4 benefits of diversity in the workplace

Imagine that you're a manager at a company and you have to choose a team to work on a new project. You have two groups to choose from:

Group A is made up of individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences.

Group B is made up of individuals who are all similar in terms of background, culture, and experience.

Which group would you choose?

It might be tempting to go with Group B, but you'd be missing out on the benefits of diversity in the workplace that Group A brings to the table.

Diversity in the workplace means having a variety of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences represented within an organization.

Diversityin the workplace is important because it leads to:

1. increased creativity and innovation

2. improved decision making

3. increased market appeal

4. employee satisfaction

Photo by DISRUPTIVO on Unsplash

A diverse team brings different perspectives, experiences, and ideas to the table, leading to more creative and innovative solutions to problems.

For example, Mac Cosmetics was a pioneer in catering to the beauty needs of people of color by recognizing the unmet need in the market and offering over 50 different shades of foundation and a wide variety of lipstick colors. They've also hired and trained diverse makeup artists.

A diverse team allows for a wider range of perspectives to be considered, leading to better decision making.

For example, by embracing diversity in the workplace, Microsoft's decision making process improved, leading to the creation of innovative and inclusive products such as Xbox controls that meet the gaming needs of children with physical disabilities or missing limbs.

Photo by Samit Sarkar on Polygon

A diverse workforce allows a company to better understand and connect with its diverse customer base.

For example, the Asian and Latino Employee Resource Groups at Clorox promoted the acquisition of the Soy Vay® and Nueva Cocina® brands. This move helped Clorox expand its reach to a more diverse customer base.

Photo from Pxhere

A positive and inclusive work environment where everyone feels valued and respected leads to increased employee satisfaction, engagement and retention.

A study by Deloitte showed that companies with inclusive cultures had 22 percent lower turnover rates and an easier time recruiting new employees.

A software company wants to hire a team that can help them market their new virtual reality headset. They want to market it towards Millennials who are interested in immersive gaming experiences and entertainment.

Photo by Mapbox on Unsplash

Which of these teams would be most effective?

A. A team consisting of all senior software developers from the U.S.

B. A team consisting of Millennials who would be using the product

C. A team consisting of people of various ages, technical and cultural backgrounds

What can you do to support and embrace diversity in the workplace?