| | "Diversity," at its most basic, is about all the ways in which we are unique. In the context of the workplace, an organization not only recognizes, but also values diversity so that individuals want to work there and customers want to do business with the organization. Attracting and retaining employees and customers from all backgrounds and cultures is the goal. In an environment that includes everyone, people are encouraged to reach their full potential while delivering products and services that appeal to a wildly diverse marketplace.
So if each of us is unique, what does diversity actually mean? The obvious aspects of diversity might include:
• Race, national origin, and ethnicity
• Gender and sexual orientation
• Mental and/or physical abilities and disabilities
• Age, ranging from our oldest workers to baby boomers to gen Xers to millennials (also known as generation Y)
But diversity is much broader than these basic considerations. These further aspects of diversity might not be obvious at first but reveal themselves over time:
• Marital status—married, single, widowed, divorced, living with or separated from a partner/significant other
• Children in the home or living with another
• Spiritual and/or religious orientation
• Level of education—high school, community college/trade school/special certificate, college or university, graduate or higher-level degree
• Military service—branch, time served
• Background—rural, urban, suburban; blue collar, white collar, Ivy league
• Appearance—style of clothes/hair
• Speech patterns—accent, grammar, English as a second language
• Smoker/nonsmoker
And our differences can get more and more subtle:
• Work style—morning person, night owl, and so on
• Technological literacy
• Past work experience
• Learning style—visual, auditory, experiential, other
• Political orientation, values, beliefs
• Beliefs and practices around diet, exercise, health care
The list could go on and on. So if everyone is different, how do we make sense of it all and get any work done?
When an employee or a customer/client is not recognized or acknowledged for who they really are, that person's potential is not fully realized, and opportunities are limited. By recognizing and honoring our differences, we learn to genuinely appreciate and respect each other. In turn, this appreciation and respect leads to more inclusive, resilient, and competitive organizations.
Appreciating diversity is about better performance and better results. Becoming aware of problem areas, improving your understanding, and learning the skills needed to deal with differences of all kinds, in the workplace and in the marketplace—that's what it's all about. When we recognize how our behaviors toward one another can limit another's potential, the business advantage to managing diversity becomes clear.
Successful organizations learn how to leverage diversity to better service customers and enter new or existing markets, both in the United States and around the world. They work to uncover sensitive diversity issues that most employee surveys miss. They facilitate and encourage diversity councils, community outreach programs, and mentoring programs to bridge differences.
Remember the adage: "You don't know what you don't know." If you're willing to shine a light on blind spots, and really see how these blind spots can cloud leadership and performance in the workplace and the marketplace, the results can be amazing! |
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