Diversity Reduces Racism & Discrimination

"We inhabit a universe that is characterized by diversity." ~ Desmond Tutu

"In today’s interconnected and globalized world, it is now commonplace for people of dissimilar world views, faiths and races to live side by side. It is a matter of great urgency, therefore, that we find ways to cooperate with one another in a spirit of mutual acceptance and respect." ~ Dalai Lama

Leaders must look critically at the diversity in their organizations.

The importance of workplace diversity is increasing nowadays. In a world with increased connectivity to hundreds of thousands and possibly millions of people through social media instantly from your mobile phones, the richness of diverse perspectives stimulates innovation and engagement, which ultimately drives organizations to achieve even higher levels of success. Awareness of bias isn't enough; to change behaviour, one must take action. Understanding this, you need to address unconscious biases - the quiet influencers on how we interpret information and make decisions.

Diverse groups outperform homogeneous ones.

Such diverse workplaces think more innovatively, connect better, and show more success. However, most minorities suffer from stress due to constant adjustments to dominant cultural norms, an exhausting endeavour of fitting in without being a threat. Addressing unconscious bias is a very basic way of adapting workplaces where anybody internalizes a sense of belonging.

Homogeneous teams will go into group-think and blind spots, which are bad for any organization including politics.

Hypothetically, imagine if all of our members of the legislature in all 10 provinces of Canada and members of parliament in the House of Commons in Ottawa, we're all white males with no diversity. Politics in Canada would be very different and Canadian society would be very harsh on the diversity of peoples in society.

Adapt your diversity and inclusion strategy to suit your unique organizational needs.

Ensure your leaders take ownership of diversity and inclusion policies at every level, from the Head office to the  boardrooms to colleagues working in the trenches. Transformation doesn't happen passively; it's an active choice - a product of deliberate steps taken to reconsider who gets hired, promoted, and how much they are paid.

Think of a garden with only one kind of plant in it. If some kind of disease overcomes, it can take out the entire garden. That's what happens in an organization when there is a "mono-culture" in thinking, where new ideas and growth are stifled. To avoid this, make sure your organization has people from different backgrounds. Include people of all races, genders, and walks of life. This brings in new ideas that will make them all grow. It's a bit more difficult in private or public funded religious schools, because it is a long historical religious subculture type of operation, but even then, making sure that everyone can feel included does occur. It, therefore, helps when unconscious bias training sessions occur, but the real deal is to make inclusivity a subconscious part of the work approach.

The leaders should comprehend the experiences of employees in an organization so that actions towards inclusivity are constant and systemic. Those who have to try hardest at this are often white male leaders because they are typically the ones who define organizational culture. Changing institutions where discrimination has been a part of their history means going beyond awareness into action.

Diversity makes our lives richer, stirs creativity, flexibility, and prepares us for future challenges.

The most dangerous biases are unconscious biases; they cannot be seen but pop up when subtle decisions are made, creating inequality. Acknowledging these biases, microaggressions - micro-discrimination's, and addressing them moves you toward conscious competence. This is a critical step in building teams based on diversity, not homogeneity, fostering environments where different voices are not only heard but valued.

Without an inclusive environment, leaders expose themselves not only to representational failures but also to institutional and organizational failures.

Genuine culture change in organizations requires a top-down commitment to inclusiveness. Instead of awareness training, it's time for action: uniform interviewing practices, sponsoring of minority group employees, and well-defined promotion procedures. People feel free to voice their views in psychologically safe workplaces.

Inclusion strategies, such as rotating leadership within meetings and providing mentorship pathways for minorities, are steps in the right direction. But while it is important to hire diverse candidates — not only for custodial cleaners in buildings, but diverse candidates/employees at all levels of an organization, it's equally important to make them feel respected enough to stay.

Create safe spaces for open discussions on exclusion; let the majority understand and empathize with the struggles, and redefine diversity as an issue of everyone.

By making diversity and inclusion personal, you create a workplace culture that values all voices, which in turn makes your organization more innovative, dynamic, and successful.