Today’s organisationsorganizations are moving beyond diversity and placing a greater emphasis on inclusion and ‘diversity of thought’. What does this mean? Deloitte defines diversity of thought as “going beyond the affirmation of equality – simply recognizing differences and responding to them. Instead, the focus is on realizing the full potential of people, and in turn the organization, by acknowledging and appreciating the potential promise of each person’s unique perspective and different way of thinking.”
Why is it important for organisationsorganizations to encourage diversity of thought? Innovation comes from diverse thinking, and innovative companies have the competitive advantage of being first-to-market with new offerings. PwC research shows the most innovative manufacturing companies saw a 38% increase in revenues over the past three years – almost four times the rate of growth of less innovative peers. Diversity of thought also enables organisationsorganizations to attract and subsequently recruit the best talent – including millennials, according to Deloitte’s 2018 Millennial survey.
Here are four ways you can help foster a culture of diversified thinking to challenge the status quo:
Credit: SBS Australia
1. Recruit with a diverse lens
As the diagram above shows, it takes both a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture to nurture diversity of thought. New hires come with diverse perspectives that can challenge the status quo in your organisationorganization. However, without an inclusive culture that supports these divergent views, new perspectives won’t be valued or encouraged to develop.
If you’re looking for people who will question ‘how things are done around here’, it pays to review your recruitment and interview practices to better identify people who:
- Are not afraid to voice their opinions
- Have varying points of view
- Can work in a collaborative team environment
Above all else, people must have the passion and drive to work together and deliver better outcomes. OrganisationsOrganizations sometimes take the easy path and recruit like-minded people.
“Avoid the temptation to ‘clone’ the current workforce and instead build teams that can think differently and move the organisationorganization forward, says Rebecca Skilbeck of PageUp. “This requires taking a targeted approach to building a culture where diversity of thought can thrive. Both ‘traditional’ diversity parameters and diversity of background, experience, expertise and skills are important to create inclusive cultures. When individuals have different experiences and points of reference, it’s easier to challenge pre-existing frameworks and assumptions. This in turn leads to more innovative thinking, break-through ideas and new products and services that delight customers,” she says.
When individuals have different experiences and points of reference, it’s easier to challenge pre-existing frameworks and assumptions.
2. Encourage people to ‘be themselves’
Many organisationsorganizations are focused on enabling people to ‘bring their whole selves to work’. Mike Robbins, thought leader and advocate for authenticity at work explored the importance of being yourself at work by:
- Showing up authentically
- Leading with humility
- Having the courage to take risks
- Speaking up and asking for help
- Connecting with others in a genuine way
- Allowing ourselves to be truly seen
After all, Robbins says, “We’re all vulnerable, imperfect human beings doing the best we can.”
So why is ‘being yourself’ at work important in nurturing diversity of thought? If people aren’t comfortable being themselves, they won’t be comfortable sharing their perspectives.
Being ourselves at work can increase productivity, which benefits a company’s bottom line, according to research by HRM. Researchers found that “when we bring our whole self to work, we unlock a more positive work experience and are more productive.” Bringing our whole selves to work can also improve retention and performance. According to a Business LinkedIn survey, 50% of respondents consider it important to feel comfortable being themselves at work.
When we bring our whole self to work, we unlock a more positive work experience and are more productive.
3. Empower people leaders
If your organisationorganization is truly open to diversity of thought, leaders need to be trained in how to adapt and proactively encourage it. “All leaders need to develop an ability to take calculated risks by seeing around the corners up ahead,” says Glen Llopis, author of The Innovation Mentality, in Forbes. “They need to create an environment where people can stretch their thinking and allow the group to see things they didn’t see before.”
Joshua Griffin, Diversity & Inclusion Lead at Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Australia recently spoke at the HR Innovation and Tech Fest in Sydney about his organisationorganization’s leadership program. “Our leadership model is focused on building capability in areas that we consider to be universally fundamental to good leadership. We know that if our leaders are able to access these capabilities as part of their toolkit, as well as understand how to use them with versatility, they will be prepared for anything,” he says.
SBS regularly assesses its managers by asking team members how their leaders are demonstrating the SBS leadership model. “Our managers are accountable not just to their leaders, but to their teams. By doing this, we’ve seen a dramatic uplift in capability over the last 12 months,” says Griffin.
4. Offer continuous support
If you’ve hired the right people to demonstrate and advocate for diversity of thought, it pays to retain them. This is where leaders and organisationsorganizations can support people by:
- Sponsoring programs that support diverse thinking
- Encouraging people to speak at key events
- Showcasing the company’s culture to help attract like-minded people
- Promoting cross-functional teams to open everyone’s minds to diverse thinking
PageUp holds hackathons, where teams pitch new ideas and initiatives. Recently, the entire global PageUp team were invited to participate in a two-day express Design Sprint. Members came together to identify user pain points, share ideas and deliver prototypes back to the business. Lital Sherman, Head of User Experience at PageUp coordinated the event and shared, “Our Design Sprint created the perfect conditions to foster improved cross-functional relationships with diversity in experiences, backgrounds, genders, beliefs and skill-sets. It led to disagreements and even arguments within teams, but this is what helps push us to step outside of our comfort zone, and leads us to create innovative solutions.”
In any organisationorganization, people are the greatest asset. When you cultivate a culture that gives people the support and freedom to fully express their unique perspectives, you create a workplace that’s diverse, innovative and attractive.
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