"Diversity as a matter of course": Interview with Ursula Schwarzenbart, head of the Global Diversity Office (GDO)

GDO & diversity / tasks and targets

The GDO is a catalyst for a sustainable culture of top performance (as a control or support instrument). We take advantage of the diversity of Daimler employees, and we support the enhancement of diversity. By using the tools of diversity management, we help to: 1. recruit and develop the most talented employees for the company, 2. improve the working atmosphere and the employees’ job satisfaction, and 3.  promote the development of a heterogeneous management team. In these ways we are making Daimler fit for the future in the global markets as a producer of premium automobiles and an appealing employer.

The topic of diversity management is all the rage in corporate discussions. But what exactly does it mean for Daimler?

Ursula Schwarzenbart Diversity first of all means plurality and the involvement of a wide variety of people in the Group. At Daimler we already have great diversity, which we intend to promote and utilize to an even greater extent, so as to be in a position to meet the requirements of our customers and our employees even better as a globally active enterprise. Dealing with diversity ultimately means fostering an attitude of mutual respect and appreciation. On this basis, good ideas, creative solutions, and differing viewpoints can be introduced into the Group more rapidly and favorably.

For us, diversity management means analyzing facts and figures, and devising appropriate measures so that we can further support and promote diversity. This has provided the basis for the first focus of action in diversity management: the promotion of women in leading management positions. The proportion of women throughout all levels of management, at less than ten percent, is so low that we must undertake intensive supporting endeavors. We must set about rectifying traditional prejudices toward women and role allocations, and give them the same opportunities as men for demonstrating ambition and commitment in their chosen professions. This incidentally does not mean denying opportunities to men; performance still counts for women and for men to an equal extent. The promotion of women is, as ever, a strategic mission within the Group that extends to all levels of management.

Securing diversity management in the Group will no doubt be a lengthy process. What is your strategy?

We have a wide-ranging understanding of diversity. In addition to the six dimensions of the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG) - gender, age, ethnic provenience, religion/philosophy of life, sexual identity, and disability - we will also concern ourselves with further diversity criteria such as qualification, experience, expertise, and cultural plurality. To ensure that diversity management is implemented appropriately and in a sustainable manner, we must not introduce all aspects simultaneously. To which dimensions of diversity we will orient ourselves is a matter of corporate relevance.

Already in 2004, our Group's management adopted clear-cut positions with the introduction of diversity management: We first of all need more women, above all in managing positions. Since the separation from Chrysler our figures have been no better. With an unsatisfactorily low proportion of women, we will not attain our corporate aims of doing justice to the increasing significance and purchasing power of female customers on the automotive market and of profiting from the potential yielded by cooperation between women and men. To firmly anchor diversity at our plants and corporate locations, we have introduced diversity workshops for all management personnel, and we will further support the roll-out with diversity conferences. In any case, diversity management is a marathon and not a sprint.

What measures have already been introduced?

We have initiated quite a number of strategic measures since the establishment of diversity management in 2005. We are dealing with aspects of personnel development, but also with appointment processes and with measures aimed more toward human relations policy. For example, we have been giving a great deal of attention to creating flexible working conditions for our employees. In deciding on a company for employment, young people today more than ever before are sounding out the opportunities for flexible conditions. They want to be seen as committed employees, even when their personal circumstances at times require them to give priority to other matters.

We have a lot to catch up on in matters such as these. Our activities in company child care likewise come under the heading of diversity management. The lack of high-quality child care in Germany, especially for infants, often means that women and men are forced to severely curtail, or sometimes even discontinue, their professional commitment. Last year we established new day-care centers called "sternchen" (little stars) for children up to three years of age in Untertürkheim, Sindelfingen, and Bremen; the already existing "sternchen" center in Wörth was greatly extended, and further locations will be added later this year. Another initiative is the mentoring program that we introduced last year for women in Level 3 management and for female Level 4 personnel with potential. Mentoring enhances women's visibility and provides them with a more favorable network.

What role does the GDO play in this?

At the Global Diversity Office it is our task to shape diversity management in the Group together with the divisions and to offer them advice in implementation. The Global Diversity Council is the supreme decision-making body, in which the diversity measures and initiatives are discussed and resolved. We put the Council's resolutions into practice together with our partners from the divisions. We are aware that the implementation of diversity management can only prove successful as long as there are convincing arguments in its favor. Convictions cannot be dictated from above, but the Group can expect intensive discussion of this future-oriented topic.