Designing for Diversity: Inclusive Leadership in Business
Diversity and inclusion are not just strategic advantages but fundamental ethical responsibilities for modern businesses. As an advocate of social justice, I believe designing for diversity should be the foundation of all systems and structures. In this article, we'll explore why inclusive leadership in creative spaces is both a moral imperative and good business practice.
Diversity for me speaks to the basic tenets of inclusion, belonging, and representation. Even when approaching writing this article, I am filled with both tentativeness and absolutes. Tentativeness because although I have my own lived experience, I also understand the privilege I grew up with. Absolutes because it seems redundant to explore the 'value of diversity' when my worldview is that diversity should be the foundation of all systems and structures.
However, my personal experiences across my career have often lacked a true sense of meaningful diversity within large businesses and organisations. As a systems thinker, I recognise the ongoing structural imbalances in the design of the systems, services, and products I interact with daily. This is not to say that I am perfect, nor that these entities are not striving for improvement, but there is still progress to be made. I value giving space to this discussion in the hope that it reminds us all to pause, reflect deeply on what diversity means personally, and understand why it is every person and business's responsibility to be part of this vital conversation and drive positive change.
Diversity is more than just a value; it is a necessity for driving innovation, promoting social justice, and achieving sustainable success. Inclusive leadership involves recognising and valuing the unique contributions of individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Enhanced Creativity and Problem-Solving
Diverse teams bring a variety of perspectives and experiences to the table, leading to more innovative solutions. A team made up of diverse life experiences, skills and lived experience are also more likely to offer up ‘problems’ unique to their lived experience which may lead to the opportunity of then solutioning new services or products for a market segment you may have not previously considered. They are more likely to challenge the status quo, assumptions, or cognitive biases, leading to broader problem-solving and innovation.
Reduced Blind Spots and Improved Risk Mitigation
A diverse employee group is more likely to bring a richer pool of experience, backgrounds, and thought processes. In turn, this diversity is more likely to mitigate risk. By employing diverse ways of being and thinking, your teams are less likely to have blind spots and are more likely to identify potential problems or biases that may have otherwise been missed.
Expanded Market Reach and Customer Understanding
Diversity in your teams and workplace is more likely to reflect your actual customer base, offering your business the privileged position of gaining greater insights internally before going to external sources for feedback through iteration of processes for your services or products. This understanding helps tailor products and services to different market segments, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction and ideally brand loyalty.
Attraction and Retention of Talent
Diversity and inclusion are significant factors in attracting and retaining top talent. Many employees prioritise working for organisations that value diversity and foster inclusive cultures. A commitment to diversity can enhance an organisation's reputation as an employer of choice, reducing turnover and increasing employee satisfaction.
Research consistently demonstrates the financial benefits of diversity. In 2017, the Boston Consulting Group found that companies with diverse leadership teams generated 19% higher innovation revenue compared to their competitors. Similarly, a 2019 McKinsey & Company study revealed that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to experience above-average profitability.
Practical Tips for Leaders to Improve Diversity Practices
•Diverse Hiring Practices: Implement policies and advertising that ensure a diverse pool of candidates apply for every role. Canva utilised Textio.com when rewriting their job descriptions, recognising that they needed to eliminate as much bias as possible from this process.
•Inclusive Design Processes: Involve a diverse range of stakeholders in the design process to ensure multiple perspectives are considered and solutions are inclusive and effective. IDEO emphasises inclusive design processes that prioritise in-depth user research with a wide range of demographics, ensuring solutions cater to diverse needs and abilities.
•Ongoing Training and Development: Provide regular training on unconscious bias, cultural competence, and inclusive leadership for all employees, especially those in leadership positions. Unilever partnered with University College London and designed the 'Unstereotype Experiment'. This saw members of their marketing team explore their own DNA heritage and participate in a behavioural change workshop that saw a 35% reduction in stereotypical thinking in just one day and importantly a significant improvement in original thinking.
•Creating Safe Spaces: Establish an environment where all voices are heard and valued. Google's Project Aristotle found that the greatest predictor of high-performing teams was psychological safety. Leaders must model vulnerability, encourage open dialogue, celebrate failures as learning opportunities, and promote a culture of 'we' over 'me.' Regular check-ins, reflective debriefs, and public recognition of values aligned behaviours can reinforce this mindset.
•Measuring and Monitoring: Understand what the right metrics are to report on diversity and inclusion and track them regularly. This helps identify areas for improvement by providing evidence for decision-making while fostering greater transparency and, in turn, accountability for these metrics, allowing for tangible actions to come from these insights.
Ultimately, we all want to feel seen and heard in this complex world we are navigating. Being part of a business or brand as an employee or customer that feels familiar and aligned with your personal values and worldview is likely to be a much more resonant experience when these things can often feel quite transactional. When diversity, belonging, and humanity are brought to the centre of business, it not only makes for greater authenticity and transparency but ultimately enriches the broader community.
In today's diverse and interconnected world, businesses that prioritise inclusive leadership and design practices for diversity will not only thrive financially but also contribute to a more just and equitable society. Embracing diversity is not just a moral obligation; it's a strategic imperative that unlocks innovation, resilience, and long-term success.
If you’d like to know more about how you can strengthen your personal commitment to diversity or that of your wider business get in contact via info@dialecticalconsulting.com.au or via LinkedIn
