Localized Narratives as Strategy to Drive Organizational Change for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A Case Study of a Global American Company's Subsidiary in Taiwan

Abstract

noneDiversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a growing trend in human resource development that is nearly ubiquitous now among Western organizations and increasingly popular around the world. The global rise of DEI practice is largely driven by Western multinational organizations implementing DEI in their overseas operations. I spent three months leading DEI at a Taiwanese subsidiary of a large, American company, where local leaders expressed strong desire to expand and improve DEI. Organization development literature is clear: implementing cultural change necessary for DEI reform is extremely difficult, and there is virtually no literature on DEI reform applicable to the Taiwanese context. I lean on Anand's (2022) new book on principles for driving DEI reform in foreign subsidiaries of global companies—the first of its kind. Major organizational change requires key stakeholders’ support, and this study focuses on constructing and leveraging contextually-specific narratives for DEI change as strategy to garner such support. My research seeks knowledge to inform such strategy by applying Anand's principles to analyze qualitative data collected during my DEI internship at the case study organization. I found that the most compelling narratives for DEI reform would center on three distinct issues of gender inequality, with special implications for tailoring narratives to better suit various audiences by emphasizing different rationales for acting on each issue. Additional recommendations for successful DEI reform at the case study site are outlined in my final chapter. Through this study, I aim to develop my professional abilities as a facilitator of organizational change by providing tangible guidance supporting the organization’s desired change with respect to DEI.