Marjolein Dennissen

166 The Herculean task of diversity networks In my study, I examine ten diversity networks in two large Dutch organizations: a financial service organization ( Finance ) and a governmental service organization ( Govt ). In Finance, I studied six different diversity networks: a network for women in senior management positions, a network for women in middle management positions, an ethnic minority network, an LGBT network, a disability network and a young employee network for employees between 18 and 35 years of age. In Govt, I studied four different diversity networks: a women’s network, an LGBT network, a network for employees with a disability or chronical illness, and a network for “young” employees (here, “young” does not refer to a specific age, but to a progressive mind: employees who support the progressive ideas of this network). My data collection consisted of interviews, observations, and documents. I conducted 51 interviews with active network members, 33 interviews in Finance and 18 in Govt. In addition to interviews, I observed 46 network meetings, including network board meetings, activities and events that were organized by diversity networks, meetings with the organizational management and cross-network meetings of different networks within the organizations. Lastly, I collected and analyzed various documents, such as annual plans, newsletters and meeting minutes. Networking for equality? In Chapter 2, I explore the histories, goals and organized activities of five different diversity networks in Finance: the women’s network for women in middle management positions, the ethnic minority network, the LGBT network, the disability network and the young employee network. I focused on the diversity network board members, who, as network leaders, play a crucial role in how diversity networks contribute to equality in organizations. These board members determine the network goals, make strategic network decisions, and organize network activities for their members. In this chapter I therefore studied how the board members talk about the contribution of their network to equality. To do so, I developed a theoretical framework of organizational equality and distinguished between the networks’ contributions on three main levels: the individual level, the group level, and the organizational level. Figure 1 shows my three-level framework of organizational equality. The contribution of diversity networks on the individual level pertains to the individual career development of members. Resonating with the idea of networks as an important career management strategy, board members emphasize that diversity networks can support their members in career advancement. On the group level, the contribution of diversity networks lies in community building between employees with similar social identities. According to the network board members, diversity networks can provide their members with a safe space in which they can meet each other, share experiences, and discuss issues related to inequality freely without having to conform to the majority culture. The organizational level of equality pertains to inclusion. Inclusive organizations