Diversity Management in discussion at Kahlenberger Gespräche

MODUL Career hosted another successful installation of theKahlenberger Gespräche series on February 21st, on the theme ‘Diversity Management in Business’. Around 100 people attended the event at MODUL University (on Vienna’s Kahlenberg mountain) to hear a top-notch panel of experts share their views on diversity management.

Moderated by Margarethe Bitzer of Diversity Club Austria, the noteworthy speakers discussed the opportunities and challenges that diversity management can offer businesses.

"At present, businesses in the tourism and leisure industry are heavily influenced by the heterogeneous composition of their employees and teams", said Hani El-Sharkawi, head of MODUL Career. "This results in an enormous cultural and likewise social diversity of employees, however related opportunities and potentials too often remain unused. Diversity management is about the constructive management of this diversity and the creation of conditions which lead to all parties being able to realize and develop their potential. In times of the 'war for talent', the companies at an advantage are the ones who can create the conditions that make them attractive as potential employers for new target groups. Therefore, we have deliberately chosen the theme of diversity management set by this incentive to initiate stronger discourse in the tourism industry."

Following Hani El-Sharkawi’s stage setting introduction, Diversity Management experts took the stage to discuss these challenges and possibilities.

Mag. Norbert Pauser has extensive experience with issues of diversity and inclusion as a trainer, consultant, and author of the first German language practice book on diversity management. During the panel discussion he identified that the "the diversity consultant is one often laughed at by potential customers, along the lines of ‘an ideal world would certainly be great, but we have no time for it - we have an economic crisis'. It is time for companies with a holistic approach to diversity management to make a positive impact on various business sectors; there is the economic component to be sure, but also contribution to the improvement of the social component and internal communication, and to foster the internal willingness to participate."

Dr.in Regina Bendl, Professor at the Vienna University of Economics in the Department of Gender and Diversity Management and author of numerous scientific articles and books, emphasizes that "the discourse on the subject of diversity is very broad. On one hand it's about business topics such as diversity marketing, and on the other hand diversity management can be seen as a new discipline. There are also sociological and anthropological approaches to the subject, and discourse at the organizational level." She also pointed out three main criticisms: "The first criticism is that diversity management is a neoliberal concept, which was created under Reagan in the United States. The second criticism is that even if all the dimensions are laid on the table, the heteronormative standard will continue to be reproduced. The third and final point of criticism is that diversity management has not made its way into the top echelons of organizations, where the hegemonic masculinity continues to be reproduced."  

What role diversity management has for the economy was illuminated by Mag Edwin Schaffer, the Head of the Diversity Unit at the Vienna Chamber of Commerce (WKW). He spoke about the importance of awareness-raising activities in companies and stated: "The WKW puts emphasis on awareness campaigns and strengthening their resources and empowerment. For me it is very important to see the perspective of those affected, because diversity blindness would cost us a lot. "

Dr. Ivo Ponocny, Lecturer in Applied Statistics and Diversity Officer at MODUL University Vienna, discussed the social and political responsibilities in regards to universities. In this role, he enriched the discussion with his own experiences and spoke about the importance of diversity at the university: "As science aims to reach general statements for the public, the concept of representing diversity can be scientifically difficult without the forgetting the needs of the individual. I feel personally that mindfulness is the most important thing in dealing with other people or employees and colleagues."

Margarethe Bitzer has over 20 years of international experience in personal and project management. As president of the Diversity Club Austria and expert in the field, she stressed among other things that "The difficulty of the issue is that some dimensions of diversity are subject to short-term hype and then fade in favor of another dimension coming into in the public eye. It is important to see all the dimensions together. "

The evening was a great success, and the engaging theme sparked a lot of further discussion and exchange of experiences among all the speakers and guests present. See photos of the evening on our Facebook page, and stay tuned for the next Kahlenberger Gespräche!

Photo credits from the Kahlenberg Gespräche evening: Martin Lusser / APA-Fotoservice