As diverse viewpoints become integrated into the workplace, innovation and productivity can flourish. Discover how purpose-driven companies are empowering employee resource groups (ERGs), creating space for difficult yet essential conversations and setting DEI goals to make them come to life.
DEI initiatives address an array of issues related to pay equity, gender equality, LGBTQIA+ community inclusion and more. For these efforts to be successful within an organization requires clear goals being communicated widely and celebrated as progress is made.
1. Diversity in Leadership
Leadership of an organization plays an integral role in the success of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts. Leaders account for up to 70% of variance in employee experiences of belongingness and psychological safety as well as an 18% increase in team performance and 26 % decrease in attrition risk.
Companies are becoming more aware of the need to prioritize diverse leadership in order to promote organizational culture and ensure all teams can thrive and realize their full potential. Many organizations are hiring chief diversity officers and creating dedicated departments dedicated to DEI practices within their operations; however, these initiatives cannot replace all leaders embracing inclusive traits like humility and curiosity while using DEI practices throughout an organization’s operations.
Leaders that are open to exploring diverse cultural experiences and perspectives are an excellent starting point for creating an inclusive organization. Additionally, these leaders understand that it requires courage to call out errors such as inequalities and outdated behaviors even if doing so could be perceived as professionally risky.
Consequentially, inclusive leaders are willing to engage in difficult conversations with their teams and take decisive action when they see opportunities for improvement. Inclusive leaders value all team member contributions equally while looking for new ways to foster an enjoyable work environment.
Diversity in leadership is also key to attracting top talent. According to a McKinsey study, candidates were twice as likely to opt for employers that offer female and minority CEOs over those that do not.
Hire practices focused on diversity at entry-level positions are finally helping more women and people of color into management positions, but promotion to senior levels remains difficult. A growing number of companies are prioritizing diversity within leadership to foster increased rates of diversity throughout their organizations – ultimately creating an improved culture for employees while attracting diverse candidates for future leadership roles.
2. Diversity in the Boardroom
Although progress has been made in some areas, much remains to be done to increase diversity within boardrooms. Most boards still consist of white men; according to research by ISS only 10% belong to an ethnic minority group. While many boards have begun adding women and minorities based on “check-the-box” mentality alone, it is essential that these people actually receive opportunities to contribute meaningfully in meaningful ways.
Notably, other than gender, racial and ethnic diversity there may also be benefits from diversifying other areas of diversity within a company’s boardroom. For instance, companies targeting specific demographics could benefit from hiring directors with experience targeting these customers or marketing and advertising expertise; companies offering unique products or services might benefit from adding directors who possess technical knowledge related to those offerings or expertise in finance/investment banking as directors.
Unconscious bias in recruitment processes is one of the greatest obstacles to diversity on boards, often leading to decisions being based on factors that don’t relate directly to knowledge or qualifications, such as age, gender identity, ethnicity, disability status, religious or spiritual beliefs and so forth. Boards looking to intentionally promote inclusion should make efforts to reduce this type of unconscious bias through blind recruitment methods, training recruiters on diversity’s importance as well as offering rewards or flexible schedules to candidates who cannot commit fully.
Arriving at diversity can be an uphill struggle, however. Some boards may hesitate to accept additional members due to fears that doing so will reduce power within their group, while others lack understanding or commitment towards making diversity a priority. But the benefits of diversity on boards outweigh such obstacles – providing incentive for taking these necessary steps and addressing any barriers.
3. Diversity in the Workplace
An inclusive workplace is defined by employees from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives coming together in harmony to form an environment in which everyone feels welcome and appreciated for their unique contributions. Diversity includes differences such as age, gender, cultural background, race, ethnicity religion sexual orientation physical abilities etc.
Studies have proven that organizations which foster an inclusive workplace environment perform better, so many businesses are now placing great importance on improving workplace environments by encouraging diversity in the workforce. Research by McKinsey revealed that for every 10 percent increase in diversity on executive teams, companies saw an additional 0.8% profit boost.
Diversity can take many forms in the workplace, and it is crucial that employees understand the difference between internal and external diversity. Internal diversity includes traits inherent to an individual such as age, sex or ethnicity while external diversity refers more directly to an individual’s background and experiences – for instance criminal convictions can affect work performance negatively.
Gender identity diversity in the workplace can provide workers with new ways of looking at life. By including gender identity in their working experience, employees may gain a fresh viewpoint that opens up unexpected possibilities they had never considered before.
Employers that embrace diversity at work include those that hire employees with criminal backgrounds or outstanding debts as a great way of creating an inclusive team while helping individuals rebuild after experiencing unfortunate incidents.
At most workplaces, most people acknowledge diversity to be an asset. But much work needs to be done before everyone in an equal manner in the workplace is treated fairly. That is why it is vitally important that there are clear policies in place which outline both benefits of diversity and inclusion as well as set expectations for acceptable behavior in order to foster equality within an organisation.
4. Diversity in the Community
Communities that embrace diversity are more inclusive and welcoming of members from different backgrounds, which is essential for community growth and expansion. Diverse viewpoints provide greater depth of analysis on issues as individuals from diverse backgrounds become acquainted. This helps develop more creative solutions to problems as well as making for a more cohesive society with mutual acceptance between its members.
Diversity can be achieved within a community by raising awareness and education regarding cultural differences, religions, beliefs and perspectives; by implementing policies protecting minorities from discrimination; or providing opportunities for those from minority groups to become engaged with the community and feel included. Communities which value diversity can help address many of the current problems plaguing our country and world today.
One way of encouraging diversity in the community is through creating a diverse workplace. Companies with more diverse employees tend to experience higher employee satisfaction and are more profitable. Diversity can be achieved in the workplace by having a mix of genders, races, ethnicities, ages, religions, work experience and educational backgrounds within an office, which will create a dynamic and innovative working environment.
Diversity can also be encouraged within communities by encouraging workplace diversity and ensuring minority communities are well represented in government, schools, and other organizations. Furthermore, community education on discrimination as a means to counter it as well as hosting workshops, seminars and other community events focused on diversity issues can all play a part in supporting diversity issues.
Diversity in a community cannot be overemphasized, providing us with a rich source of ideas and perspectives to address some of the complex social and economic problems we are currently experiencing. Diversity has an incredible positive effect on everyone involved; beyond meeting quotas it’s about making real differences to people’s lives!