How different can differences be(come)?: Interpretative repertoires of diversity concepts in Swiss-based organizations

SummaryThis study looks at how global ideas of diversity are practiced in Swiss-based organizations at a time when related social interventions vary widely: how do those interventions enable or foreclose varieties of difference? Using a discourse psychological analysis, we identify four interpretative repertoires that professionals and participants draw upon to make sense of interventions: luxury, emergency, interest, and inclusion. Examining the consequences these repertoires have for constructing difference, we show that their use often impedes the processes of inscribing differences into the overall organization. We conclude that the way diversity travels is strongly impacted by the political negotiation through which the standard image of the “ideal worker” can be challenged and other images can be infused into a more hybrid organization.