Every company could use to learn some lessons on cultivating an inclusive culture
Kathleen Quinn Votaw //October 4, 2017//
Every company could use to learn some lessons on cultivating an inclusive culture
Kathleen Quinn Votaw //October 4, 2017//
One of the many factors that the best and brightest weigh before accepting your job offer is the level of diversity in your company. The candidates you want most on your team understand that the highest performing, most engaging companies are some of the most actively inclusive. And that’s where they choose to work. In trying to resolve the key issues of attracting and retaining the right people, you need to consider how strong your commitment to diversity is, and whether it aligns with your other values.
As Stephen Covey emphasized:
This piece of wisdom should guide your recruitment and retention strategies, define your culture and measure your performance. We need to step out of our comfort zones and quit hiring only the people who look, talk and think like us. Every business needs global perspective to solve today’s increasingly complex issues.
Think of diversity in its broadest sense. It’s not just gender and ethnicity, although that’s what hurts companies – such as Google – in the news. Diversity also encompasses age, personality, religion, sexual preference, experience, education and more. Diversity is a competitive edge to see reflected throughout business, from employee satisfaction and retention, to higher quality products, to customer service.
SHARPER COMPANIES + SMARTER TEAMS
Over and over researchers find that companies committed to diversity:
And that’s not all. McKinsey researchers found that working with people who possess different perspectives compels teams to think more broadly, sharpening team performance. Diverse teams were found to:
INSTILLING THE MINDSET
There are a number of steps you can take to ensure that diversity is a driving force in your recruiting processes and cultural values. That’s not to say there won’t be challenges to overcome, as well. For example, differences in language and perceptions can cause communication issues. And a “We’ve always done things this way” mentality is a great excuse for resisting change. With commitment and perseverance, diversity will prevail over obstacles.
My suggestions for attracting and retaining diverse talent:
My suggestions for creating a more inclusive workplace culture:
We know intuitively that diversity matters. It’s also increasingly clear that there’s a compelling argument for greater diversity from a purely business perspective. And yet, most organizations, especially in terms of leadership, do not even come close to representing the diversity of our workplace populations. We have a lot of work to do. And the good thing is, everyone wins!
In considering where your organization is relative to diversity, I’ll leave you with one last thought from Neil Lenane, of Progressive Insurance. In an interview with Ekaterina Walter in Forbes, he said, “If you do not intentionally include, you unintentionally exclude.”