My personal plea for diversity and why diversity matters?

Diversity is currently a topic everywhere in companies, in organizations, in politics or in science. But what does diversity really mean? I have asked myself this question again and again. In the context of the digital transformation and the necessary cultural change, diversity is once again receiving special and great attention. Personally, I am extremely pleased about this development, because I believe that it can offer an important counterpoint to hate propaganda, black and white thinking of some one-dimensional simple-minded opportunists. If diversity does not remain just a claim, it really makes a difference. As a society, we cannot solve complex challenges with fixed mindset, mono-causal, homogeneous and singular ways of thinking. Even if we sometimes wish to find a simple solution, these promises of salvation will not help us. 

"Problems can never be solved with the same way of thinking that created them." (Albert Einstein)

I am convinced that in order to successfully master complex challenges, we need diverse, interdisciplinary, heterogeneous teams. In my opinion, diversity can therefore provide an answer to complexity. For this, we need individually and collectively patience, reflection, openness and the recognition and acceptance of diversity. In my opinion, the view of diversity is strongly related to one's own mindset. Fixed mindset versus growth mindset. For me, the world is and has always been colorful. Our own attitude determines whether we see ourselves as victims or creators. We influence the world we live in every day with our actions and our statements. Globalization, digitalization, climate change, demographic change, racism did not fall from the sky. For us as individuals, the understanding that truth lies in the eye of the viewer and that we are surrounded by a multitude of perspectives are helpful to develop further. If we accept the diverse perspectives and learn to deal with paradoxes, contradictions and ambiguity, we can look more relaxed into the future and are able to shape it. We humans are not omnipotent, but we are also not powerless to positively shape our future world.

For me, diversity is an inestimable wealth. Already as a child I wished to be able to speak all languages in the world, because I wanted to exchange with people from different cultures in order to understand them. Of course, I did not learn all languages, but some of them which opened me many doors and worlds. I love to build bridges between cultures and humans. As a child and adolescent, I always had many friends with f. ex. Turkish, Italian, African, Mexican migration background. It was always a great inspiration to have diverse friends and learn from them. Alterity has always attracted me like a magnet. And how could it be otherwise, I said yes to a man with migration background. With my husband, I have often experienced latent structural racism. Each time I was speechless and stunned that this still exists in the 21st century. Due to these numerous experiences I have decided to raise my voice for more diversity in business, politics, education and society, because fortunately the world is colorful and not black or white. How boring, dangerous and limiting this narrow-minded world view is!

Diversity means for me:

1. a treasure chest with diverse perspectives, experiences, worlds, values, knowledge, cultures, impulses, stories, learning spaces, colors, sounds, music, sources of inspiration and impulses, taste explosions

2. diverse ways of thinking, feeling and acting

3. potential development of collective and individual intelligence

4. more creativity and innovation potential

5. perceive and acknowledge ambiguity, paradoxes, contradictions

6. Less silos and prejudices

This is a plea for more diversity in thinking and acting instead of monotony, for more plurality instead of singularity, for more heterogeneity instead of homogeneity, for more integration and inclusion instead of assimilation, for more similarities instead of differences, for more giver instead of taker mentality, for more dialogue instead of monologue, away from Ego-system towards a diverse human Eco-system. Thanks to the diverse world and perspectives I always had the opportunity to discover new things, to learn, to grow and to expand my horizon. And despite all the diverse and different facts, we are all simply human beings. Just as diversity is vital for the ecosystem, diversity is also essential for us humans.