An affirmative rhetoric regarding diversity and related practices is becoming increasingly popular in German-speaking countries. However, similar to other national contexts, the actual ramifications of this “diversity turn” for differentiating between desired and undesired diversity and, eventually, for legitimizing inclusion and exclusion, are highly controversial. An empirical investigation of diversity policies in practice shows that ideas of performance play a key role when organizations draw boundaries between legitimate diversity and “differences too far”. However, organizations rarely discuss or question what "performance" is, and how it can be achieved, which perpetuates the “myth of merit”.
