What happens when entrepreneurial thinking, social responsibility and diversity come together? For Nina Poxleitner, our graduate from the bachelor degree programme in Export-oriented Management (now: International Business Management), it has led to a model of her own. One that shows culture is not a nice to have, but a real lever for impact.
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Diversity and organisational culture – do they make the difference?
IMC Alumni Award winner Nina Poxleitner shares her perspective on purpose, diversity and why mindset drives long term success.
From lecture hall to social impact
Nina Poxleitner is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at wirkt., an impact venture builder focused on social innovation. Together with her team, she builds social enterprises working in areas such as integration, education and mental health.
The starting point was the social business MORE THAN ONE PERSPECTIVE (MTOP), supporting qualified people with refugee or migration backgrounds as they enter the Austrian labour market. Her work gained early international recognition, including her inclusion in the Forbes 30 under 30 list in the Social Impact category.
She built her academic foundation at IMC Krems, later at WU Vienna through the CEMS programme and within international programmes for social entrepreneurship. What shaped her most, however, were her experiences as a Teach For Austria Fellow, as a founder and as a leader within diverse teams.
“More than one perspective” – more than a name.
The name MORE THAN ONE PERSPECTIVE is intentional. For Nina Poxleitner, diversity is not a buzzword, but a lived practice. In teams, in decision making and in collaboration with partners.
At wirkt., people with different backgrounds, lived realities and skills work together. Flat hierarchies, ownership and trust define the culture, alongside continuous reflection on power, language and equal opportunity.
In conversation with Nina Poxleitner
Does diversity truly make a difference in your experience?
The biggest opportunity is also the biggest point of friction. Diversity forces you to recognise your own lens. That is where the real work begins.
In my work with MTOP, I experienced this very directly. I met people who had been doctors, engineers or leaders in their home countries, whose competence became invisible in Austria. Not because they lacked ability, but because imperfect German was quickly seen as a sign of lower intelligence. That is bias. It is widespread. And I carried it myself.
The opportunity is that diversity makes blind spots visible. The challenge is that it takes time. Listening to all voices and making tensions discussable is slower than in homogenous teams. Research shows diverse leadership teams are more likely to outperform but not how demanding the journey can be. At wirkt., we work with tension meetings. The idea is simple: tension starts within one person. Making it visible is the work.
What does it take to move diversity from intention to lived culture?
Diversity has many dimensions: background, language, gender, age, social origin, abilities, sexual orientation and religion. At wirkt., we are diverse in some areas and not in others. Being honest about that is the first step. More important than asking how to become more diverse is asking what prevents us from truly understanding others.
I have heard experiences that are not part of my reality. People crossing the street. Comments from strangers on public transport. Everyday situations for some, invisible for others. Without listening, you cannot build inclusion.
At the same time, listening is not enough. Discrimination is also structural: in hiring, pay and access to opportunities. Mindset and structure must go hand in hand.
Where do you see the biggest opportunities and tensions in diverse teams?
The biggest opportunity is that lived experience brings knowledge you do not have. And sometimes that means stepping aside.
During a workshop, a younger colleague asked me to leave the room to create a safe space. At first, it felt uncomfortable. Then I understood she was right.
That moment defines diversity in practice. It is not about everyone being always included, but about the right voices leading. Leadership can mean stepping back. The main tension is ego.
How do you preserve culture in times of growth?
We are experiencing this ourselves. wirkt. has doubled in size within three years. Growth changes how teams work. What once happened informally now needs structure. Values need to be written down. Culture does not scale automatically. Patterns only become visible when they stop working. That is uncomfortable, but necessary for change.
What is your advice for organisations attracting young talent?
Purpose attracts people. We see this in the number of applications we receive.
But purpose alone is not enough. Our wellbeing survey shows that those with the most responsibility often feel the most exhausted. That is why we introduced Quality Time.
Every two months, the entire team meets for two hours. No laptops. Time to reflect and reconnect.
Our guiding principle is simple: we can only create impact for others if we are doing well ourselves.
