2008 Seminar Series "Synergy by diversity"

The business community is currently being affected by changing background conditions. Such shifts are a challenge, and require promoting diversity in a number of areas, including culture, gender, physical challenges, age, sexual orientation, religion, career plans, overall attitudes and lifestyles. When approached properly, diversity offers enormous potential -- and pays off, economically!

The events in the 2008 “Synergy by diversity” series are designed to increase awareness among businesses of the topic’s importance and to expand dialogue between the business companies and actors in the field of diversity management. The target group includes business leaders and HR managers as well as other managers responsible for diversity programs in the business community, public agencies, NGOs and NPOs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Scheduled events:

July 2, 2008 /  Frankfurt am Main
Open forum: Diversity as a Resource


September 10, 2008 / Basel
Diversity: An explosive element or an innovation driver?


October 13, 2008 / Vienna
Diversity: The ticket to a successful market presence?

Diversity: Dangerous explosive or innovation driver?

How to deal constructively with diversity is currently a topic of both political and social debate. In the business community it is being addressed within activities relating to diversity management.  In the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, the Bertelsmann Stiftung is also examining the issue through its "Synergy by diversity" series. Initial events in the series are being held in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in order to promote exchange among these German-speaking countries.

Panel discussion "Synergy through diversity" on February 11, 2008 in Berlin

As part of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, the Bertelsmann Stiftung organized a panel discussion on February 11, 2008, on the topic “Synergy through diversity.” Together with Liz Mohn, vice-chair of the Bertelsmann Stiftung, Ján Figel', EU Commissioner and patron of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, and German State Minister Maria Böhmer joined speakers from business, politics and academia to discuss the potential that diversity has to offer. In addition, best practices of how to deal with diversity-related topics were presented from the Bertelsmann Stiftung project Corporate Cultures in Global Interaction.

The Business Case for Cultural Diversity presented at the Seventh International Conference on Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations

The conference took place in Amsterdam and embraced more than 600 diversity experts and practitioners. Petra Koeppel presented the results of a global survey demonstrating the business case for cultural diversity including the benefits, drawbacks and instruments of cultural diversity management. Here you can download the short version. On the right column the whole survey is available under the title “The International Status Quo of Cultural Diversity Management”.

Survey: The International Status Quo of Cultural Diversity Management

The study on the status quo of cultural diversity management is now available in English. It examines how cultural diversity management is implemented in German, European, British and US-based companies. In addition, it looks at the economic benefits of cultural diversity.

Study: Germany lags when it comes to cultural diversity management

Cultural diversity is a resource capable of increasing creativity, international expertise, customer service and employee satisfaction. Those are the findings of an international study carried out as part of the project Corporate Cultures in Global Interaction. Yet businesses in Germany lag the field when it comes to applying cultural diversity management. Only 44 percent of German business organizations have implemented such tools, compared to 75 percent of European companies and 92 percent of those in the US or UK. The study also examines cultural diversity management’s impact on economic success and the different strategies and tools used to implement it.

Three questions about diversity for Henkel's Kasper Rorsted

Kasper Rorstedt, vice-chair of Henkel, explains how his globally active company perceives diversity management, which role it plays in everyday activities and which difficulties present themselves when trying to promote it.