Diversity & Inclusion lessons from the Nature!!

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better – Albert Einstein

In a Forbes post - “Forget the Business Case for Diversity and Inclusion “, Bernard Coleman III, who led Hillary for America’s D&I, as the first ever Chief Diversity and HR Officer in U.S. History, raised an interesting view that “Make a business case” is the retort often heard in Silicon Valley when the talks of Diversity & Inclusion comes up. What is basically being said is, "Convince me why the organization should want to hire women, people of color, etc." He goes on to argue that, “the tech industry which prides itself on logic must do an honest assessment of how we arrived at this non-diverse, non-inlcusive environment that somehow does not mirror the society we all inhabit”.

Seeking a business case for diversity and inclusion is trying to convince one of the obvious. It’s like seeing the house burn in front but wanting data to prove it. But still, the plethora of research we come across, trying to link financial returns of the organisations with gender-and-race-based diversity are far too many. Do we have some obvious lessons for us here!

Well, we have all grown up hearing that – “Mother Nature is our biggest teacher”. When in doubt, we turn to nature to seek answers to the most intriguing challenges faced by us. So what is nature teaching us silently on one of the most researched topics – Does “Diversity and Inclusion”, lead to better organisational performance? Have we missed few obvious lessons here, in our quest to logically and analytically prove the case of Diversity and Inclusion in the organisations and other walks of society?

Let’s take a closer look at the nature. Compare and contrast the varied pockets of earth. Imagine a Wetland vs. an Ice-land, A Marshy land Vs. a flowing River, A Reef vs. a Lake, A Rainforest vs. a Desert. What immediately comes to our mind when we picture a reef or a rainforest or a marshy land is the amazing diversity of flora and fauna. Yes, they are indeed amongst the most diverse ecosystems on the earth, a clear contrast from a lake or a river or a desert.

Usually, when we talk about biological diversity, it simply means the number of species within a community. Tropical forests are high in biodiversity, because they have many different types of species. The higher the biodiversity means that the ecosystem can sustain (maintain) many different types of producers, consumers, and decomposers. This generally means that the area is healthy. For example tropic rain forests have many different types of trees, ferns, flowers, birds, insects, and mammals, so it is one of the most productive and healthiest ecosystems.

Another use of biodiversity refers to the genetic diversity within a species. Cheetahs have low genetic diversity whereas the domestic dog has tremendous diversity. If there is sufficient biodiversity when an environmental change occurs some variations may be adapted to the changing environment 

Generally speaking, greater species diversity (alpha diversity) leads to greater ecosystem stability. This is termed the "diversity–stability hypothesis”. The diversity-stability hypothesis states that ecosystems with greater species diversity are more stable. Increased alpha diversity (the number of species present) generally leads to greater stability, meaning an ecosystem that has a greater number of species is more likely to withstand a disturbance than an ecosystem of the same size with a lower number of species. An ecosystem that is more diverse is better able to adapt to or survive massive disturbances, i.e. anything from natural disasters to fungal infestations to “human disturbance”. Or conversely, if mono cultures get hit by disasters it can be catastrophic. Recent research on coral reefs shows that it is beta diversity (ratio between regional and local diversity) that leads to greater stability (Mellin et al., 2014). So, in short: If it’s more diverse it’s more robust!

Variation, in other words, is key for life. Variation and diversity are not merely coincidental but fundamental to life and what ties nature to us humans. Mother Nature has clear lessons to offer. Yes indeed there is an unparalleled “Strength in Diversity”