Managing cultural diversity. Organisations as a laboratory for an inclusive society

This paper aims to articulate reflections on cultural diversity in society and diversity management in organisations. Democratic societies that have experimented with different models for dealing with cultural diversity (republican models, multiculturalism) have reached a dead end; they are unable to reconcile diversity and equality. Sociological approaches to diversity call for the emergence of a new inclusive society through intercultural dialogue. However, this model is based on principles which have yet to be turned into concrete realities. This paper suggests that organisations can act as social laboratories and conduct experiments in the management of cultural diversity that implement this virtuous model that democratic societies call for but are struggling to transform into reality. Moreover, as they are open to society, organisations can be the core of living labs to disseminate this intercultural dialogue beyond their walls. This article draws on the example of such an organisation, which aims to support refugees in their career planning and, through this process, to transform the way in which society looks at and manages cultural diversity.