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Key Concepts of Diversity and Inclusion

    No Comments June 8, 2020

    I consider myself fortunate to have worked for corporate institutions in Texas and in Nevada, both in the public and private sector industries where the classic provisions of equal employment opportunity were seen, meaning that they were obvious in nature. I’m so glad for that! Having co-workers that represented disabled persons, minority groups, people of varying national origins, races, or ethnicity, both young and old alike, etc. can seem quite normal in some work environments geographically across the U.S., but in the Rio Grande Valley, it may be different or not as usual. As HR professionals positioned to have a proficiency for diversity and inclusion, what is the best approach and how can we better assimilate our workforce to view diversity in such a way that HR professionals are entrusted to do? 

    The SHRM Body of Knowledge (BoCK) acknowledges how important it is for all HR professionals to provide mentoring, training, guidance, and coaching on cultural differences and to guide best practices to employees at all levels of an organization. As such it is important to distinguish the difference between "diversity" and "inclusion". Diversity refers to the similarities and differences between individuals, accounting for all aspects of one's personality and individual identity, while inclusion refers to the expected outcomes as a result of diversity. For example, when testing the level of diversity, questions aimed at diversity include, "Who do we bring into our organization?" and inclusion may ask, "How do we make them feel welcome when they get here?" When inclusion occurs, each person in the organization feels welcomed, respected, supported, and valued as an employee. 

    Imagine diversity and inclusion as two halves of a whole. In business, the concept of having a "value driver" means that there are factors in conducting business that have a strong differentiating effect or advantage. One of the most systematic approaches hiring managers can have is a focus on how powerful diversity can add to the sum of its parts. If we look at value drivers from an HR perspective and apply the big picture to hiring managers, then managers can enhance the unique characteristics of diversity in the workplace based on value drivers that include the following: 

    • Enable everyone - employees, management, customers, prospects, and collaborators - to feel they are included and accepted and have a valued place in the organization; 
    • It keeps employees from perceiving the divide between "us" (the majority) and "them" (the minorities); 
    • Everyone has a perspective to offer that is influenced by their identity, experiences, and culture. 

    A recent SHRM article noted how the acceptance of diverse perspectives is what is meant by inclusion. Put another way, diversity is the byproduct of effective inclusion. 

    A recent study by the Deloitte white paper, "Global Human Capital Trends 2014" by Yoshino and Smith on behavior within organizational behavior noted that defensive behavior can occur when the balance between diversity and inclusion is not equal. This defensive behavior is described best when an organization recruits a diverse workforce but intentionally or not intentionally promotes assimilation rather than inclusion. Some workers' behaviors covered by the study included the four dimensions of (1) Appearance, (2) Affiliation, (3) Advocacy, and (4) Association. The subtle message can be interpreted as "You are welcome regardless of who you are, not because of who you are." Let's take a brief look at these four dimensions: 

    • Appearance. Adjusting their attire, grooming, and mannerisms to "blend in."
    • Affiliation. Avoiding behaviors associated with their identity group (e.g. culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.)
    • Advocacy. Avoiding engaging in advocacy on behalf of their identity group. 
    • Association. Avoiding associating with members of their identified group. 

    Here we see a psychological effect as a result of perhaps a culture or practices that are aimed at hiring a diverse workforce, but not really impacting the balance that will equally level out inclusion. Why are diversity and inclusion important and why should you care? Some reasons why diversity and inclusion matter to every business and every employee are: 

    Reasons Why Diversity Is Important
    • It creates equal opportunities for everyone is simply the right thing to do.
    • Diversity is good for business and yields “a diversity dividend” of quantifiable improvements in market share, a competitive edge in accessing new markets, and a stronger bottom line.
    • Robust workplace diversity in an organization has a positive impact on the economies and societies in which the business operates.
    • Diversity creates opportunities for everyone to learn from others and grow.
    • Diverse views make for better business decisions and drive a high-performance culture.

    While the benefits and costs of diversity and inclusion are not covered in this segment, it can be argued that the desire to make organizations and workplaces more diverse and inclusive by common sense is that a diverse workforce does strengthen an organization. The types of perceived benefits can vary and more can be said on that topic, benefits, and costs. Next blog!

    What is your rationale? What best practices does your employer have in place to promote diversity and what evidence is there that supports inclusion? Please share your thoughts! 

    Sandra Charles-Garza, SHRM RGV 390 Diversity Director

    Blog entry inspired by 2019 Workplace SHRM Learning System & Crafting and Executing Strategy: A Quest for Competitive Advantage by Thompson, Petergaf, Gamble & Strickland (2018)