May 7th, 2010
Diversity (difference) and shows up in a lot of different ways…there are many ways that we can be different from each other. A couple of important characteristics of difference:
Difference is relational…it exists within the context of relationships. Diversity (or difference) does not exist in people, but between people. Difference is a relational attribute and that is why this work is largely about the nature of our relations.
Difference is also generative…it generates change within a social group. If you introduce more difference in a social group (family, neighborhood, department, organization, community) you are going to change that social group and change the associated outcomes. Whether that change leads to positive outcomes or negative outcomes is not about the difference involved, but rather the orientation that the social group has towards difference. Simply put, diversity always increases the tension in a social group and if you want to benefit from the value of diversity you have to be able to deal with that tension.
This is where inclusion comes in and this is why inclusion matters.
Inclusion is what provides us with the opportunity to harvest the value of difference. I define inclusion as the effective and advantageous inclusion of difference. One of the places this shows up is in our ability to utilize the resources that we have access to, especially intangible assets (ideas, perspectives, experiences, trust, curiosity, empathy, creativity, etc.). My last post talked about some of the things that can get in the way of doing this and lead to wasted resources and wasted opportunities.
And it is important to remember that there are 30+ years of research showing that increasing diversity triggers:
- We vs. Them mentality
- Stereotyping
- Ingroup favoritism
All of which leads to increased inter-group conflict, which leads to decreased employee satisfaction, decreased performance and increased turnover.
So inclusion is horribly important. If we do not do inclusion well, not only will we likely not get the benefits of diversity we will probably cause damage to our organization.
So, how inclusive is your organization or your community?
A few things that I always look at:
- Are the employment practices perceived to be fair?
- Is your organization (or department or community) open to difference?
- Is your organization inclusive in decision making?
Be good to each other.
