Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs are essential for fostering equitable workplaces. However, broadening diversity definitions beyond legally protected categories, such as race and gender, may unintentionally reduce the representation of racial minorities.
Drivers Behind the Expansion of Diversity Definitions
A trend is developing whereby many organisations have been steadily increasing the characteristics that fall under the heading of diversity, for example to include the personality traits of social background, etc.
There are a number of drivers for this trend, including:
- A recognition that diversity is multi-faceted and an increased mindfulness that it needs to be more inclusive and reflect the full spectrum of human differences.
- To unlock more innovation and creativity (although the evidence shows this is the case only for certain types of diversity, such as age diversity).
- To better understand and serve diverse customer bases.
- To compete for top talent, especially younger generations. Millennials and Gen Z prioritise diversity and inclusion when choosing employers. 76% of job seekers say a diverse workforce is important when evaluating companies.
- To move beyond quotas to embedding diversity in culture.
Characteristics Included in Broader Diversity Trends
The types of characteristics that are being included in this trend include:
- Personality traits
- Culture
- Communication style
- Background (e.g. cultural background)
- Perspectives, ideas, insights, opinions, viewpoints
- Experiences and tenure
- Abilities and talents
- Qualities and attributes
- Functional knowledge
- Socio-economic status
- Lifestyles and interests
- Ideological beliefs
- Language
- Geographies
- Affective dispositions and personalities
- Politics
- Education
- Cognitive style
- Traditions
The question remains, however, as to what impact this trend for broadening the scope of diversity is having.
A new study
A new study by researchers from Columbia University, Babson College, The University of California, Villanova University and the University of Utah all in the US together with Deloitte Canada has looked at the impact of broadening the scope of diversity in organisations.
Findings
The study found that:
Based on the research findings, there are some key practical takeaways for people in organisations:
- Broadening the definition of diversity in company statements to include many non-legal categories (e.g. personality, background, etc.) is associated with having fewer racial minority employees over time.
- Narrow diversity definitions focused on legally protected categories like race and gender are not associated with decreased racial minority representation.
- Organisations should be cautious that broad diversity definitions may inadvertently detract focus from underrepresented racial groups.
- Conversely, organisations may benefit from keeping diversity statements centred on those groups protected by anti-discrimination laws.
- The way an organisation defines diversity in its public statements matters and correlates with the actual diversity of its workforce.
- While broad diversity definitions can make all employees feel included, they may allow organisations to overlook disparities in representation of legally protected groups like racial minorities.
- Organisations should examine whether their workforce diversity data aligns with their stated diversity definitions and goals. Tracking and transparently reporting diversity statistics, even if lagging, signals that the organisation is committed to diversity.
Primary reference
Taming the Culture Tiger in Managing Diversity in the Organisation
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