The evolution of Diversity — and the importance of DEI in the workplace
pakt | cultural discovery | london
pakt is a cross-cultural strategic consultancy. We are your cultural discovery team.
With the ever-growing networks of the globalised and multicultural world, most companies attempt to do their best when it comes to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategies. As a result, developing business and marketing strategies compatible with social justice and social conscience or maintaining a positive atmosphere for employees from different backgrounds has become a priority for most companies.
It is not surprising to see these words on job advertisements “regardless of age, gender, sexual identity, origin, culture or disability” that embrace diversity today. However, how effective are these companies regarding DEI and what else lies ahead for us in the future? Understanding how DEI has evolved through time is essential to understanding how we can carry it into the next stage.
The recent history of Diversity
The civil rights movement of the 1960s ignited a social change in most US companies, and ‘tolerance’ for underrepresented groups became a hot topic. Since the 2000s, gender diversity in workplace environments has become the primary focus of DEI strategies. In the next decade, these strategies have evolved to incorporate different intersections by including immigrants and people with underprivileged backgrounds.
Nowadays, DEI strategies have started to involve neurodiversity, which concerns people with varying ways of learning and thinking, which can create a new conversation about people with untraceable disabilities and their involvement or representation in the business world.
Meaning of?terms
If we go deeper into the meanings of DEI’s components, we can say that equity and inclusion are the necessary solutions that should be recognised and maintained for diverse communities. Equity differs from equality in that rather than preserving everyone with the same opportunities; it recognises individual needs and circumstances, which helps companies to provide solutions according to these differences.
On the other hand, inclusion refers to a business’ attempt to establish a feeling of belonging to their employees from diverse backgrounds, to make them feel safe and boost their productivity at the workplace.
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Benefits of Diversity in?business
Studies also show that workplace cultural diversity can lead to more productivity, innovation, and creativity. (See: our Cultural Intelligence — CQ article for more information)
For example, according to McKinsey & Company’s report, companies with gender diversity were 25 per cent more likely to have above-average profitability and companies with executive ethnic diversity were 36 per cent more successful than their other counterparts. We can see good examples of DEI attempts in inclusive marketing, some of which you can read and watch on Creative Culture’s blog here.
The Covid-19 pandemic and Generation Z’s involvement in the corporate culture have brought together a need for a more encompassing and up-to-date DEI strategy. (See: our article on Ageism for more information) Breaking all kinds of stereotypes and prioritising individual identity and authenticity should be the goal of the 21st century to achieve equity in communities and businesses worldwide.
What can you do to improve DEI strategies in your business?
The outsider?gaze
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are three essential tools for opening space and visibility to the outsider gaze. The people who come from outside the already established sphere bring new perspectives, different ways of approaching challenges, creative ideas and valuable knowledge from other domains. Be it from a foreign country or religion, be it from a different way of sensing the world and feeling themselves, be it from a diverse age group or physical capacity of movement, they provide the world with a unique opportunity to gain a deeper understanding and sensing different layers of existence in this world.
The outsider gaze is the essential way of seeing to create a better future for us as human beings, but more importantly, for all who exist in this world regardless of their vessels. But we as humans learn slowly; therefore, we must take one step at a time and start with our own kind first.
If you would like to discover the cultural environment of your workspace and create a more nurturing atmosphere not only because it is better for business but also for your employees to feel better and belong to where they work, get in contact with us. Let us help you to learn about your existing work culture and design and develop rituals, values and behaviours that would create a better cultural system around your business.
pakt | cultural discovery | london is a cross-cultural strategic consultancy helping clients discover creativity and innovation at the intersection of culture and strategy. We are based in London and Istanbul, and we have a global network of diverse experts from different backgrounds and disciplines to utilise the outsider gaze.