The Importance Of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, And Belonging In The Workplace

Maximizing the Human Capital potential of our people

Amid this Covid-19 pandemic, many organizations are trying to just survive. But even before the novel coronavirus disrupted everyone’s life in early 2020, organizations were searching for sustainable ways to drive ongoing innovation in order to develop or maintain a competitive advantage and to add value to the market. While it has been trendy to talk about the rise of AI, organizational leaders and analysts alike understand that in order to leverage the potential of AI and other disruptive technologies, organizations need to attract and retain a more diverse workforce and create an equitable and healthy environment where every employee feels empowered to do their best work and safe to bring their whole authentic self to the workplace. 

The Value of Diversity

There is little question about the value of workplace diversity. Study after study has shown the bottom-line benefits. But why is it so important to embrace more diverse thinking? I recently wrote about the lessons we can learn from a Korean prover, 우물 안에 개구리, or “frog in a well.” In short, “Koreans use this proverb to describe someone who walks through life with blinders on, with tunnel vision or with their head in the sand when it comes to all the diversity present in the world around them. The lesson is clear: We need to try to rise out of the well and experience the richness and beauty of the world around us!” Additionally, in another article, I wrote, “… we should take proactive steps to broaden our exposure to diverse ways of knowing and understanding the different individuals and environments we interact with. We can discover ways to both honor and respect our upbringing, while simultaneously valuing the perspectives and views of those around us.”
 

I further argue, “While the wisdom of ‘frog in a well’ teaches us the value of diversity, there is also a tremendous amount of research that has demonstrated the value of diversity in the workplace: Diversity enhances collaboration, creativity, innovation, decision making, and individual and team productivity. Often this research focuses on factors such as race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. However, it is also important to remember that diversity of thought is equally important. It is vital that organizations foster a culture that welcomes and embraces diverse social, economic and political backgrounds, as well as a wide variety of experiences, educational tracks and learning and communication styles. Leaders should create a safe environment of openness, trust and mutual respect that allows for the civil and productive sharing of ideas.”

Consciously Inclusive Leadership

Moving beyond workplace diversity and equity issues, including promoting diversity of thought, is essential in our efforts to attract and retain the best talent and ensure every employee is treated with dignity and respect. A recent Harvard Business Review article argues that diversity is not enough: “Simply throwing a mix of people together doesn’t guarantee high performance; it requires inclusive leadership — leadership that assures that all team members feel they are treated respectfully and fairly, are valued and sense that they belong, and are confident and inspired.” We need to move beyond diversity and get to a place where our organization has a dynamic inclusive culture.

I have written previously about the importance of “consciously inclusive leadership,” where I stated, “Everything you do should demonstrate your awareness and understanding of the ambiguities, messiness and complexities of the world around you. Help those on your team understand and feel that you sincerely see them and hear them; that they are truly valued, needed and wanted; and that they have a meaningful opportunity to contribute to the organization’s successes and future strategic trajectory. Make your organization a place where everyone wants to be and where they can flourish.”

Additionally, for Steve Yacovelli, author of Pride Leadership and an expert in organizational inclusion and LGBTQ+ advocacy, being a consciously inclusive leader requires us to not only work to uncover and understand our unconscious biases, but also to actively cultivate a culture and environment of organizational diversity, inclusion and belonging. According to him, “Diversity is being invited to the dance, and inclusion is being asked to dance. Belonging is feeling comfortable and being wanted at the dance. The feeling of belonging is key to a more productive and content workplace.”

An Organizational Culture of Belonging

As we move beyond diversity and equity issues and create an inclusive workplace environment, we need to extend these efforts to create an organizational culture of belonging. In a recent Medium article, the author presented a three-way Venn diagram representing the intersections of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In the middle, where all three meet, is what has become known as “belonging.” As the author states, belonging occurs when an organization “engages [the] full potential of the individual, where innovation thrives, and views, beliefs, and values are integrated” throughout the entire organization and embedded throughout the culture.” Additionally, in a recent Harvard Business Review article, the authors state the value of belonging at work: "Humans are so fundamentally social that we can even bond with strangers over the very experience of not having anyone with whom to bond." Additionally, they state: "If workers feel like they belong, companies reap substantial bottom-line benefits. High belonging was linked to a whopping 56% increase in job performance, a 50% drop in turnover risk, and a 75% reduction in sick days. For a 10,000-person company, this would result in annual savings of more than $52 million." Clearly, a culture of belonging, like inclusion and diversity, helps organizations to retain great people, but also helps them to maximize individual and team performance. 

I recently wrote in Forbes, “Everything you do should demonstrate your awareness and understanding of the ambiguities, messiness and complexities of the world around you. Help those on your team understand and feel that you sincerely see them and hear them; that they are truly valued, needed and wanted; and that they have a meaningful opportunity to contribute to the organization’s successes and future strategic trajectory. Make your organization a place where everyone wants to be and where they can flourish.” Creating an inclusive environment that promotes an authentic culture of belonging for every employee will pay huge dividends for everyone.

Finally, I recently argued in Forbes, “An organizational culture and environment of diversity, inclusion and belonging are essential for the long-term sustainable success of any company. Not only do we need to create systems and programs to develop, promote and maintain a safe and inclusive workplace, but I think we also need to help all organizational leaders become more consciously inclusive in their interactions with their people and in modeling people-oriented values of dignity and respect for all.” It is not enough to try and hire a diverse workforce and to ensure pay equity, though that is certainly important. It is not enough to involve diverse workers in decision-making and strategy development, though that is also very important. What we must do is to build off of our DEI efforts to create a sustainable organizational culture of belonging for everyone.

Conclusion

As I have written previously, “It is one thing to understand the business case for creating a workplace culture of belonging, diversity and inclusion (which is incredibly strong and is supported by a tremendous amount of research). But let us also not forget the human argument. It is my position that all people, regardless of personal ascribed or achieved status or characteristic, background or worldview deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. As such, there are tangible actions organizational leaders can start taking today to create and maintain a healthy organizational culture where all feel genuinely welcomed, needed, wanted, valued and given meaningful opportunities to engage and contribute. When this occurs, organizations and their employees will thrive.”

I believe every organization can rise to this challenge and create dynamic environments, where DEI efforts are honored and where we can eventually get to the point where all employees have the opportunity to feel a sincere and authentic sense of organizational belonging, where they are empowered to do their best work and maximize their human capital potential.

Jonathan H. Westover, Ph.D. is a US-based Amazon.com Best Selling Author, ranked # 1 HR, Innovation, and Future of Work Global Thought Leader & Influencer (Thinkers360), entrepreneur, management consultant, teacher, and research academic based in Orem, Utah.  Jonathan serves on a host of nonprofit, community, and association board sand committees and has received numerous awards for his teaching, research, and service to the community. Dr. Westover is a professor and chair of Organizational Leadership in the Woodbury School of Business at Utah Valley University, Academic Director of the UVU Center for Social Impact and the UVU SIMLab, and Faculty Fellow for Ethics in Public Life (previously the Associate Director) in the Center for the Study of Ethics. He has been published widely in academic journals, books, and practitioner publications. He is a regular visiting faculty member in other international graduate business programs. Check out his latest book, The Alchemy of Truly Remarkable Leadership: Ordinary, Everyday Actions that Produce Extraordinary Results. Connect Jonathan H. Westover