Prof. Kathrin Zippel PhD, Prinicpal Investigator at SCRIPTS, spoke at the Work in Progress Conference on July 10, 2025 at the headquarters of the Handelsblatt Media Group in Düsseldorf on the topic "Identity, Ideology, Innovation - What the US Anti-Wokeness Debate Means for Decision Makers".

Work in Progress is one of the largest conferences on the topics of New Work and the future of work and has been organized by Handelsblatt and WirtschaftsWoche since 2022. Varinia Bernau Head of Management & Carreer at the magazine WirtschaftsWoche moderated the session.

Prof. Zippel highlighted issues such as authoritarian developments in the United States and the potential consequences of corporate responses. The removal of diversity initiatives to avoid government sanctions contradicts the protective role companies can play in a democracy. Besides, companies that fail to implement diversity measures risk alienating younger audiences—potential talent—which may ultimately lead to recruitment challenges.

Businesses should, therefore, recognize the symbolic impact of their actions. The discussion also addressed the increasing restrictions on diversity and academic freedom, as seen in developments at Harvard University where marginalized students were forced to hold their graduation celebrations off campus.

Additional signs of the current anti-diversity trend in corporate culture include the Christopher Street Day (CSD) event in Berlin and the withdrawal of sponsorship by German companies. Kathrin Zippel emphasizes that managers should show courage and actively support diversity, because research shows that inclusive corporate cultures are both promising and competitive.

The conversation was streamed on LinkedIn by WirtschaftsWoche and is still available (in German).