When international management meets diversity management: the case of IKEA

Abstract

This paper discusses the managerial and theoretical implications of utilising diversity management as a means of keeping alive the key values in the corporate culture, when the organisation becomes larger and more diverse. This is especially important in relation to recruitment, in which diversity management is increasingly recognised as a relevant way of managing human differences. We perform a content analysis of 44 IKEA recruitment websites as an empirical vehicle for understanding the embedded barriers, and the opportunities for combining diversity management and international management. We conclude that, through the use of diversity management principles, IKEA succeeds in manoeuvring in the paradox of the simultaneous need for a strong corporate culture and local adaptation. Thus, the paper contributes to the understanding of the use of diversity management principles in international management practices.