In this chapter, we are interested in collaboration in the field of gender equality and diversity policies for the purpose of enhancing equity in the workplace and beyond. Based on a study of collaboration aiming to promote equality, we see a possible expansion of the more narrow understanding of the concept of equal opportunities in a workplace to a wider understanding of equality on a national level. The experiences of different organisations and professions make it possible to analyse and discuss equality problems on a more generic level in a collaborative setting. This idea is inspired by Rao and Kelleher (2003), who have suggested that in order to change inequality in organisations, equality and diversity should be seen as integrated parts of how the organisation relates to the whole community. Different forms of collaboration and cooperation between various sub-state-level actors in governmental policies have widely been seen as examples of new modes of governance ( Jacquot, 2010; Meehan, 2003). There seems to be an almost universal belief that collaboration between different actors and across sectors is necessary today to address complex and multi-causal societal problems and will increasingly be so in the future (Huxham, 1996). Gender equality and diversity politics are policy areas characterised by inherent complexity, multi-causality and, as a consequence, dependency on cross-sector analysis of policy frameworks (Yuval-Davis, 2006). In various political programs, collaboration has been put forward as a key concept and a way to make policy implementation more effective. Collaboration has, however, in practical application proved to be complicated and not always successful. In this chapter, we explore collaboration efforts with the specific aim to strengthen gender equality and diversity in the context of a local development project. The discussion is based on a case study of a collaborative initiative in Sweden between a local rescue service, a private security business, the Swedish Armed Forces and the County Police and a NGO that promotes the rights of LGBT people (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons). The following questions are addressed: Can collaboration initiatives be a fruitful strategy to enhance gender equality and diversity in the workplace? What experiences do the collaborating parties of firefighters, surveillance staff and trainers from the LGBT-NGO bring forth?
First, we present key concepts. The methodology and research context are then described, and a third section presents the findings in relation to the experiences of earlier research on collaboration and conclusions about governing gender and diversity through collaborative governance. The last section offers some overriding concluding reflections.