The diversity of talent and variety of professional skills is something that the most advanced companies are currently pursuing as a fundamental part of their strategy. Those who are not yet doing it wonder what the reason is for this trend and today we propose discovering it.
Beyond making a reflection on what the inclusion of women in productive processes contributes, as we already did in in this article, we will address what diversity brings to an organization in global terms. Well, beyond gender diversity, we must consider inter-generational, cultural, racial diversity, even sexual orientation or religious options.
Having a diverse group of people will multiply the skills with which the company can compete in the market, not only when it comes to really connecting with the customer, but also when faced with the need to solve challenges Therefore, the more perspectives we have of a problem in question, the more ideas will flow and the better the solution we provide.
Based on the studies of the last 10 years, it seems that recruiting the group of employees with diverse individual experience is better and more conducive to creativity than a homogeneous team, however, one must keep in mind that managing people with diverse cultural backgrounds It's not as easy as we think.
A company must have certain foundations for a diverse talent retention strategy to work. This is where a concept that we should never forget when we talk about diversity comes into play: INCLUSION. Verna Myers, a pioneer in this discipline, defines it very well with this phrase:
"Diversity is just being invited to a party.
Inclusion is actually being asked to dance.".
For diversity to have the desired effect, we must consider the following aspects:
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The environment of the organization must be prepared to listen to what all employees have to say or contribute and value it. And it's not just us when we talk about the fundamental importance of feedback; In fact, it is precisely this aspect that Maxine Williams points out as a key in the strategy that has led Facebook to be recognized by Glassdoor as the best company to work for in 2018.
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In addition, company values must be aligned. And we are not referring to the values that appear in the power points of their presentations, but to the corporate culture that is really breathed in the corridors and that must be consistent with the policies that are implemented.
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This is a challenge that has to be matured in the long term, no company addresses this goal in one or two years, rather they feed it with attention and will power much sooner.
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Another of the fundamental challenges to promote a strategy of this type is to have inclusive Leaders (or train them in how to manage diverse teams) and that promote with their example the culture of respect and recognition. If this was not an important aspect to draw companies' attention to, diversity would not have appeared as the No.º 1 factor in the Recruiting trends published by Linkedin for 2018.
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Although a diversity policy goes far beyond the recruitment of diverse professional profiles. Focus must be placed on aspects such as retention, professional development or other specific employee support needs, the mentoring, motivation or engagement.
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According to recent studies, the nuance is also provided that for diversity to be reflected in an improvement in performance, the idea must be culturally established and, therefore, not only bet on it, but that you work so that it really has results.
All this philosophy is linked to the desire to innovate in order to grow, and technology does not play a secondary role here, but is largely a vehicle that favors these environments where the physical borders have fallen thanks to to the digitization of processes. Concepts such as cloud working will become more and more common in our vocabulary and working with people from anywhere in the world from our office will not be surprising. Along these lines, a recent study of BCG concludes that "companies that place greater emphasis on digital technology show an even greater correlation between diversity and innovation". Therefore, if a company invests in digital technology, the benefits of diversity accrue and position it to more effectively capitalize on those investments.
Our recommendation for a company: the more global your business perspective is, the more capable you will need to be when it comes to reflecting social & cultural diversity in your own company.
From an employee perspective the recommendation is that you should know yourself, know what you have to contribute in a special way, and look for an environment where you can be valued for it!
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