Kim Morris Lee, Director, Organizational Effectiveness
Many universities in the United States reference diversity in their strategic plan. And, often when diversity is woven into the strategy, messages about inclusion are reflected on the website.
The definition of what exactly is meant by "diversity," however, is often vague. An unfortunate reality is that a rather fuzzy definition of "diversity" seems the norm more often than not. According to the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), only 30 percent of human resources professionals report their organization has an official “diversity” definition.
Beyond Demographics
While diversity has traditionally referred to categories like race and gender, companies and diversity experts are increasingly considering a range of factors from age and sexual preference to disabilities and weight.
"More and more organizations define diversity really broadly," says Eric Peterson, who works on diversity issues for SHRM. "Really, it's any way any group of people can differ significantly from another group of people -- appearance, sexual orientation, veteran status, or level in the organization. It has moved far beyond the legally protected categories that we've always looked at."
"Height, weight, the sport you play, socioeconomic status — all of these are things we sort people by," says Laura Liswood, the secretary general of the Council of Women World Leaders. "If you and your boss play football, that's fine. If your boss plays football and you play basketball, you're subtly disadvantaged, because you don't get to know the boss as well as your colleague who plays football."
"Height, weight, the sport you play, socioeconomic status — all of these are things we sort people by," says Laura Liswood, the secretary general of the Council of Women World Leaders. "If you and your boss play football, that's fine. If your boss plays football and you play basketball, you're subtly disadvantaged, because you don't get to know the boss as well as your colleague who plays football."
Many experts say the ultimate aim of any diversity program should be to create a culture that produces and rewards the best work from every employee.
The good news — many organizations already accommodate the diversity of their workforce every day — whether it's more flexibility to help parents take care of children, or a screen reader for a person with disabilities.
As we move toward "high performance" in the workplace, we must remember, each person has multiple dimensions to his or her identity. Consider one hypothetical individual – a woman, a parent, a disabled person, a professor, an activist, and of Hispanic origin — each facet is associated with valuable experiences that can be leveraged to achieve specific workplace goals. Organizations that recognize and engage inherent differences among their employees by taking action and delivering messages and programs to support diversity and inclusiveness are more likely to realize success in the 21st century.
