Standardising Fatherhood through Discourse

Abstract

A current trend in multinational corporations (MNCs) is a strong focus on diversity management in order to attract and retain talent. The present study investigates the linguistic manifestation and justification of a very recent company policy intended to facilitate this trend, viz., global paternity leave. The study represents an attempt at contributing to the linguistic turn in organisational studies. As a theoretical point of departure, strategic communication and the socio-political and business context for parental leave are discussed. Tools from systemic functional linguistics are then applied as methods to investigate the communication strategies employed when introducing the new family leave policy in four MNCs headquartered in the UK and Norway, respectively. The material consists of a set of texts on global paternity leave produced by the four companies. The analysis identifies similarities as well as differences between the British and Norwegian companies in how the new global leave policy is presented. The findings demonstrate a tension between focussing on gender equality and on inclusion in the justification of the new measure intended to support the MNCs’ diversity management efforts. The study thus shows how language performs ideological work within corporate communication.