Benefits of Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) – Employees function with greater productivity in environments that have stronger commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion. The organization has one question to ask – “If we were a little league baseball team, would we prefer to play with only 50% of our players on the field?” Of course not, as it would only serve to aid your competition, as in the other competitors. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is often defined differently depending upon the industry, department or team goals for which they are applicable.
Diversity – workforce diversity is a collection of individual attributes (both differences and similarities) that together help agencies pursue organizational objectives efficiently and effectively.
Equity – Refers to fair and just practices and policies that ensure all members of the workforce can thrive. Equity is different than equality in that equality implies treating everyone as if their experiences are exactly the same Being equitable means acknowledging and addressing structural inequalities – historic and current – that advantage some and disadvantage others. Equal treatment results in equity only if everyone starts with equal access to opportunities.
Inclusion – Set of behaviors (culture) that encourages employees to feel valued for their unique qualities and experience a sense of belonging. It is also our ability to include difference in a friendly, flexible and fair way. A workforce where all employees feel respected, have a sense of belonging and are able to participate to achieve their potential. While diversity is essential, it is not sufficient. A workforce can be both diverse and non-inclusive at the same time, thus sustained practice of creating inclusive environments is necessary for success.
Inclusive diversity – Set of behaviors that promote collaboration amongst a diverse group.
DEI impact – Improves team work; recruiting and retention; innovation and ideas; and performance and productivity.
Inclusive Intelligence – Intentional, deliberate and proactive acts that increase workgroup intelligence by making people feel they “belong” and are “uniquely” valued.
The benefits of DEI are invaluable and essential to increased organizational innovation. Synergy derived from collective efforts associated with DEI allows employees to bring their collective self to work contributing to achievement of the listed benefits.