Diversity is the “who” and the “what”: who’s sitting around the table, who’s being hired, who’s being fired and who’s being promoted. It focuses on the quantifiable representation of individual differences in a workforce. Most commonly, this is gauged according to demographics such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, religion and cultural background. However, there are different types of diversity less widely acknowledged or easy to identify. Cognitive diversity refers to differences in people’s worldviews, work and learning styles, and the wide variety of ways in which people solve problems and make decisions.
Diversity can also be organisational and consist of distinguishing elements between people in the workplace such as management status, responsibilities, seniority or pay.
Inclusion is “how” diversity thrives and comes to life within an organisation. It refers to the procedures, policies and behaviours that a company put in place to ensure the needs and differences of all employees are taken into account. In essence, it is the sense of belonging felt by an employee and speaks to their own unique lived experience. Therefore, the most effective diversity and inclusion initiatives are organised around employee experiences of inclusion, rather than tick-the-box, best-practice checklists. An inclusive workplace environment must be purposely designed, nurtured, and supported – continuously. True workplace inclusion removes barriers, discrimination and intolerance and is achieved when all team members feel respected, valued and psychologically safe.
Today we know that although diversity can be created through deliberate hiring practices, a diverse work environment in itself doesn’t do much more than fill a quota – it does not guarantee inclusion. If a diverse organisation does not take deliberate steps to drive workplace inclusivity, the resulting pressure to conform, frustration and conflict may well lead to disengagement. Unfortunately, not everyone embraces diversity – some people are just uncomfortable with the unfamiliar. From an evolutionary neuroscience perspective, our brains are hardwired to favour the known. Perceived differences in values and behavioural norms, communication barriers, as well as inherent stereotypes and bias can all form part of a diversity backlash.
The empirical evidence that corroborates the benefits of investing in a diverse workforce and developing a truly inclusive workplace culture speaks for itself. The intellectual capital of a diverse workforce is known to propel creativity and initiative. It encourages authentic engagement with clients, stakeholders, consumers, vendors, and partners.
In an inclusive work environment, employees feel wanted, heard, and engaged; they are eager to join your organisation and reluctant to leave. Consider these additional benefits:
To leverage the benefits of diversity, organisations need to adopt a systematic, business-led approach to inclusion grounded in three co-dependent characteristics: psychological safety, trust and team cohesion.
Psychological safety is not merely the latest fad or HR speak. Coined and defined by Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, psychological safety refers to a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for asking for help or speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes. In short, it is how comfortable individuals are with taking risks and being vulnerable within their team. It matters because not only is psychological safety crucial for fostering inclusion, it is also the bedrock of all high-performing teams.
So how can leaders create a psychologically safe environment? Consider these three fundamentals:
When psychological safety creates the platform for vulnerability-based trust to develop, team members feel secure enough to be honest with each other. When trust is truly in place, any debate or conflict is constructive. Constructive conflict, in fact, is critical to ensuring all points of view and aspects of issues are discussed, understood, and taken into account. It is strangely ironic that embracing our differences fosters more cohesion. When team members are able to manage their relationships like this, they avoid wasting time and energy on politics and confusion, and work towards a common purpose. This leads to on-going commitment, accountability and a determined attention to achieve results. When the team goal becomes more important than any individual’s personal goal, everyone feels rewarded by being part of the team result. This is what constitutes a cohesive team – a real team.
In conclusion, diversity is not just a metric to be strived for; it is an integral part of a competitive revenue-generating business. Together with inclusivity, it creates a win/win situation for business leaders, their employees, the organisation and its bottom-line. Leaders must acknowledge the critical role they play in achieving this. Inclusive leadership sparks the creativity, innovation and cohesion that helps ordinary organisations achieve extraordinary results.