Tuesday Dispatch: #120 - on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Diversity is hard. And without proper leadership, is even harder.

I am a white/cis/male. I grew up in Italy during the ‘80s and ’90s. No one ever questioned my identity; I never felt unheard, and before my 30s, no one ever took the time to introduce me to the concept of privilege.

In my 20s, I traveled the world, but every time, I was a tourist, not a traveler. I spent time in hostels, and people around me looked exactly like me: white Europeans enjoying their youth in exotic places.

When I grew up, all of my friends were just like me. We all looked the same; we went to school together, and we had the same access to opportunities in life.

When I started working for international companies and moved abroad, I suddenly realized that the world was very different from the one I knew on a local scale. But this was just the beginning.

When I moved abroad, diversity for me was a matter of understanding other people's habits regarding food, priorities, and core values.

Still, when I started climbing the ranks of a corporate environment, I realized that it had a tremendous impact on overall business performance.

The teams that were able to leverage diversity within their ranks were the ones performing best at every single key indicator.

But that was not enough. It wasn't just hiring diverse people and putting them together that was giving value to the organization. That needed to be sustained by a dedicated leadership who put in place everything to make sure that diversity was always coupled with elements of inclusion, equity, and belonging.

Leadership again plays a central role in leveraging values in the organization.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging play a central role in modern organizations. As leaders, we cannot shy away from the responsibility of putting in place processes that mitigate bias and solve the common problems around these topics.

I've seen many organizations adding a nice DEI page on their corporate website, publicly claiming how welcoming they are and calling it a day.

Technically, it's called diversity washing, and I urge you to stay away from anything that looks like so.

If you truly want to leverage the opportunities a global economy offers an organization, you must work hard because diversity is hard.

Diversity introduces conflict, and leaders who can resolve such conflict will foster more creative, resilient, and productive organizations.

Additional Resources

Unraveling the Effects of Cultural Diversity in Teams

This comprehensive study focuses on diversity in the workplace, and it demands careful attention. Essentially, it shows that diversity significantly enhances our workplaces.

Diversity has a significant benefit. It introduces conflict. Organizations that can solve this conflict become more creative, resilient, and productive.

Take your time and read it thoroughly. It's worth it.

Why Diversity Matters

This article by McKinsey shows how companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35 percent more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians.

Additionally, companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are 15 percent more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians.

Don't miss it!

Better Decisions Through Diversity

In diverse settings, people tend to view conversations as a potential source of conflict that can breed negative emotions, and it is these emotions that can blind people to diversity’s upsides: new ideas can emerge, individuals can learn from one another, and they may discover the solution to a problem in the process.

Homogeneous groups, on the other hand, were more confident in their decisions, even though they were more often wrong in their conclusions.

Don't miss this great article about the importance of diversity when making decisions.

How Your Physical Surroundings Shape Your Work Life

Workplaces are more than just a backdrop for our work activities; they are essential to our professional identities. As we accumulate milestones, memories, and life-shaping experiences in our workplaces, our identities become intertwined. Our workplaces reflect and shape who we are, who we are, and who we aspire to be as workers.

Places shape us, and we shape them in return, as they can meet our needs for a "home", belonging, learning, and growth, as well as providing us with a sense of continuity and coherence about our identity. Through this process, our sense of self becomes intertwined with our working contexts, and our workplaces become a part of our identity.

Don't miss this great article on HBR.

On Using Pronouns

I am a white/cis/male. I grew up in Italy during the ‘80s and ’90s. No one ever questioned my identity; I never felt unheard, and before my 30s, no one ever took the time to introduce me to the concept of privilege.

Adding your pronouns in the signature of your emails, to your online profiles, and on your business cards is not the definitive solution for inclusion. Still, it signals respect, dignity, and alliance toward those fighting for their existence.

If you want to understand more, check out my essay on the importance of using pronouns.

Tracking Compensation and Promotion Inequity

Plenty of tech companies are attempting to make their pipeline of candidates more diverse.

However, an organization won’t find much success recruiting more diverse employees unless its leaders are aware of their existing internal inclusion and equity issues.

Unless leadership has already started to tackle these issues, these new hires will likely enter into an environment that they won’t want to stick around in for long.

• This is a great article, you should not miss.