Hvorfor bruger du ikke blind rekruttering? En hermeneutisk undersøgelse af hvorfor blind rekruttering ikke er mere udbredt, og hvad der skal til for, at flere organisationer vil implementere metoden

Abstract

This thesis investigates why blind recruitment is not more widespread, and what it takes for more organizations to implement the method. This is relevant, as the dominant recruitment practice has been shown to result in unfair and illegal discrimination due to bias. As a response, the method of blind recruitment has emerged, in which candidate information is anonymized to ensure a focus on competencies rather than unconscious bias. The method thus appears to be an obvious alternative but is only applied to a limited extent. This discrepancy defines the thesis’s problem field. The study is based on a qualitative research design with empirical data from 21 informants, all of whom work with recruitment in a Danish context. The scientific theoretical approach of the study is hermeneutically inspired. The analysis is empirically constructed, with relevant theories and concepts integrated throughout. The first part of the analysis finds that blind recruitment is not perceived as an advantageous alternative to the traditional recruitment practice, although several advantages of the method are acknowledged. The second part identifies four barriers to the implementation of blind recruitment: recruitment norms, habits, resistance to change, and a lack of prioritization of new initiatives. Taken together, the analysis contributes to answering why blind recruitment is not more widespread. The first part of the discussion discusses and presents four concrete proposals for how organizations can overcome the identified barriers. The second part of the discussion addresses the relevance of transitioning to blind recruitment, regardless of the organization’s position in the current debate concerning DEI initiatives. Taken together, the discussion contributes to answering what enables more organizations to implement blind recruitment. It can be concluded that the findings of this study expand existing research in the field, which has mainly highlighted the positive aspects of blind recruitment and the limitations of traditional recruitment practices. Our findings indicate that significant and complex barriers exist, which must be addressed before organizations can implement blind recruitment and thereby contribute to the adoption of the method.