Diversity is more than just a nice idea. Experience shows that companies can sustainably strengthen their market position if they understand "diversity management" as part of their corporate culture. Among other things, they benefit from higher productivity among their employees and from an increase in creativity. This, in turn, has a positive effect on the feeling of togetherness - and ultimately leads to increased profits.

But what exactly does "diversity" mean? If you look up the English word in the dictionary, the German translation is "Vielfalt" ("diversity"). Basically, according to the broader definition of "diversity," the term describes the "appreciation and recognition of all people regardless of age, gender, ethnic and cultural origin, sexual orientation or other characteristics.

Diversity management in a globalized environment

Against this background, it is important to remember that the conditions for economic activity have changed significantly in recent years and decades. Factors such as globalization, the European integration process or demographic change have brought the targeted management of diversity to the fore.

The emergence of the diversity idea goes back to the civil rights movement in the USA. The supporters of this anti-racist movement in the United States campaigned for a reduction in discrimination and prejudice in all areas of society. The civil rights movement had its historical peak between the late 1950s and the end of the 1960s. One consequence of their commitment to equal opportunity was anti-discrimination legislation.

Diversity: Laws should protect against discrimination

Even today, international agreements, EU regulations and national laws are intended to prevent all conceivable forms of discrimination. One example is the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG), which came into force in 2006. However, what we understand as "diversity management" in the working world goes even further: Discrimination should not simply be prevented or punished. Rather, diversity at all levels should be met with tolerance, openness and appreciation.

Diversity management, which is often regarded as a subarea of human resources management, is about creating the necessary creative framework in a company for the recognition of this personnel diversity. After all, the basic idea of "diversity management" is that that diversity is celebrated as a high good - and that has an impact on the corporate culture.

Diversity management and inclusion

When we hear of "diversity management," the term "inclusion" also comes to mind. Inclusion means that no person should be excluded. Originally, the term inclusion only referred to people living with a disability. But today, especially in the world of work, the boundaries between the concepts of "diversity management" and "inclusion" are often blurred. This has its justification. After all, in both cases, the point of "corporate culture" is that valuing diversity leads to business success.

So is diversity management in the company really to be understood primarily as a subarea of human resources management? Or is it rather a holistic concept for corporate action? Both! A diversity strategy in human resources helps a company to remain interesting for skilled workers - especially in times of globalization. Ideally, the values and norms of "diversity management" should extend across all organizational levels of the company. In the context of "change management," "diversity management" is in fact also a response to social changes, such as demographic change or the increasing internationalization of the economy.

Experiencing diversity in the "garden of diversity

Diversity in the company: The following example shows what this looks like in visual terms - a walk in the "Garden of Diversity." We see lots of plants there. They are all different. And yet each plant is a plant. They all grow in the same soil. And for the plants to mature to full splendor, they need care, nurturing, space and time. In the center of the garden is a large tree. It ensures that all plants feel comfortable and right in their place, and that they all get equal opportunities to flourish. Transferred to practice, the following picture now emerges: The garden symbolizes the company, the plants are its employees, and the large tree is the diversity manager.

Thousands of companies that have recognized the benefits of diversity management are organized in the Diversity Charter initiative. When the initiative was launched in 2006, just four companies were on board. Fifteen years later, there were already more than 3,800 employers with a total of 14 million employees. The figures show that diversity is no longer a niche topic.

Diversity management brings companies many advantages

But let's get back to the advantages mentioned at the beginning of this article, which a company has when it sees diversity management as part of its corporate culture. By valuing diversity, numerous individual perspectives and experiences flow into teamwork. This results in more fresh ideas, increased innovation potential, higher job satisfaction and creative problem solving. Last but not least, workforces characterized by diversity are better able to recognize customer needs and meet them in a more targeted manner.

Admittedly, embedding diversity in a company is a complex undertaking. After all, it's not just a matter of paying lip service, but of values and norms that are an integral part of the corporate culture. An e-learning course from Security Island shows how employees and managers can be made aware of the issue of diversity. With the help of many explanations and practical examples, participants learn how to create the organizational framework for a working environment that is free of prejudice and characterized by empathy. They also increase their awareness of how to better assess the needs of their company.