Organizational innovation for gender equality in forestry and mining

Design teams – a participatory path to socially transformative innovation?

“…Similar to other large companies in natural resource-based industries in Sweden, the forestry company studied here is experiencing increased recruitment difficulties, due to limited interest among youths, women and urban men in choosing education and employment in these industries, which are generally perceived as old-fashioned, physically demanding and geographically remote (Brandth and Haugen, 2005;Lidestav and Sjölander, 1997;Lindberg et al, 2016). To attract these groups, they particularly try to diversify the persistently male-dominated workforce and macho-masculine identities and ideals in their workplace cultures.…”

“…As part of this, they aspire to appear more 'modern', by better reflecting the social, organisational and technological transformations that have taken place during the past few decades in male-dominated industries, and which have fundamentally changed working conditions and skill requirements (cf. Abrahamsson et al, 2014;Kuhn et al, 2002;Lidestav and Sjölander, 1997;Lindberg et al, 2016).…”

“…An alternative, or additional, explanation might be the resistance of established organisational structures to far-reaching transformations, which is rather common in gender-related and other norm-challenging innovative processes (cf. Lindberg et al, 2016;Lindholm 2012).…”

“…The design team might thus have been assessed mainly on its function as an abstract symbol for organisational 'modernity' -acknowledging current social, organisational and technological transformations in society -rather than as a practical method for socially transformative innovation (cf. Abrahamsson et al, 2014;Kuhn et al, 2002;Lidestav and Sjölander, 1997;Lindberg et al, 2016).…”

“…The participatory trend is perceivable in Scandinavian industrial contexts, where large companies in natural resource-based industries, such as forestry and mining, mobilise a wide range of stakeholders in their struggle to find new ways to secure their labour supply, since their persistently male-dominated workforce is estimated to be too narrow for present and future demands (Brandth and Haugen, 2005;Lidestav and Sjölander, 2007;Lindberg et al, 2016). One of the major forestry companies in Sweden decided to tackle these challenges by organising a design team with employees from different parts and levels of the organisation.…”