Gender workforce diversity for resilience: The multinational enterprises’ institutional work

Abstract

Drawing on the theoretical perspective of institutional work, we focus on the way individuals and organizations actively shape and create institutions. Within multinational enterprises (MNEs), the development of corporate policies that offer training and mentorship opportunities for women plays a crucial role in influencing the institutional landscape and fostering inclusivity and equity in the workforce. Moreover, MNEs collaborate with both public institutions and private organizations to support initiatives promoting women's professional advancement, representing a form of institutional work aimed at fostering gender equality. Gender diversity within MNEs enriches perspectives and ideas, bolstering innovation and adaptability in dynamic markets, thereby enhancing organizational resilience. Hence, we investigate how MNEs engage in institutional work to cultivate gender workforce diversity and, consequently, enhance their organizational resilience, exemplified through a best practice case of Procter & Gamble's initiatives in promoting gender diversity within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Our research contributes to international business studies by elucidating MNEs’ institutional work for gender equality and deepening the understanding of organizational resilience by emphasizing the positive impact of gender workforce diversity.