Jannick Friis Christensen

Presentation

Titled ‘Norm Critical Diversity Management’, my PhD research project seeks to develop new methods for intervening diversity by bridging critical performativity theory with organisational practice and managerial discourse. Unfolding in two distinct, yet interrelated phases, the research takes an ethnographic approach to exploring the norms of diversity and inclusion practices in contemporary organisations with the purpose of granting insights into how perceptions of diversity are constructed discursively, and how they govern people’s conduct.

The second phase is participatory and puts the knowledge from the first phase to work in explorations of how diversity and inclusion practices can be challenged and made productive—critically—through continuous critical reflection on the underlying norms.

The latter part of the project is the intervention where critical diversity studies—as a field-in-the-making—is operationalised and made applicable for practitioners by means of empirical work of developing practical management tools and recommendations for preventing exclusion, marginalisation, and discrimination of minority and/or non-dominant groups of people. More broadly, I apply this approach to issues of work identities, emotional labour, and organisational culture and change.

Primary research areas

Scientific focus areas are within the research fields of critical management studies and organisational sociology, including norm critical approaches to:
- Diversity, intersectionality, and queer theory
- Equality and human rights
- Political communication
- Power, culture, and identity
- Reflexive intervention and practice
 

Supervision

Supervising master’s theses at cand.soc./merc. in Human Resource Management and first-, second-, and third-year (bachelor) projects at the BSc in Business, Asian Language and Culture.