Diversity In Groups

Instructor: Mary Ann K. Judaya

Diversity Skills To Develop (And Why
They’re Important)

Diversity is the practice of including people from different backgrounds and cultures
with various values, experiences and ideas. Diversity is increasingly important as a
core value and commitment for companies to prioritize. Understanding what it means
and why it's important to integrate into the workplace can help organizations become
more inclusive and equitable toward their employees.
What are diversity skills?
Diversity skills are essential skills to create a more inclusive work environment. These
skills help you become more accommodating to and accepting of the varied needs,
lifestyles and expertise of all different people. Diversity skills can help you develop an
equity lens to better visualize and foster inclusion in the workplace. Diversity refers to
the characteristics and demographic factors that make each person unique.

Why are diversity skills important?

Diversity skills are important in helping ensure a company's dedication to diversity and
inclusion is more than a mission statement. These skills help develop a more inclusive
workplace with a focus on diversity. Over time, diversity skills can help ensure
inclusion and diversity become an active and essential part of company culture.
Diversity may relate to the following categories:
Age Workplace responsibilities
Gender Cognitive disabilities
Sex Neurodiversity
Sexual orientation Physical abilities and disabilities
Ethnicity Religious or spiritual beliefs
Citizenship Life experiences
Education level Socioeconomic status
Ethnicity Mental health
Skill set Marital status
Family status Military experience
Cultural background
It's important to prioritize and develop these skills in the workplace. Review your
company's mission statement to ensure it aligns with the company's commitment to
inclusion and diversity. Consider creating a special committee with different
members of the organization to work together on revising the mission
statement. Diversity training is a powerful way to develop your diversity skills.
These may be special seminars or workshops your workplace hosts to discuss
diversity in the workplace. Passive education can also be helpful to remind everyone
of diversity practices. This may include hanging posters in popular areas about
microaggressions or stereotypes.
Here are some diversity skills to implement in the workplace:

1. Cultivating cultural awareness and belonging

Cultural awareness and belonging reinforce the primary goals of diversity skills to help
each individual feel respected, valued and treated fairly. This provides the foundation for
a more inclusive work environment. It's important to create a personal sense of
belonging to help strengthen each person's connection to their team and a sense of
purpose related to shared goals.
Cultural awareness and belonging aim to help people:
• Feel comfortable at work
• Connect with the people they work with
• Make meaningful contributions
• Understand their unique strengths
• Respect colleagues
• Treat each other fairly
2. Confronting bias
Everyone has a unique cultural lens through which how they see the world. Life
experiences and things we learn all shape our cultural lens. However, you may have
some perceptions about the world that you're unaware of. This is your unconscious
bias. It's important for you to evaluate your personal cultural lens and your
unconscious bias. Bias relies on making assumptions about specific groups of people
without a basis.
3. Mitigating microaggressions
A microaggression is a statement or action considered unintentionally, subtly or
indirectly discriminatory against a marginalized group or person. Microaggressions
can be very common or subtle, and you may not even notice them. However, they
can negatively affect the recipients, such as making them feel like outsiders. If you
see or hear a microaggression, it's important to call it out and explain the impact of
someone's words or actions.
4. Combating stereotypes
Stereotypes often stem from discriminatory practices. People stereotype one another
based on their perceptions and previous experiences. People may stereotype others
based on various things, such as gender, age or race. Diversity skills and training can
help people respect and value one another more. Create opportunities for employees
from different backgrounds or departments who may not usually work together to
collaborate. Consider developing affinity groups to help like-minded and similar
individuals to connect.
5. Multicultural and multi-ethnic understanding
Multicultural and multi-ethnic understanding can help you better understand and
appreciate diverse groups of people. This includes their life experiences, beliefs and
history. Greater cultural awareness and consideration can help foster a better
community and develop a multicultural lens in your workplace. This helps strengthen
the company's overall commitment to multiculturalism.
Promoting Benefits of Productive Diversity To
Colleagues
Many companies view the introduction of a more inclusive workforce as an act of
goodwill. While correct, diversity also promises a multitude of benefits that can
improve the bottom line of any company.
1. Higher Morale
No one likes monotony, including employees. People need variety to perform well.
The same principle applies to interpersonal relationships. Many employees
appreciate getting to know another person and finding out both what they have in
common and how they differ. By keeping teams filled with people that differ from
each other, everyone has the chance to expand their personal and professional
networks. Thus, the workplace culture becomes more exciting as people develop
higher morale.
2. More Access to Talent
As mentioned before, a lot of people missed out on opportunities in the past due to
unfair stereotyping. Companies willing to look past biases will discover more
people who have the right skill sets and dispositions. They will be able to invite
more people to join their ranks compared to other people who aren’t as open-
minded as them. In turn, people will want to work more with companies who put
inclusivity as part of their core values. The end effect is that companies who
embrace diversity will have a larger talent pool. Of course, having more talented
people also makes the company perform better as a whole.
3. Increased Creativity
Any team will be more likely to get good ideas if they have more minds who can
help out in brainstorming. At the same time, diversity also matters in the creative
process. Having a workforce with minds that think differently will result in higher-
quality ideas than a workforce where everyone processes thoughts the same way.
People can also cross-check each others’ ideas, ensuring that only the best ideas
survive.
4. Increased Flexibility
Each person has specific strengths and weaknesses. Their skill sets allow people to
excel in certain activities while hampering their progress in others. Having people
with various skills can solve problems. Each person’s strengths cover another’s
weaknesses. As long as teams act synergistically, the effects of deficiencies decline
while everyone’s abilities become more prevalent. The collective skill set of the
group enables them to respond in any situation, resulting in a more consistent
performance even as conditions change continuously.
5. Better Critical Thinking
Critical thinking relies on the ability to spot inconsistencies which someone may
have missed. Hence, it’s best to have someone take up a different perspective
when they’re assessing someone else’s ideas. This level of checking can only
occur in an environment where there are people with different viewpoints.

