Issues and challenges of managing workplace diversity

English translation:
This course offers an in-depth exploration of contemporary issues related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in organizations. Structured around three main sections, it provides students with a conceptual, legal, strategic, and operational understanding of DEI, while also addressing the tensions, challenges, and unintended consequences associated with its implementation.
The course begins by examining the theoretical, social, legal, and organizational foundations of DEI. Students learn to distinguish and connect key concepts such as diversity, equity, inclusion, and diversity management; to understand the economic, moral, societal, and legal arguments underpinning DEI policies; and to analyze everyday mechanisms of exclusion and workplace microaggressions. This first section also introduces the international, European, and national legal frameworks and provides practical tools for identifying, documenting, and managing sensitive situations.
The second section focuses on the strategic implementation of DEI policies. It explores different approaches (systemic, functional, and ad hoc), the role of key stakeholders, particularly DEI managers as change agents, and provides an analytical framework and practical tools for designing an appropriate DEI strategy. This includes defining a vision, conducting organizational analysis, monitoring initiatives, and assessing their impact.
Particular attention is paid to the concept of organizational “arrangements”: material, procedural, and ritual mechanisms that facilitate coordination among heterogeneous perspectives. Through practical exercises, participants learn to map existing arrangements, identify areas of friction, and develop a mini DEI roadmap.
The third section examines the challenges and limitations of DEI policies. Drawing on recent research in social psychology and organizational sociology, it highlights the unintended consequences of DEI initiatives, including implicit signaling, perceptions of bias, and tensions between disadvantaged and advantaged groups. This section also addresses resistance to change and organizational backlash, helping students recognize its various forms, understand its underlying causes (such as identity threats, perceived loss of power, and organizational myths), and develop management and neutral facilitation strategies that can transform polarization into transparent and accountable decision-making processes.