Stop the rules! Germany longs for courageous leaders!

Stop the rules! Germany longs for courageous leaders!

A notable trend is emerging in German business: support for diversity goals is waning, while a discussion about a return to more distinctive leaders is gaining momentum. Thomas Tomkos, a renowned human resources consultant with over 25 years of experience, describes in a recent article by Capital the phenomenon. He notes that companies like SAP have recently eliminated diversity goals that previously influenced management's approach to compensation.

This turn could indicate a growing need for a more pragmatic leadership style. Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg also called for protection against hate messages to be dismantled and to bring more “masculine energy” into companies. According to Tomkos, there is a constant desire for strong leaders, while governance rules and inclusive leadership approaches are increasingly perceived as hindering entrepreneurship.

The return of the corporate heroes

The 2008 financial crisis not only left economic scars, but also caused entrepreneurial heroes to fall out of fashion. Tomkos emphasizes that the current German economy suffers from a flood of regulations, which leaves decision-makers little room to act innovatively and flexibly. A debate arises about over-regulation and core competencies being neglected in favor of unnecessary rules.

However, the challenges that managers face are not limited to bureaucratic hurdles. Tomkos points out that people in leadership positions are often stubborn and ambitious - traits that, when harnessed correctly, can be used productively to run a business. It is crucial to promote performance and competition as drivers of success, but to do so within narrower limits.

Technology as a support against discrimination

Parallel to these developments, the issue of linguistic discrimination is also being viewed increasingly critically. A recent study by Springer describes how “unconscious bias” creates unconscious stereotypes that can influence the behavior of individuals. To meet these challenges, technological solutions are being developed. Advances in natural language processing and machine learning, such as the Large Language Models (LLM) from companies like OpenAI and Google, offer promising approaches to identifying and reducing discrimination.

An example of this is the DG software, which uses AI to automatically identify and reduce linguistic discrimination. This software analyzes stereotypical language use using bias dictionaries and helps promote a balanced and diversity-sensitive representation of people in texts and images. In addition, image processing is combined with computer vision to analyze visual content and thus break stereotypical role expectations.

Implementing such technologies could not only entrench perceptions of discrimination at a structural level, but also spark a broader discussion about how companies can adapt to new leadership styles and diversity goals. It remains to be seen how these two areas will develop and what impact they will have on the German economy.