Origins
Diversity
LThe term first comes from biology to describe the variety of species present in nature and the importance of biodiversity For the well-being of the planet. It was then transposed to reflection on social differences, by presenting the differences as natural and essential to social and organizational well-being.
The term "« diversity »" is quite recent and originates from the United States since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (civil rights and equal opportunity) to combat discriminatory practices in hiring and firing.
Its use became widespread in France from the beginning of the 2000s, driven by public authorities and businesses.
The terms inequality, desegregation and positive discrimination were the most commonly used. It was only with the hostile reactions from the dominant social group that the term "diversity" emerged. Indeed, the dominant social group was held responsible for past inequalities. In order to serve everyone's interests and stop using controversial terms, the term cultural diversity appeared.
Inclusion
Recently, the use of integration and inclusion has emerged to discuss diversity issues, with a growing preference for inclusion. Why do you think that is? What is the difference between the two approaches?
Diversity
Integration
«"Treat others as you would like to be treated."»
Teaching the codes to diverse people in the organization so that they feel comfortable in the common organizational culture.
Inclusion
«"Treat others the way they want to be treated."»
Respect and recognize individual characteristics and qualities so that they can excel.
One cannot exist without the other. Inclusion is a way of making diversity work that is legal and factually measurable. Diversity is a fact! Inclusion involves choosing to intervene in organizational culture, group interactions and dynamics, and individual attitudes and behaviors. It is not mandatory but essential for respect individuality of each beyond the legal quotas.
What does diversity and inclusion cover?
- Gender Equality : representation of women in key positions in companies, salary differences, opportunities for expression…
- Disability The term disability refers to a person's inability to live and function in their environment due to physical, mental, or sensory impairments. It most often manifests as difficulties with movement, communication, or comprehension. In reality, disability encompasses debilitating and chronic illnesses such as diabetes or cancer, psychological conditions like depression, physical impairments, sensory impairments, and cognitive impairments such as attention deficit disorder.
- Cultural & Social Diversity Ethnicity, religion, nationality, languages spoken / dialects / accents, skin color, ethnic minorities…
- Generational diversity : identify the mutual contributions between the different generations: Baby boomers, generation X, generation Y and generation Z.
- Sexual orientation / LGBTQI+
Why did we need to regulate diversity and inclusion?
If we use the term D&I in all countries of the world, it is because of the discrimination. Without them, D&I would have been a non-issue. Discrimination is natural in the sense that our brains are designed to reject differences for survival. When we are under stress, we think very quickly in order to react very quickly, and we then base our feelings on what are called... cognitive biases, That is to say, beliefs (true or false!) that cause us to react in an automatic, discriminatory way. Here are a few that contribute to the emergence of discriminatory practices.
- Social categorization: We tend to assume and expect certain behaviors from an individual based on society's perception of them. We also tend to interpret what we observe based on these assumptions rather than focusing on what that person actually does. This leads to positive feelings toward those who are similar and negative feelings toward those who are different. Stereotypes are then formed. Ultimately, it all exists in our minds without any real basis in reality.
- Social identity A person's social identity is linked to their awareness of belonging to one or more social groups and impacts their choice of activities. These activities must be compatible with their social identity, the dynamics of the group to which they belong, and the values and beliefs internalized by that group. For example, a person of East Asian descent associates being Asian with being conciliatory and non-confrontational. People belonging to dominant social groups are more likely to achieve a positive social identity.
- Diversity Diversity is a way to disrupt and upset routines for both individuals and businesses. It is also a source of instability and imbalance, both of which are sources of psychological discomfort. Therefore, diversity almost always generates resistance because of the discomfort it causes.
Some key figures
But what is the practical purpose of promoting D&I in a company?
- Combating the risk of discrimination An employee experiencing discrimination is suffering; and they may take legal action against the organization to put an end to the situation. However, legal risk represents both a financial risk and a reputational risk.
- Attracting and retaining your work team How to attract and retain "talent"? As employer branding increasingly falls into the hands of employees, candidates, service providers and clients via social networks, employers benefit from demonstrating their respect for employee rights, as well as the attention they pay to their working conditions.
- Creating the conditions for overall performance Companies need their employees to reflect the diversity of their clientele. This helps them understand and develop new markets and build leadership skills. The French Council of Economists states: “Increase your team diversity by 51% and you will increase economic performance by 71%.”.
- Creativity and innovation Companies see diversity as an important ingredient for success because it encourages creativity and innovation.
- Individual & collective well-being We should focus on the value that each individual brings to the company and society, creating an environment in which everyone can be themselves.
Okay, so what concrete steps can I take to improve diversity and inclusion in my company?
- Find out about the legality of the country in question The first thing to do is consult your human resources department about the laws in force in the country in question. There are bound to be quotas or rules to comply with, which may vary depending on the country. HR may also have implemented a D&I strategy that would be worth reviewing and applying.
- Organize awareness workshops and understanding of diversity and inclusion, such as invisible disabilities. This will allow all employees to become aware of the scope of D&I and to be more mindful of their attitudes towards the diverse individualities within your company.
- Build a Diversity & Inclusion training module A shorter, less energy-, money-, and time-consuming method that can empower everyone to take control of their behavior and reduce misunderstandings on this subject. It exists a free online D&I course offered free of charge by ESSEC and from which I drew considerable inspiration for this article.
- Organize ambassador conferences : invite one or more personalities to embody a theme on this subject and inspire employees.
- Create a business case for diversity : to measure the impact on performance factually and deduce concrete actions from it.
- Create a D&I charter This allows for the development of common codes across the entire company. For inspiration, discover the AFMD charters and labels.
- Organize group workshops for self-discovery and understanding others, in terms of personality, emotional management, and intercultural and social differences (MBTI type, tools of www.globesmart.com etc.). Raising awareness helps to identify strengths and areas for improvement in this area and to foster more constructive attitudes within teams regarding the management of individual personalities. You can also consider organizing additional workshops to raise awareness of your cognitive biases and how they hinder D&I. The Implicit Association Test was developed by researchers in the United States in 1998. It is a method for identifying...the prejudices we have about certain social categories and of which we are not aware. It might be worthwhile to pass this on to your employees.
- There are many D&I initiatives in France. You can consult the following websites: https://www.afmd.fr/ ; https://www.afldiversity.com/ To learn more, the following articles also provide further insights: Forbes – India, Gay, LGBT, Business equality… Racial discrimination and miscegenation; the Brazilian experience, Difference Power, Diversity as a strategy.
So, are you convinced that D&I can bring a better quality of work life and promote performance in your company?
If you would like to discuss this further with us, you can write to us through our contact form .
