Diversity is all around us; global economic trends, shifts in population structures, and improved communication channels have changed our organisations and how we operate. The key to unlocking the social and economic benefits of diversity is through organisations having cultures of inclusion.
A focus on workplace inclusion will drive your organisation's success in three key areas and the outcomes will look like this:
You are doing the right thing
Social Licence
Social equity
Your organisation integrates minorities and vulnerable groups, making it possible to design and deliver strategies to address historical inequalities.
Co-production
The communities you serve are more ready to collaborate and participate in your initiatives because they feel represented.
Social cohesion
You bring traditionally excluded groups to the decision-making table, and contribute to societal harmony by doing so.
Your diversity enhances your performance
Productivity
Motivation
Your inclusive culture boosts morale and engagement for all your employees with benefits to productivity and lower staff turnover.
Innovation and creativity
You bring heterogenous minds and stories to the design and operation of the organisation’s purpose. Diversity encourages creativity and fosters an innovative organisational spirit through openness and inclusiveness.
Team performance
Your team’s diverse views leads to stronger problem solving and decision making.
You use it as a tool to plan for success
Prospectivity
By managing diversity well and strategically developing your inclusive culture, your organisation has the required tools to
‘prospect’ for opportunities that deliver its purpose. You therefore plan better, grow your services correctly and can anticipate barriers and operational difficulties before they arise, using demographic projections to drive representation in your workforce and anticipate customer issues and opportunities.
You culture of inclusion
Doing diversity and inclusion well can be challenging, but the rewards are great. To achieve outcomes, workplaces need to foster inclusive environments through inclusive management. That often means managers need to expand their capabilities and acquire new skills.
To better understand the benefits, download a copy of the Workplace Diversity Case Model. This is a comprehensive review of the best available local and global evidence for the advantages of workplace diversity and inclusion.
