An Old, Yet New, Look At Diversity In The Workplace

Forbes

a day ago

Happy multigenerational people having fun sitting on grass in a public park
Diversity, in the last few years, has been transformed from a prominent social, demographic, and organizational issue into a political football.
I believe that's because we're not looking at it in its fullest sense. We're looking at it with too much emphasis on statistics and not enough concern for what the data is telling us. Data, we all know, is left-brain food; it is linear, logical, and can be analyzed by entry-level recent graduates. Now, even these young employees are threatened by AI. On the other hand, to see the big picture, we need to flip over to our creative right brains where we connect dots, recognize patterns, and derive meaning.
That must be what Malcolm Forbes did when he concluded long ago that 'Diversity is the art of thinking independently together.' He made no mention here of adding up the percentages of people from various groups; rather, in a holistic sense, he taught us to think at a higher level.
In the end, isn't that what we want? Isn't that the ultimate result we seek? A look at some recent studies supports that hypothesis.
Studies strongly support the conclusion that organizations embracing a greater diversity in the workplace outperform the competition as well as market index indicators, while delivering higher profits. They also tend to nurture employee' roles and careers, and enhance stakeholder value. Research by the Boston Consulting Group in 2024 revealed that 'increasing the diversity of leadership teams yielded 19% more revenue from innovation compared to less diverse peers.'
Actively constructing a workforce that includes people with a whole range of different characteristics – gender, ethnic background, religion, age, sexual orientation, education level, race, socioeconomic status – in fact, anything that might give that person a different outlook on life, is evidently what Forbes was seeing.
Organizations that look like that were studied by Kurt Lewin (1890-1947), the father of social psychology. The more diverse the makeup of a team, found Lewin, the more likely the members were to experience process gain in perspective, synthesis, and clarity. Indeed, this facilitates changes in values, attitude, and behavior needed to implement good decisions.
Process gain includes accessing many points of view, fostering a more creative environment, achieving higher productivity, recruiting and retaining the best staff, and opening up new markets.
Among companies in the tech sector that lead in diversity and performance, HP stands out with a board comprised of 46% women and 46% minorities. Additionally, 67% of its new hires in the U.S. are women, minorities, veterans, or people with disabilities.
And Cisco has maintained its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). It has implemented initiatives like annual pay parity analyses and flexible work policies, contributing to its recognition as a European Diversity Leader.
Evidence emphatically suggests that diversity leads to increased innovation, better employee retention, and improved market responsiveness, all contributing to a competitive edge in the marketplace.
Or does independent thinking, in Malcolm Forbes' view, produce the diversity effect we want?