CIICPD 2023

spread in the peripheral countries where their manufacturing processes focus on “raw material production and low capital-intensity and skill level” (2018, p. 330). Czechia, along with other Central or Eastern European countries, represents a semi-periphery of this system (Wallerstein 1997, p. 100; Nekvapil and Sherman 2018, p. 330), meaning that they deal with a combined reality of being the core in one context and peripheral in another. This chapter sets out to describe the reality of a multinational company’s branch operating in the area of the automotive industry. The superdiverse context is set by its position within the Group as a branch located in Czechia, i.e. at the periphery in contrast to its headquarters in Germany. Representing the country’s strategic sector and the biggest employer makes the company a core in local contexts from the perspective of the wages, capital intensity and skill level, as the company in the eyes of the locals provides above-average pay, attractive opportunities for personal growth, research and development jobs, and protection by the state. This creates an ethnic, sociocultural, as well as linguistic differentiation of the employee structure, mixing expatriates, who most frequently hold top managerial positions, with local employees predominating the middle management and administration jobs, and varied ethnic groups of migrant labourers performing the manufacturing jobs to compensate the shortage of local manual workers. The company, as with other multinational corporations, therefore must react not only to the speed of technological development and related challenges of the turbulent and changing times but also keep pace with research and development establishing trends in the area of management and leadership. 1.3 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Diversity, as discussed above, should not only be seen as a challenge the multinational company and its employees face but also as a benefit the company can enjoy as a whole. Indeed, diversity as a complex of demographic, cognitive, disciplinary, functional and institutional variables (Gaisch, Preymann and Aichinger, 2019; Gaisch, Noemeyer and Aichinger, 2019) is a principle that enables all employees, regardless of their individual differences, to reach their full potential. These individual differences, however, may not only be visible, i.e. readily apparent at a first sight (e.g., gender, age, skin colour, etc.), but also, and predominantly invisible, i.e. hidden, requiring a deeper understanding of inner characteristics to be disclosed (e.g., values, assumptions, beliefs, experiences, family background, skills, emotional perception, religion, sexual orientation). Therefore, in order to be able to fully realise the hidden potential of individuals, it is necessary to create conditions for a more intensive interaction and deeper cooperation. This requires an inclusive environment that allows for the removal of barriers created by the natural human tendency to avoid differences. Therefore, to fully exploit the potential of a diverse workplace, diversity is inseparable from inclusion. The difference between these two notions was captured in Vernā Myers’s (2022) famous quote “diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being invited to dance”. To be able to attract, develop and retain the talents from the job market, expect employees to deliver the best results and allow them to enjoy the benefits of a diverse workplace, companies must be able to implement diversity into their

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