Diversity in the neighborhood Settlers from Werksviertel and their perspectives on the topic of diversity

What do you personally associate with the term diversity?

Karin Maria Schertler (Serviceplan): First of all, enrichment. But it can also be exhausting at times. The art and challenge is to create something good together from diversity.

Angelika Huber-Straßer (KPMG): We are addressing the issue of diversity in our company under the motto “Better Together”. KPMG brings together so many different ethnic groups and nationalities. We have five generations in the company. All these people bring their personal backgrounds to us. We need to manage this so that everyone works together in a way that makes them “Better Together”.

Stephan Kahl (R&S I): First of all, my answer to this question relates specifically to the location here at Werksviertel. And I can say that diversity helps me to rent out my product – i.e. real estate – better. Through diversity in design, in formatting, in product types, in architecture, in the product range, but also in price differentiation, we produce the opposite of monotony and spread our risk. We could have realized a completely different development on the site for which we are responsible, one that would fit classically into a shoebox. But these days, it’s about offering people more than a desert. What we as real estate developers should never forget is tenant satisfaction. This ensures our success.

Marko Bozanovic (Allianz DIRECT): For me, the term diversity stands directly for people and their relationships with one another. It’s about bringing people from different countries and cultures together and exploring how we can accept and learn from each other.

Benno Vogel (Adina): Here at the Adina Hotel, diversity is an everyday part of what we do. We have employees from 35 different nations. Our guests come from all over the world. Personally, I think the particular challenge in dealing with diversity lies in the willingness to change your own view of diversity when it is appropriate.

Your perspectives make it clear that diversity can be a quality, but also exhausting. When exactly and why is that the case?

Karin Maria Schertler (Serviceplan): In order to deal appropriately with the challenges that come with diversity, a high level of dialog competence is required. We are currently seeing that we have lost this somewhat in politics and society. This muscle has atrophied a little because we move too often in social media echo chambers or leave our own sphere of influence too rarely. As a result, we are less often challenged to rub up against each other constructively in order to turn this energy into something new and positive.
I miss this willingness.

Benno Vogel (Adina): That’s a good point. I experience this in our company, for example, when employees come from countries that are at war with each other and have brought this conflict here with them. Nothing has happened between the two themselves. However, the political situation creates an expectation towards the other. And diversity can become exhausting if those involved are unable to rethink their positions. Diversity always becomes easy when people come together who want to live the concept of diversity. You can see that very clearly here at Werksviertel, which is very focused on this.

Karin Maria Schertler (Serviceplan): That’s right, the neighborhood feels very lively thanks to its diversity, with an energy all of its own. At Serviceplan, our approach to diversity is not just about giving space to the differences of our employees in various initiatives. We also try to connect our colleagues through shared experiences and moments. After all, you can break down the topic of diversity down to the smallest detail and all you end up with are mini groups that are separated from each other. What we often lose sight of are the things we have in common. A practical example: We founded a choir this year. It wasn’t a top-level strategy, but simply the idea of a colleague who has always enjoyed singing. And now colleagues from different departments come together every two weeks to sing together. Community rituals like this are important. We are convinced that the future of the office is the experience office.

Stephan Kahl (R&S I): Has the attendance rate increased again after the coronavirus pandemic?

Karin Maria Schertler (Serviceplan): Yes, it has.

Angelika Huber-Straßer (KPMG): For us too. We actually attribute this primarily to the location, which is very attractive for employees. For example, the wide range of catering, leisure and cultural activities. After work, it’s no problem to have a drink nearby or go to the gym together.

Marko Bozanovic (Allianz DIRECT): According to estimates, 20 to 30 percent of the employees in my department would have changed employers if they had had the opportunity to work exclusively in Unterföhring. The location here at Werksviertel is therefore of great importance and has undergone an impressive transformation. As someone who lived through the period of interim use in the clubs, it is fascinating to see that today companies such as Allianz Direct or Allianz Partners have chosen the quarter as their headquarters – that speaks for the attractiveness of this location.

Is a diverse infrastructure a prerequisite for a diverse urban district?

Angelika Huber-Straßer (KPMG): This is not automatic. The infrastructure must be geared towards people’s needs. For example, we have not planned a kindergarten at our location in Werksviertel because a survey showed that employees prefer to have a kindergarten place in their own residential area. This also makes it easier for them to continue working from home.

Marko Bozanovic (Allianz DIRECT): Social contacts in the neighborhood play an important role when choosing a kindergarten place – both for the parents and for the children. We have a company kindergarten, for example, which is particularly popular with our international employees. Colleagues in Munich, on the other hand, often prefer a childcare place close to home.

Stephan Kahl (R&S I): Infrastructure alone does not create diversity. It must also be operated sustainably. We deliberately relinquished some of the responsibility for diversity in the operation of the iCampus because we didn’t think we could take on the role of operator with its diverse requirements. So we brought in people who are better at it and support them by providing them with space at a discount, such as our bouldering world. And it works. With Boulderwelt, we have not only created a place where people can do sport all day, but also a restaurant for everyone. At lunchtime, it’s now a hive of activity. However, this concept of cross-subsidization also has its limits. I would like to offer even more variety on the iCampus. But it doesn’t always pay off because the budget or the needs of the users are limited.

Mrs. Huber-Straßer, how do you manage to live diversity in your company?

Angelika Huber-Straßer (KPMG): At KPMG, we have numerous programs and networks of our own that encourage our employees to show their diversity. For example, we have LGBT networks, women’s networks and networks for employees with a migration background. It wasn’t always like this. Ten years ago, we as a company had a much more homogeneous background, which we consciously wanted to break up.

Benno Vogel (Adina): I find it exciting that a global company is saying we really want to proactively tackle the issue of diversity and is probably also facing up to difficult discussions, for example about quota regulations.

