Gender Equality in Business Action: A Multi-Agent Change Management Approach

Abstract

Critical to social sustainability and organizations’ growth, at present, is gender equality. Yet, egalitarian principles are difficult to apply in the practice, particularly in private firms. Acknowledging previous calls that research should respond to these concerns and support practitioners, we provide a theory-grounded conceptual framework to address change management in this field, aimed at providing applicable guidelines in the organizational practice. Integrating utilitarian and social justice perspectives about gender action, we call for multi-agent collaboration involving coordinated action from policymakers, private firms and gender experts. We provide an overview of how public policies and legislation guide organizational action by providing key statutory norms and procedures. We then address the relevance of organizational commitment and the alignment of gender goals with the organizational strategy and decision-making, involving managers. Finally, we underscore the benefits of implementing evidence-based action based on academic and consultancy collaboration. The implementation of these principles is illustrated with a multi-agent practice developed in the Basque Country (Spain) between gender equality change agents, suited to apply academic principles to real-world organizational practices. Recommendations for gender equality and corporate social action are provided.