Tradition Meets Diversity: Speaking on DE&I at Rotary

Once considered the opposite of diversity, Rotary now embraces DE&I. In this context, Michael Stuber’s guest lecture sparked new questions about relevance, resilience and the future of inclusive leadership.

A Bold Setting for Different Perspectives

On 20 November 2023, I had the opportunity to speak at one of the many Rotary Clubs in Europe on the topic “How DE&I Makes Organisations Relevant (and Resilient)”. The context was striking: Rotary, a global organisation with over a century of tradition, had long been seen as an exclusive network – predominantly male, elitist, and often distant from the very concept of diversity. Yet today, Rotary commits itself to values of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I), publishing codes of conduct and guidelines that promote inclusion across cultures, genders and generations.

This was the background against which I was invited: not to repeat feel-good messages, but to explore the uncomfortable, provocative questions that arise when tradition meets transformation.

Moving Beyond Symbolism

I began by contrasting the colourful celebration of diversity with the real work of embedding inclusion into systems and cultures. Campaigns, events or even compliance measures may signal openness, but they rarely shift behaviours. I asked: Does it make organisations more relevant? Does it make them resilient? The key is to move from gestures to a value-creation process: from differences to openness, from inclusion to tangible outcomes.

Provocative Questions for Leaders

During the lecture, I posed some deeper and concrete questions:

  • Should DE&I be addressed the same way in companies, politics, civil society and private life?
  • Who defines the priorities — those who benefit from privilege or those who live exclusion daily?
  • How do we avoid reducing DE&I to charity, while still acknowledging responsibility for equity?

These questions resonated strongly with the audience, particularly given Rotary’s charitable tradition. They invited reflection: Is charity enough, or must organisations also change themselves to stay relevant in a world that demands inclusion?

Engineering DE&I for Impact

I shared my DE&I value-creation model, the propelling potential principle: Diversity alone is not enough; it needs openness, a cultural mindset and mechanisms and behaviours to produce measurable results. This model may or may not be aligned with the traditional Rotary self-image of service and integrity, showing that relevance in today’s world requires embedding DE&I into leadership, processes and decision-making.

Rotary’s Own Transformation

The fact that Rotary now explicitly commits to DE&I made the setting symbolic in a way. A club that once reflected exclusivity now debates inclusive values and cultural change. My role was not to lecture from above but to spark dialogue about contradictions, blind spots and opportunities. It was a moment where Rotary’s global principles of friendship, service and leadership met the modern imperative of inclusion.

Tradition, Courage and the Future

The meeting demonstrated that DE&I debates can unfold in surprising places. For Rotary, embracing diversity is more than updating policies; it is about redefining what relevance and service mean in the 21st century. For me as a speaker, it was a privilege to engage an audience with such strong traditions — and the courage to ask difficult questions.