An Introduction to Diversity
Overview
The
Diversity Discipline deals with the qualities, experiences and work styles that
make individuals unique – age, race, religion, disabilities, ethnicity, etc. –
as well as how organizations can leverage those qualities in support of
business objectives. Studies show that
teams or organizations with greater diversity tend to have available a richer
set of ideas, perspectives, definitions and approaches to a business issue.
Diversity
Diversity
has many definitions. Frequently,
organizations will adapt the definition to their specific environment. Generally, diversity refers to the
similarities and differences between individuals accounting for all aspects of
one’s personality and individual identity.
The dimensions of diversity typically include, but are not limited to the
following:
* Age
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* Color
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* Disability
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* Education
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* Ethnicity/National origin
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* Family status
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* Gender
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* Gender identity
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* Generation
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* Language
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* Geographic background
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* Life experiences
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* Lifestyle
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* Organization function & level
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* Physical characteristics
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* Race
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* Religion, belief, and spirituality
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* Sexual orientation
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* Thinking patterns
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Inclusion
Diversity provides the potential for greater innovation and creativity. Inclusion is what enables organizations to
realize the business benefits of this potential.
Inclusion describes the extent to which each person in
an organization feels welcomed, respected, supported and valued as a team
member. Inclusion is a two-way
accountability; each person must grant inclusion to others and accept inclusion
from others. In such an environment,
every member will tend to feel more engaged and more enabled to fully
contribute toward the organization’s business results. This requires people from diverse backgrounds
to communicate and work together, and understand each other’s’ needs and perspectives
– in other words, cultural competence.
Intercultural
Sensitivity
Intercultural sensitivity and cultural (or
intercultural) competence are characterized by sensitivity to differences
among, and effectiveness in communicating and working with, people from
different cultural backgrounds. People
are similar or different to varying degrees across all dimensions of diversity. Research shows that people who are
substantially alike tend more easily to communicate with and to understand each
other. People who are very different
tend to confront more obstacles to effective communication and mutual
understanding. Research also shows that
people consistently overestimate their intercultural competence, which poses a
particular challenge for HR professionals.
The Business
Case for Diversity
The business case for diversity is an organization’s
statement of purpose in working on diversity and inclusion. There are many valid reasons for doing such
work. The most effective reasons for any
particular organization are aligned directly with that organization’s key
business objectives. Typically, these are the business objectives on
which organizations measure and compensate their senior leadership’s performance. In for-profit companies, these objectives
will relate to factors like sales, market share, profitability, corporate
social responsibility and reputation.
Domestic vs
Global Scope
An organization’s geographic footprint encompasses the
regions in which it and its customers are located. It may be exclusively domestic or it may be
global. Combined, the primary
stakeholders and the organization’s footprint help determine whether the
diversity initiative should have a domestic or global scope.
Compared to most domestic initiatives, global
diversity initiatives will be concerned with a richer and more complex set of
issues. This stems from the wider range
of cultural norms represented among all the stakeholder groups. Global initiatives tend to be successful only
when they are adapted to and reflect the unique cultural norms and needs of
each region or country. Diversity
practitioners need strong intercultural competence regardless of the scope of
the initiative.
Pacing the
Change
Each organization has a maximum rate at which it can
process cultural change. This depends in
part on the organization’s cultural competence and the magnitude of the gap
between current situation and the diversity initiative’s objectives. It is common to start small with an
initiative and phase-in the objectives and action plans over time. Phasing may be done by assigning highest
priority to changes with the greatest business impact and by starting with
domestic diversity issues and expanding later to address global aspects.
The
Diversity Function and the Diversity Practitioner Role
Effective and sustainable diversity initiatives drive
cultural change into and affect almost every aspect of an organization. Diversity practitioners need partnering
relationships with all aspects of HR and with functional areas outside HR, such
as media relations, employee communication, R&D, marketing, legal,
executive communication, investor relations and the foundation.
The diversity practitioner requires a wide range of
knowledge, skills and experience.
Diversity-specific aspects include the field of diversity and inclusion,
culture, cultural difference, deep self-awareness and knowledge of self, and an
ability to manage one’s own biases and agendas.
Related aspects include EEO, affirmative action, change management,
relationship management, communication, and marketing and sales.
Here’s to a diverse
perspective! Lori Rohre, SPHR, Immediate
Past President, and 2010 VP Diversity.
