Overview
          •   PhD research on integration of skilled immigrants at the workplace
          •   Focus on Sweden, recent years
          •   Focus on knowledge intensive-sectors
          •   Qualitative method
          •   Organizations and immigrants
          •   Focus on practices
          •   Today’s presentation: discuss integration in terms of communication and 
              language
                                                                                Context
         •   Business internationalization and development of the knowledge economy 
             - international competition for scarce talents (Tillväxtanalys, 2018; see Kerr, Kerr, 
             Özden and Parsons, 2016) 
         •   Although highly qualified professionals from abroad “not particularly large 
             part of the Swedish labour market’s long term recruitment needs” (Tillväxtanalys, 
             2018)
         •   High disparity between the employment level of immigrants and that of 
             their native-born counterparts (OECD, 2014; Israelsson et al., 2020)
                                                               Concepts
        •  Integration: complex phenomenon with multifaceted 
           dimensions (Ager and Strand cited in Bergström and Omanovic´, 2017)
        •  Communication: participation and effectiveness (Deetz, 1992)
        •  Language: one important element of communication 
           process, logos, medium (see Deetz, 1992)
                                                “Outside-in”
                                 Integration
                               Communication
                                Languag
                                e
                          Language and integration at the workplace
          Language as strategic asset             Valuing multiple 
                                                 competences/equality
            Hearable language                  Communication is hindered
               Team work                       Certain immigrants not being 
                               Implications     hired as lack of language 
                                                 hindered team work
           Development within the             Sufficient to development within 
              organization                    professional roles but not within 
          Access to job/internship and             organization 
           permanent employment               Compromised  opportunity for 
                                                permanent employment
          Access to key information, 
           ultimate decision making            Distorted communication, 
                                               prevented participation in 
      •                                             trainings
         References: Piekkari et al., 2019; Zanoni and Janssens, 2004; Kalonaityte, 2010; Diedrich, 2014; Bergström and Omanovic´, 
         2017; Romani et al. 2019