Angelika Huber-Straßer (KPMG): It’s a tough process in the course of which we are breaking down entrenched thought structures on many levels. Also through quotas. For example, I have been promoting women for 25 years. However, things have only ever really changed when the regulator has made corresponding requirements or customers have demanded it. The willingness of companies to become active on their own initiative is usually low. They often only see the additional costs that diversity causes. I counter this by saying that diversity can also bring a lot of benefits. Provided it is used correctly.

How can diversity be used incorrectly?

Angelika Huber-Straßer (KPMG): For example, when the composition of a team is not aligned with the goal or circumstances of a project. Homogeneous teams, for example, reach solutions faster. Heterogeneous teams take longer, but usually deliver better solutions. This topic is now very well researched. As a company, we need to be fast for certain projects, especially when it comes to tax returns or corporate transactions. In such cases, it makes sense to rely more on homogeneous teams.

How diverse are your companies already set up?

Angelika Huber-Straßer (KPMG): Diversity starts with recruiting. There is the phenomenon of so-called homosocial reproduction. People like to surround themselves with people who are like them. At work, but also in their free time. This is why managers generally tend to recruit homosocially. It takes time to resolve this and we are moving on. Today, tattoos are no longer an automatic exclusion criterion for being a consultant with us.

Benno Vogel (Adina): It used to be a no-go, even for us in the hotel industry.

Marko Bozanovic (Allianz DIRECT): After my stay in London, the relaxed dress code in the Allianz Direct office was a big change for me. I have always put a lot of emphasis on my suit collection and, as a native Croatian, I like to wear a tie – an item of clothing that has its origins in Croatia. We have now done away with the formal dress that was typical for insurance agents for a long time. Today, our employees can come to work in the way they feel most comfortable. Even though I partly support the idea that employees should feel at home in the office, I don’t think we should forget that we represent the company and our work.

Stephan Kahl (R&S I): We still have some catching up to do in this area due to the lack of diversity in technical degree programs in Germany. We are still finding it very difficult. HR development is trying to break this down and we were recently able to recruit the first woman as a business unit manager in our company.

Can companies still do without diversity in light of the skills shortage?

Stephan Kahl (R&S I): In order to attract employees these days, you as a company must de facto focus on diversity and credibly document it in your corporate culture and your entire external image. Nobody can afford to leave talent lying around on the street. Fortunately, in Munich I’ve noticed that there isn’t such a great need for diversity in the first place because the proportion of people who recognize the benefits of diversity is very high. Unfortunately, things are still different in the countryside.

Angelika Huber-Straßer (KPMG): We are seeing that there are still sectors in which diversity is not such a big issue, partly because it doesn’t play a role in the relationship with the customer. There is simply no demand for diversity and there is no pressure from the market at all. But that is exactly what is needed.

Benno Vogel (Adina): Especially as there is a lot of pink washing going on in many companies and diversity is communicated in a way that is not practiced at all. I was just talking to a friend the other day who works for a large Munich-based company. The company had put up a huge Pride flag during Pride Month. However, when an important
customer from Saudi Arabia announced a visit, the flag was simply taken down. I find it particularly difficult that the flag was intended to make a statement, which then quietly disappeared because economic interests weighed more heavily. A company should be honest here and communicate openly: We take regional differences into account at this point, partly because it is an important customer for us.

Angelika Huber-Straßer (KPMG): Regardless of the customer relationship, diversity can also come up against limits within the company itself. For example, we have Ukrainian and Russian employees who no longer want to work together in a team. It’s our job to balance this out and give people a space in which they can feel safe again.

Does diversity force you as a company to communicate more sensitively?

Marko Bozanovic (Allianz DIRECT): They say you should never talk about politics and religion if you want to preserve friendships. With this in mind, I believe that large companies deliberately take a cautious approach in their communications to ensure that no one is excluded or hurt. Our corporate communications are always very thoughtful and designed to respect all perspectives.

Angelika Huber-Straßer (KPMG): I think every global company today is faced with the question of how to communicate in a meaningful way that is fair to everyone. And that is only possible if it defines values for itself that apply to everyone, whether you are Chinese, American, Jewish or Muslim.

Karin Maria Schertler (Serviceplan): One approach is also to think communication away from the pure sender-receiver approach. For example, we consider chance encounters between our employees to be very important in order to moderate diversity or to get it off the ground in the first place. Our offices are designed in such a way that people meet and talk to each other again and again.

Stephan Kahl (R&S I): I can confirm that. When I come to your place for lunch, I meet a lot of people who I’m happy to see. It would be interesting to track how many of these chance encounters happen every day. Serendipity is the keyword here for a successful corporate culture.

Karin Maria Schertler (Serviceplan): These chance encounters, which bring a lightness to everyday life, are not only important for the social kit, they also help to set communication processes in motion that are not planned and that lead us to new ideas and thoughts.

Do you see digitalization as an important driver of diversity?

Angelika Huber-Straßer (KPMG): That depends on how it is used. The internet gives all minorities and all diversity the opportunity to show themselves. However, if the exchange only takes place in the respective bubbles, digitalization undermines the principle of diversity again. If you have looked at cat pictures once, the algorithm will play them into your channel again and again. You are constantly fed a context that confirms you.

Marko Bozanovic (Allianz DIRECT): Digitalization undoubtedly contributes to diversity. However, the real challenge lies in how we deal with the resulting differences and tensions. It’s about respect, tolerance and understanding the opinions and perspectives of others without judging them too hastily. What is positive for one person may appear negative to another. This complex process that diversity entails requires our active engagement and an open, respectful debate.

Interview: Timo Schneckenburger & Daniel Wiechmann