• Inclusion
• Work

• External Shocks

• Dealing with diversity
• Reshaping organizational forms

This study examines how diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and practices targeted at LGBTQ+ employees unfold within two Dutch financial organizations. It focuses on three interconnected stages of policy development and reception: how such policies are intended by decision-makers, how they are actually implemented, and how they are ultimately experienced by LGBTQ+ employees. Drawing on qualitative interviews with HR/DEI professionals and LGBTQ+ employees (n=16) supplemented by policy documents, the study explores how similar diversity visions can yield different outcomes depending on how policies are implemented and experienced. The thematic analysis focused on five key areas that were central to participants’ reflections on DEI: (1) organizational messaging and diversity vision; (2) inclusive infrastructure; (3) employee networks; (4) leadership support; and (5) the broader organizational climate. Our findings reveal that DEI is not a linear or top-down policy process, but a dynamic and relational one shaped by interpretation, translation, and engagement at multiple levels Our analysis showed that despite both organizations articulating inclusive visions, policies were less effective at the implementation stage due to overreliance on individual “advocates”, limited structural embedding, and a lack of leadership support

How do the intended, implemented, and experienced dimensions of LGBTQ+ policies align or misalign within two Dutch financial organizations, and what does this reveal about the dynamics between policy makers and LGBTQ+ employees?

• Collected during project
• -

• Interview

Yes

• Video and Audio Files for Interview Recordings
• Word files containing interview transcripts
• Nvivo coding files

• Unstructured

• English

01/06/2023

01/05/2025

No conflict of interest