Professor of action research Inge Bleijenbergh talks in Vitamine A, a podcast for accountants, about stereotypes, inclusive organisational cultures and the power of leaders who take diversity seriously.
Bleijenbergh investigates how organisations can truly change. Not top-down, but together with the people involved. Diversity, she says, is not just about gender relations, but also about ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation and more.
Yet there is resistance. ‘When you become more inclusive and distribute power more evenly, some men have to give something up. That seems threatening, but ultimately it also yields benefits.’ She believes that resistance is a normal part of organisational change, provided it is properly managed.
