We often associate equality with gender, background or social inclusion. Yet in everyday university life, differing perceptions of work, leadership and communication also play a major role. In this interview, Dr Mareike Fingerhut-Säck, the university’s Equality Officer, and Saskia Salmen, a diversity consultant, discuss how intergenerational collaboration can be successful.
Equality work is generally perceived as primarily concerning gender issues, but is this perspective sufficient?
Mareike Fingerhut-Säck: Gender, background and social participation are central issues in equality; structural inequalities persist in these areas. But in everyday university life, age diversity and the associated work cultures also shape our campus: pragmatism, institutional knowledge and a wealth of experience are then pitted against new norms, different ways of working and impulses for change, leading to tensions. The key is not to judge or rank the different perspectives, but to recognise them as legitimate contributions.
Saskia Salmen: On campus, people from at least four generations with different life experiences come together, including those shaped by East and West German socialisation contexts. Digitalisation, internationalisation and new ideas about parenthood are further transforming university culture. This gives rise to misunderstandings: in communication, in understandings of leadership, or regarding how flexible collaboration should be. It is important not to immediately interpret these differences as a problem. They are simply part and parcel of a diverse organisation. But the less we know about one another, the quicker misunderstandings arise. Encounters and dialogue help us to use differences as a resource.
Where do differing expectations become particularly apparent?
Mareike Fingerhut-Säck: Lines of conflict emerge here and there in collaboration between different status groups and generations. Some expect fast, direct and informal communication via email or chat, and want participation, flatter hierarchies and flexible working arrangements. Others value formal channels, clear coordination and hierarchical structures in communication, and rely on clear lines of authority, fixed decision-making processes and defined responsibilities. Managers then find themselves caught in a constant tension.
It is important to make these differing expectations explicitly visible and not to fall into stereotypes when assessing people according to Gen X, Y or Z, as such prejudices obscure individual skills and perspectives and influence whose voice carries weight. Clear criteria in selection and assessment processes help to limit unconscious assumptions. This is, of course, more demanding than simply following one’s prejudices, but it is the only way for teams to clarify how they can work well together.
Saskia Salmen: Differences in themselves aren’t the problem. It becomes problematic when judgements arise from them: some are then seen as technologically illiterate, others as inattentive or too digitally influenced. Expectations regarding pace, availability and the handling of knowledge are changing rapidly. This makes it all the more important to foster mutual understanding and leave no one behind.
Has the issue of generational justice been underestimated in equality work so far?
Saskia Salmen: Yes, this aspect is still not being examined systematically enough. Given the generational shift ahead at the university, we need to ask more closely which generation-specific expectations shape everyday university life. We see a particular need for action where structures are still heavily based on linear career paths, yet career trajectories today vary greatly. It is not about creating new divisions between generations. It is about identifying prerequisites, expectations and pressures, and fostering understanding across generations.
So how can we successfully navigate this transition together, and how can we preserve experiential knowledge without stifling innovation?
Mareike Fingerhut-Säck: Generational change is an opportunity if it is actively shaped. Knowledge derived from long-standing networks and individually shaped, informal processes is lost if it is not passed on systematically and consciously. New colleagues bring with them different ways of working, digital routines and new expectations regarding collaboration and leadership. However, experience and renewal should not be seen as opposites, but as complementary. This requires systematic knowledge management. Knowledge must not be tied solely to individual people, but must be documented in a centralised and digitally accessible manner. The university needs a culture that values experiential knowledge without blocking change.
Saskia Salmen and Dr Mareike Fingerhut-Säck. (Photo: Jana Dünnhaupt/University of Magdeburg)
What measures could help in this regard?
Mareike Fingerhut-Säck: More flexible working and career paths are important: people take on care or family responsibilities, join the workforce later or switch between fields of work. Structures need to respond better to this. Management culture is also changing. Shared leadership or tandem management can distribute responsibility more effectively and take different life situations into account, but they require clear communication processes.
Saskia Salmen: To achieve this, we need to listen to the people on campus. We need to know what they need, where the obstacles lie and what is already working well. In the diversity audit with the Stifterverband, we are working on better consolidating existing resources, making them visible and presenting them in a more accessible way.
What can managers do to ensure that differences are seen as a resource?
Mareike Fingerhut-Säck: The most important point is attitude: differences are not a disruption, but a normal part of collaboration. Managers have a strong influence on whether diversity is seen as a burden or a resource. Teams should establish common ground rules: How do we communicate? How do we make decisions? How do we deal with conflicts? Such agreements prevent misunderstandings.
Saskia Salmen: Differences broaden our perspective. This can be uncomfortable, but it is valuable. Research benefits when questions are asked from new perspectives. Students and administration benefit when programmes better reflect people’s lived realities. For committees, this means assessing whether their composition reflects the reality on campus. Which social groups, age groups and skill sets are represented? Which perspectives are missing? And who bears what responsibility? Answering these questions helps to make diversity effective in decision-making.
What significance does the issue of diversity of opinion – that is, tolerating completely different viewpoints and ways of life – have for your work?
Mareike Fingerhut-Säck: A university thrives on the meeting of different perspectives: academia needs contradiction, criticism and debate. However, diversity of opinion is not a carte blanche, but is always linked to shared values such as respect, dignity and academic standards. Where statements discriminate, disparage or exclude people, it is no longer a matter of productive discourse. We therefore need spaces where even uncomfortable positions can be expressed, whilst at the same time clear rules for how we treat one another are in place. A healthy culture of debate can withstand differences without belittling people. This process is not always easy, but a healthy culture of debate should define us as a university community.
What makes diversity so valuable to us, and where do the challenges lie?
Mareike Fingerhut-Säck: Our diversity is a great strength. Different backgrounds broaden our perspective on academic questions, enrich teaching, and bring diverse approaches to knowledge, learning and collaboration. It becomes challenging when expectations remain unspoken and common rules are lacking as guidelines. How direct can criticism be? How do we show respect? How binding are agreements? How are conflicts handled? Depending on one’s upbringing and experience, there are different answers to these questions. That is why diversity requires, above all, communication. If we understand differences as a normal part of living together, friction can give rise to something productive.
About the people
Dr Mareike Fingerhut-Säck is the Equality Officer at the University of Magdeburg. She focuses on equal opportunities, participation and university culture, and supports processes aimed at creating a fair and diverse university.
Saskia Salmen works as a diversity consultant at the university and focuses on how diversity can be strategically and sustainably embedded in structures, processes and university culture.