6. Well-Rounded Skill Sets

Companies form teams with just the right balance of abilities. Proper management of
diversity ensures that there is at least one person who can efficiently handle
each subtask.
7. Improved Company Reputation
Customers are becoming more willing to factor in ethics and principles into
their spending behavior. Companies who behave immorally, such as by
ignoring discrimination or resorting to abusive labor, stand to lose thousands
of patrons. In this age of morally conscious consumerism, companies will
gain direct monetary benefits if they behave ethically.

8. Better Delegation
With a diverse set of talents, it becomes easier to delegate tasks.
Managers are more confident that their teams can handle anything that they
can throw at them. Executives can offload heavy tasks, giving them more
time and resources to dedicate towards leadership activities. Leadership tasks
include making plans, monitoring progress, and adjusting goals.
Better delegation helps the company maximize its employees and its leaders,
and it’s all thanks to workplace diversity.
9. More Satisfied Employees
Humans are social beings who derive satisfaction in social relations. Many
employees find it satisfying to form bonds with other people. Satisfaction with
people at work leads to smoother communication and better cooperation. As people
find it easier to work with others in teams, productivity ultimately rises.

10. Higher Earnings

Based on everything we have discussed so far, increased diversity benefits
employees at both the individual and the group level. People become more satisfied
in their work and are more motivated to work with others. Groups become more
creative and better at coming up with unique, effective, and efficient solutions. These
groups also become more adaptable to any situation that their work throws at them.
All of these factors will improve productivity, which in turn leads to higher earnings.
Firms who encourage diversity stand to earn more than others. Workplace variety
can lead to tangible financial gains.
Principles of Managing Diversity
Businesses need a plan if they want to foster diversity while avoiding its pitfalls. It
all boils down to diligent planning, as well as an honest assessment of the
corporate culture. By following these frameworks, firms can avoid planning
mistakes that can derail their chances of succeeding.

 Hire with equal opportunities in mind

One quick way to increase diversity is to admit more people from different
ethnicities and groups. Companies must actively reach out to minorities and
encourage them to apply. Some companies award grants and scholarships. Many of
them consider age, gender, and ethnicity, ensuring that workplaces stay diverse.
HR departments can install checks and balances to ensure that applicants do not
encounter discriminatory practices.
 Launch support programs for minority employees
The struggles of minority employees don’t stop at the recruitment stage. In any
environment, they are prone to discrimination from peers and superiors, which can
slow their career advancement. Discrimination can lead to lower job performance
and productivity. Hence, these are all reasons to introduce support programs that
specialize in helping out minorities. Clear company policies on racism and
discrimination should be present to encourage everyone, even top-level executives,
to embrace diversity.
 Encourage a more inclusive culture
Policy changes should launch in parallel with initiatives designed to change
mindsets and foster cooperation. Leaders should never take the power of culture for
granted.
Admittedly, it’s challenging to change cultures, especially one that’s already existed
for a long time. One tip is for leaders to practice what they preach. Executives
should actively encourage diversity and enforce it upon their subordinates. Their
relative power and influence mean that their views on diversity will eventually
trickle down into the other levels of the organization.
How To Build A Diverse Team

The key to working toward diversity in the workplace is to find the best employees
for your team — regardless of their race, culture, personality, beliefs, nationality,
or viewpoints.

Diversity can take many forms, so don’t try to make your team or your business
look like someone else’s. Do what’s best for your unique situation and you’ll set
your business on the road to success.
Here are some tips for building a diversity:

Tip #1: Promote An Active Interest In Diversity

The first step toward making diversity a part of your company is to promote an
active interest in the concept.
In the past, you may not have given much thought to the makeup of your team.
Now, though, it’s time to actively focus on diversity and promote its importance to
your employees.
That may require everyone — including you — to start dealing with some
unconscious thought processes and behaviors. It may not be easy, but when you care
about increasing diversity, your business, your team, and your productivity will
thrive.
Tip #2: Tap Into The Diversity You Already Have
You may think your team is fairly homogeneous, but look closer. It may be more
diverse than you realize.
Take the time to get to know your existing employees. Find out about their
backgrounds, their experiences, their likes, and their dislikes. You may be able to tap
into the diversity you’ve already got in your current team.
Tip #3: Promote From Within
Consider and recommend the best employees for advancement regardless of their
nationality, culture, or background. When you do that, it shows that you value their
work, not their race.
When you get in the habit of promoting from within with an eye toward diversity in
the workplace, other managers will begin to send candidates your way to help round
out your team’s abilities.
And once you’ve started, this self-perpetuating cycle can have a significant impact
on the diversity and productivity of your team.
…end of the 7th chapter…