This article analyzes layers of meaning that are embedded in the concept of diversity in a financial institution. It examines the discourses about diversity that emerged over 21/2 years, during which a CEO was intentionally trying to change his organization’s cultural norms and to become more sensitive to “valuing people. ” By tracking the conversational patterns between the CEO and the organizational “discourse communities, ” this research highlights the processes by which meaning gets ascribed to the concept of organizational diversity and its impact on organizational structures and culture across time.
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