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How does external political contestation of DEI reshapes its perception and enactment in Nordic banks

de Connick, Emily LU and Nava Bauer, Rashah LU (2026) MGTN59 20261
Department of Business Administration
Abstract
This thesis explores how growing political debates and pushback affect how Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies are understood and carried out within two Nordic banks, in Sweden and Denmark. Even though the region has a strong international reputation for equality, which often turns into a “myth of completed equality” that creates complacency and “gender fatigue”, DEI initiatives still face subtle but widespread resistance. Using a qualitative case study design, data was gathered through semi-structured interviews across three different levels: policymakers, policy enactors, and affected employees. The data was analyzed using a three-part theoretical framework combining Karl Weick’s (1995) sensemaking theory, threat typologies... (More)
This thesis explores how growing political debates and pushback affect how Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies are understood and carried out within two Nordic banks, in Sweden and Denmark. Even though the region has a strong international reputation for equality, which often turns into a “myth of completed equality” that creates complacency and “gender fatigue”, DEI initiatives still face subtle but widespread resistance. Using a qualitative case study design, data was gathered through semi-structured interviews across three different levels: policymakers, policy enactors, and affected employees. The data was analyzed using a three-part theoretical framework combining Karl Weick’s (1995) sensemaking theory, threat typologies (Iyer, 2022; Gündemir et al., 2024), and the Communicative Constitution of Organizations (CCO) perspective (Schoeneborn et al., 2018).

The findings reveal that outside political debates don't stay outside the company. Instead, they actively break into and reshape internal DEI efforts. To handle moral threats and avoid political backlash, leaders and managers strategically repackage their deep personal and moral convictions behind depoliticized, “authoritative texts”, specifically, the “business case” and regulatory compliance. Ultimately, this research shows that DEI in the Nordic banking sector isn't a static top-down process, but a fragile, constantly negotiated reality kept alive by strategic communication and the cautious endurance of a few key individuals. (Less)
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author
de Connick, Emily LU and Nava Bauer, Rashah LU
supervisor
organization
course
MGTN59 20261
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
language
English
id
9244899
date added to LUP
2026-07-01 14:14:07
date last changed
2026-07-01 14:14:07
@misc{9244899,
  abstract     = {{This thesis explores how growing political debates and pushback affect how Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies are understood and carried out within two Nordic banks, in Sweden and Denmark. Even though the region has a strong international reputation for equality, which often turns into a “myth of completed equality” that creates complacency and “gender fatigue”, DEI initiatives still face subtle but widespread resistance. Using a qualitative case study design, data was gathered through semi-structured interviews across three different levels: policymakers, policy enactors, and affected employees. The data was analyzed using a three-part theoretical framework combining Karl Weick’s (1995) sensemaking theory, threat typologies (Iyer, 2022; Gündemir et al., 2024), and the Communicative Constitution of Organizations (CCO) perspective (Schoeneborn et al., 2018).

The findings reveal that outside political debates don't stay outside the company. Instead, they actively break into and reshape internal DEI efforts. To handle moral threats and avoid political backlash, leaders and managers strategically repackage their deep personal and moral convictions behind depoliticized, “authoritative texts”, specifically, the “business case” and regulatory compliance. Ultimately, this research shows that DEI in the Nordic banking sector isn't a static top-down process, but a fragile, constantly negotiated reality kept alive by strategic communication and the cautious endurance of a few key individuals.}},
  author       = {{de Connick, Emily and Nava Bauer, Rashah}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{How does external political contestation of DEI reshapes its perception and enactment in Nordic banks}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}