Promoting diversity in organizations is perhaps one of the most growing needs in the corporate world, since having different profiles integrating the same team is extremely important for a number of reasons.
In the United States, for example, only 3% of creative director positions in advertising agencies are held by women, and in this same scenario, only 5.85% of advertisers are black. A statistic in decline since 2010.
The reality is not much different in Brazil. Even though we are inserted in a multicultural reality, only 5% of enterprises consider diversity in organizations as a crucial point throughout their strategic planning.
However, those that invest in inclusive hiring see that more than 75% of employees feel comfortable exposing ideas and adopting disruptive patterns. A factor that, given the current technological and widely changeable scenario, has become indispensable for the success of any brand.
However, what are the main benefits that justify the increase of diversity in organizations? This is what we will see below.
Diversity in organizations: a timeless trend
There are a number of benefits related to promoting diversity in organizations. Right off the bat, inserting different profiles into the team is a way to see new opportunities from other points of view, reduce conflicts, disseminate empathy, create environments favorable to sharing experiences, provide more creative results, encourage engagement among people, increase motivation and productivity.
The list is long and we could continue offering examples of the advantages of relying on diversity in organizations to achieve competitive differentials and the richness of business strategies.
To increase inclusion rates in the workplace, your company must open its doors to candidates from the most diverse backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs. It is important to keep the mindset that diversity does not only include gender or race issues. But it is also related to age, sexuality, socioeconomic profile, place of origin, skills, and professional choices. It is worth remembering that diversity in organizations has to do not only with the people hired – but with partners, suppliers, and contractors.
How to increase diversity in organizations?
There are several ways to promote diversity in organizations and, consequently, see something magical happen in the workplace. And don’t think you need to go very far, nor draw up outlandish plans to start the change. Measures can be simple, as long as they are effective.
One of the most efficient ideas is to implement and gradually encourage another new culture in the company and the updating of recruitment processes.
This also serves to change how the company is seen from the outside in. In other words, it is not just a change in internal processes, but a transformation that is perceived in all projects, so that, regardless of the solution produced, it is strongly connected with reality.
To definitively change the organization’s reality, an interesting alternative is to create inclusion programs, involve employees in volunteer work and cultural displays, train leaders so they pass the correct messages to their respective teams, develop management policies and practices, encourage respect for individuality, and establish channels of transparent communication.
There is no doubt that the absence of diverse profiles in corporate teams represents a strategic business problem. Thinking differently and observing the same situation from other points of view is not just a trend, but a necessity.
The rates presented at the beginning of this text prove that there is still much to be done. At the same time, they also mean that there is an ocean to be explored – and this needs to happen now! Diversity matters because it exists and cannot be ignored.
The business field is in constant transformation. Keep updating yourself on the blog!
