Our Mission
There is a growing interest in Europe due to globalization, migration, and demographic change on diversity and inclusion. We are particularly interested in German cultural diversity issues and learning more about how they affect organizations, communities, and society. Faced with problems that require imaginative and prompt solutions we need to deal with the increasingly diverse tasks in the same way to achieve diversity and inclusion. Our mission is to understand cultures, build leadership abilities, and strengthen organizational capacity.
The Institute for Culture and Diversity Studies focuses on addressing key issues related to cultural diversity and inclusion in the most creative way possible, as well as fostering cross-cultural trust, respect, and understanding.
Our Vision
In Germany's increasingly diversified workplace, we aim to contribute to the generation of new knowledge to better understand processes as well as potential solutions to demographic change. We are dedicated to increasing public awareness of cultural & diversity by fostering research as well as encouraging integrative collaboration in the academic field. Our activities will be promoted through a variety of public relations and social media initiatives, in Germany and abroad, as well as networking of these projects.
Our Goals
Based on the motto "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it" our goal is to address opportunities and challenges of cultural diversity in our society, to encourage the initiation and the development of socially relevant innovative creative thinking and effective practices.
The Institute will focus on commonalities rather than cultural differences and contribute to fill in the gaps in the existing research field of diversity and inclusion. Furthermore, we aim to promote cross-cultural understanding through research and transfer of knowledge. The Institute for Cultural and Diversity Studies offers the right framework to deal with such difficulties professionally in higher education, culture, economy, and society.
I. Undertake and facilitate culture and diversity research activities
- Concentrating on creative research to understand how culture influences thinking and behavior, and its problems for the global society.
- Considering cultural diversity's implications and its role in long-term sustainability.
- Focusing on the commonalities, diversity and their effects in different fields and the role of intercultural communication in the new century and the digital era.
II. Facilitating knowledge transfer in culturally diverse organizations, communities and societies.
- Focusing on creative research to generate and develop models for a better understanding and interpretation of everyday cultural circumstances.
- Facilitate new knowledge of the challenges and potentials that cultural diversity bears.
III. Develop and enhance intercultural and diversity competencies
- Support the teaching and learning of diversity and intercultural management competencies.
- Enhancing diversity, intercultural awareness, and competencies of organizations and different society members.
IV. Initiate and advance activities encouraging cultural diversity
- Undertake a variety of diverse network activities (conferences and workshops, guest lectures, excursions, company projects, discussions, etc.)
- Initiate different Public Relations, social media, and Networking activities with artists creatives, academics and institutions.
- Involvement of students in the form of study projects/company projects/ to support and raise awareness of the need to deal with a culturally diverse economy and society.
People involved
Executive Director:
Scientific Director:
- Prof. Dr. Arnold Groh
Other people involved:
- Prof. Dr. jur. Bert Eichhorn
- Prof. Dr. Henning Kreis
- Anke Neuzerling/Fernseh Redaktorin/SWR Aktuell
- Ami Mustafaraj