- March 9, 2021
- By Joshua Reid
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- corporate , corporate transformation , DEI , diversity , equity , workplace
How Diversity in a Company Allows Equity and the Inclusion of New Ideas
As mentioned in this article about the generational gap and ways that a company can work through any clashes that may cause, I argued that one way in which a company could rectify the situation is by having the younger generation learn to let go of stereotypes of the older generation and investing in ways that the older generation can mentor and invest in the up-and-coming younger generation. I would also argue that when it comes to diversity, equity, inclusion and the implementation of new ideas, the above method can only go so far. But what is inclusion?
According to Merriam-Webster, inclusion is “the act or practice of including and accommodating people who have historically been excluded (as because of their race, gender, sexuality, or ability).”
When it comes to a company’s continued success in the industry, especially in 2021, diversity plays a major role. Many companies, while wanting to implement new ideas and maybe revamp existing ones, are either unsure of how a diversity and inclusion initiative can help or don’t want to upset the status quo of their company.
Shandia Drummond-Butt, an accountant receivables manager and writer for ImpactPlus, asked this question: “But what does this [diversity] usually look like within an organization?” She begins to question the amount of women and minority groups in leadership roles and the age gap in the workplace, among other issues, but it’s her statement about how diversity is being included in the companies that stuck out to me.
“Too often, diversity issues are addressed by slowly adding more cultural diversity, or focusing on gender and sexual orientation… diversity means more than just putting a person of color or of different gender in the seats of leadership and management because now it’s the “in” thing to do. It’s not just about color, gender, and religion. It’s even more than a person’s social class, educational background, or age.” (Shandia Drummond-Butt)1
This is what I would have to say to any company that desires to implement new ideas but is unsure of whether or not a diversity and inclusion initiative would help. Diversity, as I mentioned before, isn’t just a checklist a company can just check off as though saying, “We’ve hit our [fill-in-the-blank] quota for this year,”; it’s a necessary part of keeping a company going into the future.
Additionally, those companies that do want to create a diversity and inclusion initiative, but don’t want to upset the status quo of said company, are actually hurting their company instead of helping it. Keeping to the status quo, while it may have proved beneficial in the past, isn’t feasible in the rapidly changing and diverse society we live in today. Not allowing diversity into your company will not only cause companies to have to quickly catch up to emerging trends, but also fails to allow new ideas to flourish and possibly help the company thrive.
An article titled “10 Ways to Prioritize Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace” states that “As inequalities persist, business owners in every industry have a responsibility to examine the workplace structures they’ve set up or enforced. They must then ask themselves what makes a workplace inclusive and then make changes to support employees from marginalized groups…”2
Allowing employees from marginalized groups to come into your company will allow you to pull from their experiences and see what products or services will best appeal to a multitude of communities, and even be able to create new products and services tailored for diverse markets. Bringing in employees from diverse backgrounds will give you the opportunity to hear their voice and see what is affecting them on a personal and communal level.
Sources
Butt-Drummond, Shandia. “Corporate Diversity: Why you should look beyond the typical labels.” ImpactPlus, IMPACT, 17 February 2021.
“10 Ways to Prioritize Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace,” Funding Circle, 10 August 2020.
