Competence Center for Global Competence

Petia Genkova, Prof. Dr. phil. habil., is a professor for business psychology at the Faculty of Business Management and Social Sciences and led many research projects related to the in-depth research of Intercultural Competence, Intercultural Communication and Collaboration as well as the Experience and the Health and Satisfaction of people with a migration background as well as the topic Diversity. The main focus of her research is in the area of interculturality (Intercultural Competence, Global Virtual World, Acculturation, Diversity and Digitization) and positive psychology and personality development (work-life balance, stress and health management, stress, migration and success, expatriation and personality development). Research in all these topic fields is done internationally as well as cross-culturally with comparative studies and interculturally. There is a special emphasis on the identification, analysis and support of competences as cross-sector success factors.

Of particular note is the research project “Cult-Euro-1: Validation of a Measurement Instrument for General and Western European Culture-Specific Intercultural Competence,” funded by the VIP+ program of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, within which she developed and validated a measurement instrument for general and culture-specific intercultural competence. In the project “Utilizing and Embracing Diversity” (DNA, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research), she examined diversity management in the STEM sector and STEM departments at German universities. Although the STEM sector is growing rapidly and plays a crucial role in Germany's economic landscape, it exhibits significant shortcomings in the area of ??diversity management. In the project “PDM: Profiling through Diversity Management,” she is collaborating with the Berlin School of Psychology to investigate the status quo, challenges, and opportunities for diversity management at German universities. In the international research projects Diverschance_East, Fair_Future, and Edu_Chance (funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research), she analyzes global competencies and the challenges posed by diversity and digitalization in business and education within an innovative Europe. These projects focus particularly on the international research and transfer of interdisciplinary competencies, as well as on generating follow-up projects within the European research framework program Horizon Europe. Furthermore, in the project "Ready for a Diverse World" (funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture), she develops micro-interventions as open educational resources designed to sustainably strengthen teaching and skills development for navigating a changing world of work. In the project "Diversity Discourses" (MWK), she conducts public discussions and workshops to strengthen the contribution of diversity research to the societal and political debate on diversity. Beyond these nationally funded research projects, Prof. Genkova is co-chair of the Management Board of the COST Action “Digitalization and Redefinition of Work in Later Life” (funded by the EU Commission) and leads a research network with currently 141 researchers from 42 countries.

The results of the research projects of Prof. Genkova flow also in the different lectures as well as her multi-faceted consulting activities. As a professor and lecturer at different universities as well as through her parallel work as a consultant for private companies and public institutions, she held more than 270 lectures in addition to a great number of trainings, coachings, and seminars with very different group sizes (10 to 600 people) and target groups (student teachers, students of: pedagogy, cultural studies, media and communication, political science, psychology with different foci, business administration, computer science, economic management, police officers, federal police force, Bundeswehr officers, authorities; commercial representations and management).

Beyond her academic activities, Prof. Genkova is involved as president of the German women's academic organization, as a vice chair of the Women's Council NRW, a delegate of the media commission NRW, Chairwoman of the section Political Psychology of the German Association of Psychologists (BDP). She is furthermore a member in a large number of professional and practice associations and functions as an expert at the Federal Ministry for Education and Research, the Science Council, the Swiss National Science Foundation and international journals.

For her outstanding contribution to the field of intercultural psychology she was awarded the 2018 H?ffmann science award for intercultural competence. In 2025, the Cult-Euro-1 test was nominated for the innovation award of the federal ministry of science and technology.