On Practicing Diversity: Organizational Worldmaking through Exploration, Experimentation, and Engagement

Shortlisted for the EGOS Book Award 2026.

How can diversity be practiced without reinforcing the very inequalities it aims to dismantle?

In this book, Maddy Janssens and Chris Steyaert address this pressing question by critically examining the assumptions behind current diversity initiatives and turning to critical practice theory and queer theory for novel insights. Through imaginative concepts, inspiring illustrations, and an integrative case study within the dance world, the authors articulate the ‘conditions of possibility’ for a fresh, impactful alternative. This book advocates for a shift from individual efforts to collective practices, proposing a politics of organizational worldmaking oriented at multiplicity – a practicing of diversity that aspires to transformative change into livable and just work lives.

Maddy Janssens is Professor in the Department of Work and Organisation Studies at KU Leuven, Belgium.

Chris Steyaert is Professor of Organizational Psychology at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland.