Are you frustrated with Diversity?

Let us begin by asking what diversity means to you and your company. This will have different components for each of you, with the most common being a workforce that reflects the world we live in and the people who engage with your business services and products. For some it could be about class, cultures and economics. Many are interlinked.

Technology has broken down barriers in terms of potential global reach for many goods and services, and your long-term profitability will in some way be impacted by the dynamic and changing global business world we must operate in. If you do not have the ability and capacity to see and understand the different communities that exist — how do you expect to survive and remain competitive?

Apart from the business case for ensuring the best talent that you can afford is attracted to your company, there is a moral case for ensuring that you genuinely work to give people a real chance of being judged by the content of their character and ability rather than the features conferred by birth.

We know that many people and companies have good intentions and, in some cases, policies and strategies to evidence their support and commitment to equalities but somehow, these never seem to make a real sustainable difference to the makeup of their workforce. At best you will see a moderate change and overtime, the change is reversed. It is frustrating, so we end up attributing this to the usual reasons — just not enough qualified diverse people out there.

The question, however, is why you think the same policies, processes and procedures (albeit you may have introduced some additional changes) that created the mono-profile workforce will now secure a diverse group of people. It has been said that true insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result!

The leadership challenge is to be the change that you want — are you? If you are, then you have the building block needed to begin creation of the diverse organisations you intend.

Written in collaboration by the AdGold Team.