become a multicultural society. Sweden has been perceived in the past as being culturally homogenous. The scale of the changes would surprise many people. One in five people in Sweden are either first or second generation immigrants and in less than fifteen years' time it is likely that one in four Swedes will have an immigrant background. Sweden faces the challenges of integrating the new cultures into its workforce.

Another important change in the 1990s is the opening of the global market in which Swedish companies are more willing to relocate, with Sweden being a part of the European Union. But the economic problems during the 1990´ies, with large numbers of lay-offs and high levels of unemployment, have made it difficult for the new Swedes to get jobs despite good educations.

These economic and demographic realities present the following challenge to companies and organisations: To be able to recruit the most competent people available into the labour market.

Sweden has a lot to gain from the rapid inclusion of these new Swedes. They have come with a level of education that, on average, is comparable with their Swedish counterpart as well as extensive work experience and language skills. In fact, among those immigrants who have come in recent years, twice as many have a post-secondary education, as do the corresponding age groups in the Swedish population.

However there is a problem. Sweden´s ability to utilise the strengths of people from other cultures in the labour market is far from well-developed despite experience from abroad, which shows that a determined effort to increase diversity in ones own organisation pays off over time. Diversity is shown to be far superior to homogenous environments for creating dynamism and growth.

Cultural diversity is undoubtedly good for business and more and more people are beginning to recognise it as a competitive factor. Global companies and the removal of market borders mean that traditional competence and strategies are just not enough anymore. In order to be successful in the new international climate, countries need multicultural competence.

One of today´s most important leadership challenges is to properly deal with these demographic realities of a changing workforce. There are several interesting efforts in Sweden today where both public and private employers work together such as conveying knowledge and experience concerning diversity management, informing employers and employees in the private and public sectors about the value of multicultural competence and workplace diversity, arranging conferences between companies for discussing the gains and methods of diversity management and participating in opinion-making activities which underscore the value of a multicultural Sweden. All employers involved work together with a common interest: Increasing democracy and gaining continued economic wealth by promoting diversity management in the work place.

Karin Greenberg