As part of its ‘Year of Leadership’ in 2026, the University will dedicate each month to one of the nine guidelines. In May, the focus is on diversity and leadership: in a panel discussion to mark German Diversity Day on 19 May, Lia Alessandro, a PhD student at the Faculty of Theology, Prof. Dr Jürgen Kleine-Vehn, spokesperson for the CIBSS Cluster of Excellence, and Dr Eva Voß, Chair of the board of the ‘Charta der Vielfalt’ and member of the University Council, discussed the topic of inclusive leadership. In an interview, they explain how leaders create space for diversity and how this spurs scientific innovation.

Ms Alessandro, Mr Kleine-Vehn, Ms Voß, Why was it personally important to you to take part in the panel discussion?

Lia Alessandro: In light of the Year of Leadership and the leadership guidelines, I felt it was important to bring in the perspective and experiences of someone who is being led. As a first-generation academic with a migrant background, I have experienced institutional discrimination and been affected by classism. Furthermore, at the Faculty of Catholic Theology, I explore queer-feminist issues within the religious sphere. There needs to be greater visibility for such aspects of diversity – which may seem counterintuitive at first glance – that I wish to bring into the discussion.

Jürgen Kleine-Vehn: My motivation has two aspects. One is based on academic grounds – we need the brightest minds in Freiburg and want to offer them an environment in which they can realise their potential. To do that, they need to feel that they belong. My research group comprises people from ten different countries. It’s great fun, but it also presents challenges – challenges I’m happy to take on. The other aspect is of a personal nature. I’m also a first-generation academic; I know what it feels like to be new somewhere, not to understand the rules, not to feel like you belong, and to have to find your own place first.

Eva Voß: When I was still working at the University of Freiburg, I had one of the best managers I have ever had the privilege of working with. That has always been a benchmark for me, even after I moved into the private sector. As I know that good leadership is neither a given nor an end in itself, I think it is excellent that the University of Freiburg has these leadership guidelines and that we are discussing how we actually want to treat one another.

Why should a university examine the relationship between diversity and leadership?

Kleine-Vehn: As a scientist, I am used to seeing different perspectives come together. However, simply putting different people in a room does not necessarily result in a community capable of achieving great things. Science therefore has an inherent interest in understanding how to manage diversity. Every single person who works at the University shapes our overall university culture. That is why we have a duty to address the issue of diversity thoughtfully and to actively shape it.

Alessandro: In my role as a staff member, it is also a question of who enables me to participate and how I can get involved. In academia, we often operate within a power imbalance. Leaders must therefore take responsibility for facilitating participation. The fact that the issue of diversity has been incorporated into the leadership guidelines is also important because many aspects of people’s lives, such as those of queer people, are under threat due to societal developments. In times of polarised attitudes, it is therefore important that the University takes responsibility in this area.

How does the University benefit from diversity in teams?

Kleine-Vehn: This has been clearly demonstrated in the academic world. Research shows that publications with a diverse list of authors have a greater academic impact. Diversity is closely linked to academic innovation. A study has also recently been published on this very topic, which concludes that a group needs to have a varied age structure. Experience often brings with it a greater ability to creatively combine and contextualise knowledge. Younger people, on the other hand, come up with disruptive ideas because they do not have to worry about established bodies of knowledge. Both are needed in science. The fact that diversity is fundamentally important is now taken for granted in many areas of science.

Alessandro: Diversity is certainly an asset to the University, both in academic work and in day-to-day interactions. So many different people come together in one place and contribute their skills. On the path to innovative ideas, this can initially lead to discussions that seem to go nowhere.

Voß: Unfortunately, at the moment, universities are still limiting this diversity to a great extent before everyone has even had a chance to sit down together. Various selection processes prevent us from making the most of people’s full potential. This raises questions such as who is actually allowed to study, or what aspects of a researcher’s application for a post are assessed. For example, is it solely about the number of publications, or does the quality of the journals in which they were published also matter? Over what period were qualification levels achieved? Must this have happened in one go, or do we also accept patchwork careers, for example because someone had to work for a long time to finance their studies? Such structural aspects should be addressed more effectively in future.

How can we create a working environment in which as many different people as possible feel they belong?

Alessandro: In my view, this requires a certain mindset on the part of individuals – namely, a willingness to embrace diversity. This calls for openness and good communication skills, both from managers and from staff. At the same time, everyone must be willing to learn from one another. It is about creating a space that feels safe and where people feel they are being listened to and can contribute new ideas.

Kleine-Vehn: In my working group, I see that this requires a high degree of flexibility. When a new person joins the group, the group and its members have to adapt. People feel at ease when they find their own place within the working group. This requires clarity about what is expected of them, but also about how they are allowed to develop. In academia, we have a system of distributed leadership. A positive culture of learning from mistakes is important here. People should be allowed to make mistakes and feel confident that the leader is there if problems arise. It also means that, as a leader, I have to be able to cope when colleagues do things differently from how I would do them myself.

Voß: It also takes a certain amount of courage to stray from the beaten track or to challenge a view that has long been considered traditional. And it takes courage for a manager to admit that we don’t know everything. This shows those we lead that there is a space where not knowing is not ridiculed or penalised, but where we can learn together. The team’s behaviour when someone new joins is also important. The author Beatrice Achaleke uses the image of a shared flat to illustrate this. When someone new joins a team, it is as if a new flatmate is moving in. If you say to that person, ‘You can leave your luggage outside and put it straight into the cellar’, because we already have everything here, it doesn’t feel as though you are contributing to the household. But you could also say: ‘Come on in and let’s see which items we have duplicates of or which ones we still need.’ It works in a similar way in teams, too, with regard to what new employees are allowed to bring in to help them feel part of the team.

What misconceptions do you often come across regarding diversity?

Voß: There’s a great phrase: “Diversity is not about them, it‘s about us.” It refers to the fact that some people think diversity only concerns others who are demanding something special. Yet diversity concerns me first and foremost, and the aspects of diversity that I bring to the table. The saying also captures how we manage to respond to these different characteristics, traits and behaviours in others. So, what can I do myself to avoid excluding people – because we have all unconsciously excluded someone at some point – and to break down barriers that I hadn’t noticed before? You don’t have to do this alone; you can seek out the perspectives of others. The most important thing in diversity management is to remain curious and ask yourself the right questions.

CIBSS profile of Prof. Dr. Jürgen Kleine-Vehn

Orignal press release University of Freiburg

Further information

Lia Alessandro is a PhD student at Goethe University Frankfurt and a research assistant at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Freiburg. Her doctoral thesis explores the relationship between feminism, secularism and religion, and examines the connection between religious and feminist subjects. She is chair of the Faculty of Theology’s Commission for Equality and Diversity.

Jürgen Kleine-Vehn is Professor of Molecular Plant Physiology at the Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg. Since 2024, he has been the spokesperson for the CIBSS Cluster of Excellence – Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies. His research focuses on the molecular cell biology of plants.

Dr. Eva Voß is Head of Diversity, Inclusion & People Care at BNP Paribas Germany and is Chair of the Board of Charta der Vielfalt e.V. She obtained her PhD in political science from the University of Freiburg. She has been a member of the University Council at the University of Freiburg since 2024.