Diversity continues to be important to the success of our businesses. From employee happiness to profits, we can all agree it is needed. The problem? Many of us don’t know exactly why it matters or creates such an impact. Because diversity isn’t just a mix of ethnicities and age. It’s personality types, skillsets, interests, and more. We explore three reasons why diversity matters to businesses, and what it can look like for you:
Boosts Employees Skillsets
Having a wide range of skillsets among/within each employee helps your business. Making sure you have a diverse employee base will allow you to internally boost their skillsets since they can learn from their peers. You can also achieve this by working with a good project manager work with your team. They can help your employees grow their own skills and show you skills they already have, but have not been using. The reason project management is effective here is simple: the project manager has their own skills they transfer to your team. They also create a new environment within your company. It is from this new environment that your employees can think and act differently by showcasing skillsets and talents not utilized in their daily activities.
Increases Critical Thinking
Diversity is one of the best tools for increasing your/your company’s critical thinking. Why? Because a diverse employee base means you have different views, ways of thinking, and skills. When you combine these, you are able to look at a problem from all sides and create innovative solutions. How can you achieve this? By tapping “into a broad mix of upbringings, thinking styles, communication preferences, capabilities, outlooks, culture, education and personality, among other traits.” (David Fields).
Diversity Creates Flexibility
Having flexibility is a MUST to be successful in business. Covid-19 has taught us that especially. One way to have flexibility is by ensuring you have different expertise and strengths within your team. How can you achieve this? By ensuring you have a diverse team, employee base and company. This will ensure that you have the capability to respond to different events, good and bad, with ease. And hey, less stress in business is always a good thing.
Whether you are looking to diversify your team or your company, it is important to know WHY you want to do it. The three reasons we give above on why diversity matters to businesses are just a few. The best way to know what will be most important to you and your business is to try. So let’s make 2022 our most diverse year in business yet.