The Social Dynamics of Labor Market Inclusion

Abstract: Labor market inclusion is a complex assignment that takes place through a dynamic interaction between unemployed individuals from vulnerable groups, several authority actors and employers.The overall aim of this thesis was to explore the social dynamics of labor market inclusion, with a particular focus on integration, from the perspectives of employers and authority actors. Three empirical studies have been conducted focusing on different perspectives and integration challenges, using various forms of qualitative methods and theoretical approaches.Study I was a qualitative phenomenographic interview study of employers’ perspectives on labor market inclusion and intersectoral integration. The study showed that employers’ views are multifaceted and can be categorized as constrained, independent, and conditional, and can be understood through a complex internal relationship between conceived individual-, workplace- and authority-related aspects in relation to the themes of trust, contribution, and support (paper I).Study II was a two-year longitudinal case study of an interorganizational integration project, focusing on the authority actors’ perspectives. Through ethnographic fieldwork and a practice-theory approach, two divergent rationalities (an empowerment rationality and a coordinating rationality) were identified within the project organization, and four central concepts were highlighted – communication, trust, structure, and steering – contributing to a collapse in integration (paper II). The dysfunctional group processes were further analyzed with the theory of negative effects of social capital and shadow organizing, summarized as three social dynamics: insulation, homogenization, and escalating commitment (paper III).Study III was a one-year longitudinal case study of a municipal intraorganizational integration project focusing on the perspectives of both authority actors and municipal employers. This study combined ethnographic field work with the theory of social representations, which visualized three different representations among the different professional groups – individual-, employer-, and political-oriented – which contributed to creating tensions within the project, identified as incomprehension, power struggles, expectation gaps, and distrust (paper IV).By studying two labor market inclusion projects through shadow organizing, the thesis has revealed a complex and dynamic interplay between the various views of the actors involved, as well as social processes within the project organizations and organizational aspects, referred to as social dynamics. These social dynamics constitute the key concepts in this thesis, contributing understanding about how integration and organization work within labor market inclusion projects, or rather, what makes them fail. Three social dynamics were identified: multiple and conflicting views, grouping processes, and power struggles.Greater knowledge and awareness of these complex and social dynamics of labor market inclusion may contribute to better preparedness when organizing integration projects. The results suggest that by identifying and addressing the multiple views characterizing integration projects and not letting incomprehension dominate, the destructive social dynamics may not be given as much space, or may even be avoided, which may stimulate a willingness to integrate rather than the opposite.