“A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone.” — Sundar Pichai (CEO of Google LLC)
Diversity is the state of being diverse or showing a great deal of variety. When people of different cultures, races and backgrounds come together in a work environment, it creates a sense of diversity among employees. They learn different customs and understand the beauty of a melange of different cultures and perspectives. To create this sense of belonging and unity, companies must conduct teamwork activities which will help the employees to work better as a team. This also means better outcomes for the company in terms of its resources.
A study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) shows that “increasing the diversity of leadership teams leads to more and better innovation and improved financial performance.” This means diversity is not just a metric to be strive for by companies but it is an actual integral part of a successful business. It allows employees to find better and faster solutions from multiple viewpoints.
Team building activities (simple games, activities, discussions, debates, challenges) helps develop good relations with fellow colleagues, regardless of their background building relationships, strength and good sportsmanship qualities among employees.
For example, Wells Fargo & Co. an American banking company values and benefits from the diversity of its team members. Under the company’s vision and goals, diversity and inclusion is a business imperative that allows the company to understand their employees better. They believe in inclusion and diversity at their workplace for all team members
Encouraging diversity at a workplace may not be easily possible. However, with the help of co-operative and inclusive activities at the workplace, it benefits the employees moral upstanding and increases collaboration, positive reinforcement and improved communications.
Inclusive teamwork also helps in motivating the employees. When a group of employees successfully complete a team building activity it creates momentum and makes them feel good about themselves, increasing the employees confidence and it also shows them that the organization is willing to invest in them. Hence there is a sense of reciprocation from the employees side, making them feel the need to validate their working productivity but in a positive manner.
It is vital to communicate with fellow colleagues. However, that is not the most important aspect. There is a lot to learn from them as well. Having a diverse team is one of the best ways to get exposed to all sorts of different backgrounds and walks of life.
Each individual is different in terms of behaviour, personality and character. They have certain values, needs and guiding employees. The company should be responsible in identifying the needs of the employees and act accordingly.
Fun and enjoyable activities enable employees to understand each other and break barriers and shells and focus on what they all have in common rather than the differences. Inclusive team building activities can be a powerful way to develop relations, trust, collaborations, motivation, addressing weaknesses and highlighting strengths. These activities must be more specific to the employee such as dealing with their identity, accepting themselves and others rather than just simple greetings or gestures. Collaborating with fellow employees to develop better ideas is another important characteristic of inclusive team building. It helps them network and create contacts outside their day-to-day work which is helpful in the future. Inclusive team building involves including every employee to gather various ideas, develop skills and find plausible solutions to problems rather than just focusing on inclusion of the person’s ethnicity, race, sexuality etc.
Apple Inc. is a company well known for selling a variety of electronic products which are used by millions around the world. In this company, there is no training programme for employees when they join. They are expected to engage with their fellow colleagues and work on projects and understand the mechanisms of the technology, working procedures and office environment through effective communication and collaboration. The employees must develop skills on their own and be more self-reliant. The more efficient they become, Apple grants them benefits such as financial raises, promotions, recognition etc; which are motivating or encouraging factors for employees to work productively. Employees form teams and shift from one project to another within a short period of time. Hence Apple Inc. wants its employees to incorporate agility. Many teams work on a project together. Each team comes up with different ideas and they are all encouraged and discussed during meetings. In these meetings, every team listens to whatever each team has to say. What are their ideas, perspectives, opinions, strategies so that there are different viewpoints and global perspectives, having an array of outlooks. Since the employees do not receive any specific training, they are forced to rely on themselves and their colleagues. This trains them to engage well with the employees and learn new things.
Organizational culture is an arrangement of collected assumptions, values, and beliefs, which governs how employees behave in organizations. These shared values have a strong impact on the employees and impose how they dress, act, and perform their jobs.
In connection to inclusion and diversity at the workplace, organizational culture refers to the company’s combined values, behaviors, aims, objectives and beliefs in relation to racial and ethnic groups. In organization culture, the company expects all their employees to deliver high standards of performance regardless of their racial or ethnic background. All employees are viewed as equals in terms of their ethnic background or sexual preference but are seen as competition in terms of output from each individual. Workers’ opinions are valued and they are motivated to be creative and apply their skills. Organizations believe in advancing strategies and goals that communicate the requirements of communities of color at a business level. organizational change is an approach in which the company changes its arrangement, strategies, technologies, operational methods, making amendments and the effects of these changes on the company. Considering this, diversity is a necessity in terms of achieving social justice, access and equity for members of non-dominant, marginalize and/or oppressed groups. In light of these demographic changes, the integration of diversity is a necessity for organizations. It is also especially relevant to faculties of social work, which have a mandate to contribute to achieving social justice, access, and equity for members of non‐dominant, marginalized, and/or oppressed social groups. The integration of diversity within institutions necessitates a systemic organizational change approach. However, accepting cultures in today’s business world is not seen as a compulsion but an etiquette.
The employees of Twitter enjoy the company’s diversity and cultural inclusion. The company facilitates activities, friendly co-workers and a team-oriented environment in which employees are motivated by the company’s goals and inspired. They are also provided with incentives which create enthusiasm among the employees to work together.
Diversity is a concept that everyone comes across everyday. We seek diversity as we have different tastes and interests. It is from diversity that our whole world is created and shaped. Various businesses exist because as human beings we seek variety. We tend to accept our fellow people regardless of their ethnicity or preferences. Diverse minds, ideas and approaches is what diversity at the workplace preaches. Hence, inclusive team building activities and exchanging knowledge from diverse cultures helps in achieving diversity and inclusion at the workplace.
By Meena Atmakuri
 shows that “increasing the diversity of leadership teams leads to more and better innovation and improved financial performance.){kind=link}