International Diversity Management - What Works?

Learning objectives

Students who successfully complete this course:

will understand why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is so important today and how diversity can improve organizational performance.

will understand the nuances and the challenges of different dimensions of diversity and how to deal with them in a productive way when implementing a diversity strategy

will reflect on their own unconscious biases and how they impact their decisions will learn impactful measures to improve DEI

Course content

Are you passionate about social justice? Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are an integral elements of todayʹs workplace culture. By including different talents and viewpoints, society, individuals, and organizations can flourish. Key to success is inclusive leadership and good diversity management practice. Both need knowledge, the willingness to reflect and impactful tools. You want to learn more about the business impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion? You want to reflect on gender norms, anti‐racism, diverse abilities, generation, and age diversity or LGBTQI+ concepts? And you want to learn what works and what to avoid? This course suits for everyone who wants to work in these fields: International Management, HR Management, Organizational Change etc.

Course structure and indications of the learning and teaching design

We will start with four introductory classes on the following topics:

1. Introduction: You will receive an overview of the whole course and will be assigned to groups with the task to evaluate one text and present it to your colleagues. We will start with some warmup exercises and videos.

2. Why are diversity, equity, and inclusion DEI so important today? What are the benefits? What are the challenges in international diversity management? Which dimensions are usually in the focus?

1. What are the ingredients of an international diversity management strategy? How can you work with goals and how do you measure success? We will also get insights from an ex‐Chief Diversity Officer who worked with different international companies.

2. How can you bring a diversity strategy to life? You know: Culture eats strategy for breakfast. What role do unconscious biases play in implementing an inclusive culture? How can structures and processes be adapted to support more inclusive workplaces?

3. After the introductory courses it is your turn. You will work together with your group intensively with one text on one dimension of diversity (gender, age, race/ethnicity, LGBTQI+, disability), evaluate the text, reflect it critically and present your findings and questions to your colleagues in class. The following five classes will be group presentations and discussions.

4. In our final session we will have a guest speaker who will share her experience in the tourism industry on the topic of DEI. You will also get more information concerning the essay, you will have to write as the second part of the exam.