9 Handy Research Tips on Diversity and Inclusion
I recently attended a webinar from BetterUp about diversity and inclusion (D&I). I’ve been writing about how nature and biomimicry support diversity, so it was interesting to learn more about the science behind D&I.
In a nutshell, diversity and inclusion are crucial to any organization, and Erin Eatough, who led the webinar, encouraged us to think about D&I as the “lifeblood” of a company.
Here are nine points I took away from the webinar, based on research Erin talked about. I’ve place in bold a few points that really stood out to me.
- All types of diversity are valuable.
- Diverse organizations make better business decisions 90% of the time.
- Diverse organizations are better at overcoming biases.
- Diversity only works well if there is inclusion – i.e. if team members feel safe and valued in the organization.
- Diversity and inclusion tend to be defined or measured poorly.
- Inclusion is a process that includes a psychological sense, or feeling, and a set of actions.
- Inclusion involves belonging AND feeling unique.
- Belonging depends on authenticity and being the true self at work.
- If a minority, for instance a woman, asks the first question during a seminar, the ensuing interactions are much more balanced in terms of gender…if a man asks the first question, it’s a much less equitable interaction.
It’s clear that diversity (having a broad range of perspectives, genders, ethnicities, ages, and much more), and inclusion (actively engaging diversity to ensure belonging, uniqueness, safety, and equitable representation) are essential to the optimal functioning of any organization. Let me know what you think about the research I’ve summarized here, and how you want to improve the ways in which diversity and inclusion are approached in your organization.
Research suggests that diversity and inclusion are crucial to an organization’s success. Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash.