Percorrer por autor "Dahm, Jana Annalena"
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- From personal values to inclusive practices : the role of founder identity in driving diversity in German startupsPublication . Dahm, Jana Annalena; Fioravante, RosaIn today’s globalized landscape, effective diversity management to increase and maintain a diverse workforce is a critical challenge, especially for startups. Although existing literature confirmed the importance of leaders’ personal values, beliefs and experiences in shaping their willingness to support D&I practices, how this influence arises remains understudied. Additionally, while most previous research focuses on CEOs in large corporations, this study adds nuance by applying these insights to startup founders operating under unique conditions of uncertainty, limited resources, and informal organizational structures. Drawing on qualitative data from nine semi-structured interviews with German startup founders, the study examines how individual-level factors interact with the structural features of startups to influence D&I engagement. The analysis confirms the relevance of theories such as Social Identity Theory and Intergroup Contact Theory, while expanding them by introducing the concept of privilege awareness as a motivator for inclusive leadership. Furthermore, it refines relational demography theory by showing that the diversity of founders’ networks mediates the impact of informal recruitment. Contrary to assumptions that structural constraints limit diversity efforts, the research demonstrates that founder intentionality often overrides these limitations. Startup- specific characteristics, such as small size and flexibility, can be leveraged to embed inclusive norms early. These insights contribute to D&I, leadership, and entrepreneurship literature by offering a context-specific understanding of inclusive behavior in startups. The study concludes with practical recommendations for embedding inclusion early, emphasizing that founder intent and identity play a pivotal role in shaping organizational culture from the outset.