Eliminate the barriers of diversity

- While many leaders say they value diversity, if you look at the composition of their teams, they're fairly homogenous. The reality is the global workforce is becoming more diverse so we need to learn how to best manage different types of people. McKinsey found that ethnically diverse teams are 35% more likely to be more profitable and gender diverse teams are 15% more likely to be profitable than their counterparts. Teams benefit from diversity since each employee's experiences shape their world view. The problem is that there are barriers you have to get through before you can create a diverse team. The biggest barrier to workplace diversity is group think which is when your team reaches a consensus that disregards opposing viewpoints. Not embracing diversity makes it uncomfortable for people who want to contribute but feel like they shouldn't speak up and disrupt the norm. You know group think is occurring when there aren't many debates, when you find quick solutions to complex problems and when your team mates are negatively stereotyped. The second barrier to diversity can be technology when everyone is relying on all sorts of devices and apps and messaging services, they often spend less time on authentic connection or really understanding where others are coming from and experiencing their emotions. When you're sending and receiving messages you lose the tone, language and expressions that help you get a sense of who people are, not just what they say. The third barrier to diversity is communication. When people speak different languages, or English isn't their first language a lot can be lost in translation. If one of your team mates says one thing but meant something else, then it might take longer for you to get your point across. The fourth barrier to diversity is resistance from senior management if your management doesn't fully support the change that's required on your team or in the organization as a whole, it will be extremely hard to do anything about it. That's why you need to arm yourself with real employee satisfaction, engagement and market data when you make the pitch to them. The fifth and final barrier to diversity is external resistance. It's much easier to accept the status quo and be complacent than put your heart, feelings and reputation on the line, yet by doing so, you actually gain more confidence and have an opportunity to make a positive change. We sometimes suffer from the we've always done it this way mentality which closes the door to do things a better way. External resistance can come from senior leaders who either don't see the value in it, or aren't used to that environment. Workplace diversity is only becoming more important as it is reflective of our ever-changing economy. In order to foster a creative, productive and engaging team, you need to incorporate other viewpoints and try your best to avoid the barriers that can get in your way.