Perspectives on the status quo
Diversity: buzzword or real change?
For some, there is no alternative to diversity and inclusion and it is a stated aim, whereas for others, it is just a marketing strategy. Raúl Krauthausen, Tupoka Ogette, and Fränzi Kühne comment on the actual progress of diversity and inclusion and find answers to a central question: What do we need in order to move forward?
Societies, institutions, and companies are also part of our society. They formulate diversity and inclusion as a goal, often accompanied by elaborate marketing campaigns – and Germany is not alone in this. But how much of this commitment has any real substance and how much remains a mere facade? According to a recent study by Stanford University, more than 80 per cent of leading companies worldwide use diversity as a marketing strategy. The data also shows that many companies do not deliver what they promise in their campaigns. There is talk of “diversity washing” – a strategy that may convince investors, but does not advance diversity as a goal. So how real is the much-heralded diversity?
We asked four people who are committed to diversity and inclusion in different areas:
Max Oehl has a doctorate in law and wants to change political participation with the Brand New Bundestag initiative, which aims to make parliaments more diverse. Raúl Krauthausen is a wheelchair user and knows from his own experience what the state of accessibility in Germany is like: not good. As an inclusion activist, his goal is to change this. In Tupoka Ogette’s racism-critical workshops, people reflect on their own socialization and racism. In addition to her workshops in companies and organizations, the author publishes important non-fiction books about the critique of racism. Fränzi Kühne was the youngest female supervisory board member in Germany in 2017. The entrepreneur knows that equality in companies has still not been achieved. Women in management positions are still not a matter of course – especially at high hierarchical levels.
Raúl Krauthausen: “The question of how far we’ve come doesn’t move us forward”
“In discussions about diversity, I see time and again that the topic of disability is either mentioned last or forgotten first. We need to realize that inclusion is a continuous, never-ending process in which we should always ask ourselves this question: What still needs to be done?
The question of how far we have come, on the other hand, does not move us forward. It implies that inclusion is a kind of checklist that will be ticked off at some point – as if the issue has been dealt with and we can now move on to other things. But that’s not how it works. Just as women still do not have equal rights after more than 100 years of suffrage in Germany, equality for people with disabilities is still a long way off. There is no definitive answer to this question because society is constantly evolving – and with it, the challenges.
There is a phrase that is often used in the field of inclusion: We have to lower the barriers in people’s minds. Non-inclusive people like to say this – and it’s not wrong. But there is a lack of clear action. Education alone cannot be the solution. For example, it makes me angry that the rights of people with disabilities in public spaces are often dismissed on cost grounds. If a university building does not have an accessible toilet, this is accepted much more quickly than if there were no women’s toilets. If a playground is not barrier-free, there is no outcry. This questioning of human rights often happens subtly.
Instead of education, we finally need real encounters and not poster campaigns that merely proclaim truisms. Accessibility must be enforceable! To stay with the example: Urban planners and architects must be obliged to ensure that public spaces are built to be accessible for everyone. This is the only way to achieve true inclusion.”
Tupoka Ogette: “Without the will to change the entire system, there is no progress”
“I have noticed that diversity is a buzzword in many places. There is also often a lack of understanding of the actual importance of diversity. It’s usually about “the others” who bring diversity with them, while they themselves are not perceived as part of the organization. A customized, representative diversity is desired – one that is not perceived as threatening. However, as soon as those concerned want to have a say, the potential for conflict arises.
In conversations about diversity, I often hear people asking for a seat at the negotiating table. But we need a new table where we can sit down together. As long as there are still groups that determine who is allowed to speak and who is not, the power imbalance will remain. It is not enough to simply integrate diversity – the norm itself must move.
We do a lot of leadership workshops. It is particularly important that managers, including CEOs, are also prepared to be vulnerable and question their own socialization. This has a lasting effect on the entire company.
In addition to a thirst for knowledge and curiosity, participants often also bring shame and insecurity with them, especially when confronted with feedback. My wish is for this kind of feedback to be normal practice and that it becomes routine to comment on racist statements and actions. Mistakes are part of this learning process. But the culture of mistakes in Germany makes it difficult to deal with them openly.
If all employees reflect on their thinking in the workshops and a positive error culture is created, this is a good start. Many would then like to actively initiate change, but this requires concrete measures: a flexible, jointly developed mission statement, and structural changes. Diversity and inclusion managers need sufficient resources such as time and money to do their job effectively. This cannot be done lightly. In addition to all the hard work, it’s also important to remember what it’s all for: The goal is to create a fairer world for everyone. And that’s a pretty cool thing.”
Maximilian Oehl: “Diversity plays a subordinate role in power-political decisions”
“Diverse representation is increasingly recognized as an important goal in politics as well as in civil society and business – but all too often, it remains a rather symbolic step. While we are seeing slightly greater representation of marginalized perspectives in our parliaments and, in some cases, at leadership levels, deep-rooted, systemic disadvantages are still present.
A fairly large number of political candidates can tell you a thing or two about this when it comes to internal party nomination procedures. While the promotion of diversity has only just been emphasized within the party, it suddenly plays only a subordinate role in power-political decisions. These structural barriers to social participation must continue to be dismantled actively and with considerable commitment.”
Fränzi Kühne: “Change what you can and leave the companies that don’t want to move”
“For me, diversity is not a buzzword but a key challenge of our time. The media attention and the interaction between politics and business have already made progress. The introduction of the women’s quota on supervisory boards and management boards, in particular, has helped to promote gender equality.
However, when I look at the smaller, unlisted companies, only 10.6 percent of management positions are held by women. That shows how far we still have to go. Even if the pace of development in recent years has been faster than ever before, it would take another 40 years at the same pace to achieve equality. That is not acceptable to me.
As a trustee of the AllBright Foundation, which campaigns for more diversity and women in management positions in business, I am working to actively promote the topic of gender equality. The main focus there is on creating more visibility and developing concrete measures for more diversity.
In my own work, I want to be a role model for diversity. It is important to me that we approach the topic with enthusiasm, not by wagging a finger at people. After all, diverse teams are demonstrably more successful economically and offer more fun and development opportunities for everyone. Companies that treat diversity merely as a marketing strategy will lose good talent in the long term. That’s why I’m calling for it: Change what you can – and leave the companies that don’t want to move.”
Diversity is the buzzword of our time. Companies, authorities and associations use it as a figurehead. But what does it actually mean? How do we create real diversity? And where is discrimination still present or even increasing - we want to get to the bottom of these questions in this dossier.