Diversity Management at German Universities
Jutta Rump; Imke Buß; Janina Kaiser; Melanie Schiedhelm; Petra Schorat-Waly
The term "diversity" stands for the differences between people in terms of visible and non-visible characteristics such as gender, nationality, culture, different age groups, ideology, religion, sexual orientation and people with disabilities. Diversity management is increasingly finding its way into German universities. The approach, which originated in the USA, has been spreading from large international companies to Germany since the late 1990s. The diversity management approach is essentially a strategic field of action that aims to utilize the different experiences, skills, needs and positions of people in order to manage diversity and be capable of acting from an institutional perspective (Linde and Auferkorte-Michaelis 2013). The strategic orientation of German diversity concepts can be viewed from two different angles: on the one hand from the economically oriented "business perspective" and on the other from the (human) rights-oriented "equity perspective" (Krell 2009). Linde and Auferkorte-Michaelis (2013) note that in practice at universities, corresponding measures are thought of together in a balancing act or one is used to promote the other. Diversity at universities is now more than just a component of personnel policy. It is "not only the subject of research in various disciplines such as business administration, political science or sociology, but the diversity concepts of the university itself have become the subject of university research, development and competition (ibid., p. 2 f.).
The institutional embedding of diversity management in the structures of German universities is very diverse. The topic is located with the Women's and Equal Opportunities Officers (e.g. University of Frankfurt), in prorectorates with officers assigned to them (e.g. UDE Essen), in departments responsible for DiM (e.g. PH Heidelberg) and above all in staff units set up as part of the excellence process (e.g. RWTH Aachen), which are responsible for conceptually preparing and supporting the process of managing diversity or implementing it together with various university stakeholders (Leicht-Scholten 2012). On the academic side, professorships (e.g. TU Berlin), pilot projects or entire centers (e.g. HU Berlin) have been established (ibid.).
Opening up higher education to new, highly heterogeneous target groups and dealing constructively with inequalities are important political and social goals in the higher education sector ("University for all", HRK 2009) in order to enable educational success on an equal footing. Demographic change, the internationalization of universities, new qualification initiatives and concepts for part-time study as well as lifelong academic learning demand an appreciative approach to diversity in studies and education and make diversity competence an important resource for the corresponding concepts in the higher education sector (Linde and Auferkorte-Michaelis 2013). In contrast to gender-equitable education, the specific perspective on diversity in education has not yet been implemented to any great extent. In inequality research, the work of Lars Schmitt and El-Mafaalani (cited in Linde and Auferkorte-Michaelis 2013) provides insights into structural conflicts and the various forms of social inequality experienced by students from non-academic backgrounds in higher education (ibid.). Buß (2010) and Spelsberg (2013), cited in Linde and Auferkorte-Michaelis (2013), are authors of the few publications on diversity in higher education didactics and conceptualization (ibid.). Diversity also means complexity, which often leads to the creation of stereotypes and conflicts. Diversity should draw attention to differences between people without this leading to the categorization of social groups and the associated stereotyping processes and conflicts. According to Linde and Auferkorte-Michaelis (2013), this reflects the ambivalence inherent in this construct: on the one hand, students want to fit into the academic community and not be perceived as "different". On the other hand, they have a clear desire for educators to address them as individuals with specific needs, interests and motivations. If teachers succeed in adapting to this, this is rewarded by sustained academic engagement on the part of the students, with the deep learning strategies that this often entails.
In the current education policy debate, diversity and the pedagogical approach of inclusion are seen as very closely linked (ibid.). For inclusion as a concept of dealing with diversity, the broad understanding of both diversity and inclusion means dealing appropriately with the diversity of learners in individual and institutional settings. It refers not only to the joint teaching of people with and without disabilities, but also to the diversity of all learners, which must be taken into account in an appropriate manner. It is therefore no longer just a matter of prioritizing "non-traditional" students or special groups, which can be categorized according to a wide variety of criteria, but "towards understanding the nuanced experiences of all students within highly diverse student groups" (ibid., p. 5). The move towards inclusion goes hand in hand with high standards for dealing with diversity and requires the system itself to adapt (ibid.). For universities, this means that students will no longer be required to adapt unilaterally, as was previously the case, but that the educational offerings will also be gradually adapted to the needs of the students (ibid., p. 6).
Literature
Hochschulrektorenkonferenz HRK, Die Stimme der Hochschulen (ed.) (2009): A university for all. Recommendation of the 6th General Assembly on 21.4.2009 on studying with disabilities/chronic illness. Bonn. Available online at www.hrk.de/fileadmin/redaktion/hrk/02-Dokumente/02-01-Beschluesse/
Entschliessung_HS_Alle.pdf, last checked on 08.12.2015.
Krell, G. (2009): Diversity Management: Chancengleichheit (nicht nur) als Wettbewerbsfaktor, 01.01.2009. Available online at www.bremerforum-diversity.de/pdf/Prof.Dr.GertraudeKrell.pdf, last checked on 15.03.2017.
Leicht-Scholten, C. (2009): Diversity management at German universities-an approach. In: German Rectors' Conference HRK, The Voice of the Universities (ed.): A University for All. Recommendation of the 6th General Assembly on 21.4.2009 on studying with disabilities/chronic illness. Bonn, pp. 8-12. Available online at www.hrk-nexus.de/fileadmin/redaktion/hrk-nexus/07-Downloads/07-02-Publikationen/
nexus-Broschuere-Diversitaet.pdf, last checked on 08.12.2015.
Linde, F.; Auferkorte-Michaelis, N. (2013): Diversity-appropriate education and learning. Available online at www.fbi.fh-koeln.de/institut/personen/linde/publikationen/
Diversitaetsgerecht_Lehren_und_Lernen_2013_11_20.pdf, last checked on 08.12.2015.
Citation
Rump, Jutta; Buß, Imke; Kaiser, Janina; Schiedhelm, Melanie; Schorat-Waly, Petra (2017): Diversity and diversity management at the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society. In: Rump, Jutta; Buß, Imke; Kaiser, Janina; Schiedhelm, Melanie; Schorat-Waly, Petra: Toolbox for good education in a diverse student body. Working Papers of the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society, No. 6. www. hwg-lu.de/arbeitspapiere
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