In accordance with the GIZ new Cooperation and Leadership principles (KuF), under its Practice adaptive leadership principle there is a generous emphasis given to ensuring transparency in action, and the Cooperate in Diversity principle refers to create inclusive spaces and processes that enable collaboration beyond silos and across hierarchies ¹. These two aspects are crucial to perused/adopt/reflect when it comes to gender equality, mainstreaming, and diversity aspects in the institutional structures of GIZ in a systematical way.

An inclusive approach to integrate gender equality encompasses institution’s procedures, practices, rules/processes to be reflective of the common goal of gender mainstreaming across the board. This leads to transformation, transparency, and inclusive institutional culture ². The promoters of this transformation such as Mr. Reinhold Elges, Country Director of GIZ Thailand and Malaysia says:​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

“Good leadership is gender and diversity sensitive. Without feedback, good leadership is difficult to achieve. If we want to ensure leadership in GIZ is as good as it can be, then it should be obvious to include gender and diversity categories in the feedback to managers, one of the key tools at our disposal to structure a dialogue around quality in hierarchical relationships. In my experience, the feedback has been significantly improved. I learned how my attitude and actions are perceived across my team, where my own perspective and team perspective differ and what I can do concretely to improve my leadership. It also benefitted the team as it facilitated follow-on discussions among us regarding the values and behaviour we wanted to foster. Finally, it increased our awareness of gender and diversity aspects in other areas of our work. A true triple-win.”

The same aspect is also reinforced in another discourse which maintains that for some activists and academics, gender, gendering and gendered inequalities are reproduced through social practices, structures, processes, cultures of organisations’ and institutions ³. In the same realm of discussion ILO research notes on “Breaking barriers: Unconscious gender bias in the workplace” informs that one of the most crucial points in order to overcome the gender related obstacles, the first step is for organisations to assess unconscious gender bias in their operations and measure and its impact on staff ⁴.

In examining processes of inequality in the workplace. There is the realisation also exists that improvement in workplace practices are important and possible through enhanced management support toward inclusive institutional processes and ensuring transparency in actions.

Encouraged by these positive experiences, GIZ Thailand and GIZ Pakistan management have advocated for the voluntary inclusion of questions about diversity, gender, work-life balance and the implementation of the Gender Strategy in the “feedback to manager” sheet in compliance with GIZ new Cooperation and Leadership principles. Mr. Tobias Becker Country Director of GIZ Pakistan says:

“I would like to congratulate GIZ Thailand and GIZ Pakistan team for integrating an inclusive approach in “feedback to manager” sheet, which will be one of the key influencer to build more equitable work environment with great benefits in future for all.”​​​​​​​

1. ​​​​​​​Principles for Cooperation and Leadership
2. Mainstreaming and Institutional Transformation
3. What Do We Mean By Gender and Diversity in Management?
4. Breaking Barriers: Unconscious Gender Bias in the Workplace