What is Diversity?

In my latest book, Beyond Comfort Zones The Real-Talk Approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, I talked about six common pitfalls organizations fall into in their pursuit of Diversity. One of the biggest pitfalls was limiting the definition of diversity to superficial features.

An increasing number of organizations are giving off an insincere impression by recruiting new talent or elevating individuals solely based on superficial features like skin color, gender, or any other apparent unique characteristic that deviate from a standard white male. This approach seems geared towards meeting diversity quotas or enhancing the organization's public image rather than genuine commitment to diversity and inclusion.

In this exploration, my aim is to delve into the essence of diversity and articulate a precise definition of authentic diversity.

What's your definition of diversity?

If someone in your company asked you your definition of diversity, do you know how you would answer?

Think about it for a moment. What comes to your mind when you think about diversity?

Often, it is superficial features such as skin color, sex, or any other apparent unique feature that deviates from a standard White male that are generally considered diverse.

We’ve been conditioned in our professional environments to focus on overt physical differences.

Diversity workshops and presentations have long overused imagery of multicolor hands holding one another, holding the world up, or doing some type of collaborative action such as high-fiving.

The way our brains typically imagine diversity is often based on a cliché stock-photo version of a diverse group. We can so easily jump to the conclusion that in order for a team to be truly diverse, they must distinctly represent nearly every single race on the planet. Legitimacy to Superficial Diversity Industry thought leaders unanimously conclude that diversity in terms of sex and race is a competitive advantage and drives many of the metrics that shareholders care about.

McKinsey found that teams in which men and women are equal earn up to 41% more revenue, culturally diverse teams outperform by up to 33%, and companies with the most ethnically/culturally diverse boards worldwide are 43% more likely to experience higher profits (Hunt, 2018).

However, inadvertently limiting diversity to visible physical differences not only leaves a significant portion of a workforce feeling undervalued and undesirable but also, here's a little secret, the mere presence of superficial diversity won't magically spur innovation or increase revenue.

Beyond Comfort Zones: Understanding Diversity Components

If you take another moment to really think about it, there are practically an infinite number of characteristics each human can possess, at any given time, that contribute to their uniqueness.

To navigate the complex landscape of diversity, academia has identified four distinct components: internal diversity, external diversity, organizational diversity, and worldview diversity.

1. Internal Diversity: Beyond Birth and Biology

Internal diversity delves into characteristics individuals are born into, such as sex, sexual orientation, age, disability status, and neurodiversity.

2. External Diversity: Shaped by Environment

External diversity is influenced by a person's environment, encompassing factors like ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, social roles, family upbringing, education, and work experience.

3. Organizational Diversity: Beyond Job Titles

Organizational diversity focuses on differences assigned by organizations, including employment status, management status, pay grade, and more. This component emphasizes the varied employment experiences individuals bring to the table, from job titles to management positions.

4. Worldview Diversity: Shaping Perspectives

The final category, worldview diversity, encompasses life experiences, religious and spiritual beliefs, ideologies, and morals.

Authentic Diversity: Embracing Uniqueness

Diversity is just as complex and diverse as what it alludes to and we are all far more complex and

exceptional beyond characteristics such as our sex, race, or nationality.

Sincere diversity is the attempt to understand, appreciate, and leverage whenever possible the limitless combinations of characteristics that make each individual unique.

Now that last sentence sounds phenomenal, I should know because I wrote it. However, it’s important that I address that it’s not going to be humanly possible to get to know, understand, and therefore consider every aspect of every person’s diversity on your team and certainly not within your entire organization.

For obvious reasons, it’s not necessarily common to talk about deeper aspects of one’s background in the workplace such as upbringing or family structures. Some aspects of ourselves are typically frowned upon altogether as topics of discussion in the workplace such as religious or political

beliefs. And it’s not every day we consider our own morals; they rather show themselves in our decision making and behaviors. Furthermore, some people may not want to disclose so much about themselves or their background and may have different expectations for how open they want to be in the workplace.

While it may be impossible to fully understand others’ entirety, it’s still crucial to make an effort to better understand and get to know the people you work with. By doing so, you not only build stronger relationships but also are better prepared to recognize and leverage the unique strengths and characteristics of those around you when opportunities arise.

Unlocking the Business Benefits of Diversity

A more holistic approach to recognizing the diversity in others can be an opportunity to negate bias and build a foundation that is more understanding and open to different individuals.

With greater understanding, teams will be able to solve business problems in more unique and comprehensive ways. For example, a unique thought style that is heard might highlight a critical detail of a project that was previously overlooked. Or, another person’s cultural background that is shared and addressed could contribute insights that can support stronger messaging that resonates more with customers coming from the same geographic region, when doing businesses globally.

While taking into consideration vastly different perspectives might increase the complexity of a project, it also increases the potential to produce a far better end result leading to better business outcomes. Further, opening ourselves up to understanding the value of our differences and challenging our assumptions can exponentially increase the possibilities for achievement.

Conclusion Even though traditional features of diversity are what we all expect and undeniably have the ability to enhances business success, relying on them as the sole criterion in staffing or hiring decisions will only prove ineffective.

The intricacies of assembling effective teams extend beyond surface-level characteristics. By adopting a holistic and authentic approach to diversity—acknowledging the four components of diversity (internal, external, organizational, and worldview)—we transcend oversimplified notions, fostering a profound understanding of each individual's uniqueness.

This approach cultivates openness to those different from us, facilitates objective decision-making, and enables the recognition of individuals as unique talents with distinct skills. Ensuring the optimal fit for projects and positions, it corrects oversights stemming from assumptions.

Embracing a comprehensive definition of diversity is advantageous for individuals, teams, and companies as a whole, providing room for diverse perspectives that elevate engagement and yield positive outcomes, including enhanced employee retention, improved decision-making, and invaluable personal development opportunities. Works Cited: Hunt, V., Yee, L., Prince, S., & Dixon-Fyle, S. (2018, January). Delivering through diversity.

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/delivering-through-diversity