Inclusion is an art, not a mindset
As part of her sustainability journey, Jasmin has built a 10-person team around her. However, the work doesn't stop there: leading the team to fulfil its professional potential is an ongoing process. “I want to normalise the idea that diversity management is a continuous learning process – learning new things and unlearning others – for everyone, including specialists like me.”
In discussions of diversity, it’s important to distinguish between ideas: people sometimes lose sight of the distinction between diversity and equity. “Diversity refers to differences between people, whether visible or invisible, such as ethnic background, gender, competencies or even cognitive differences. Equity, on the other hand, is the process by which we obtain equal outcomes. In other words, equity is an important aspect of how we realise the full potential of diversity,” comments Jasmin, describing the distinctions between the concepts.
“The third aspect is inclusion, through which we can all become visible – as ourselves – despite our differences,” Jasmin adds. Inclusion is a way of building a business culture in which everyone can be themselves and genuinely feel part of the work community.
Jasmin explains that the same ideas can be known by different names: for example, inclusion is also known as participation and belonging.
Leaders need to be comfortable with diversity management as a work-in-progress
Research shows that making a company more diverse increases its business potential. On the other hand, examples of non-inclusive product design include the fact that most seatbelts are made for average-sized men. In the worst-case scenarios, neglecting diversity in product and service design can even create safety risks. However, Jasmin prefers to view diversity as a source of additional opportunities – for SMEs as well as larger firms.
“SMEs have unbounded opportunities because they can influence how teams are built and how to develop practices that promote internal diversity. Unlike large companies, they have not yet accumulated a diversity gap. But even in SMEs, diversity depends on the company’s managers and can’t just be outsourced to HR,” Jasmin points out.
A diversity gap occurs when a company recruits only experts of one kind, without increasing the work community’s diversity. This creates a situation in which the same kind of people produce the same kinds of services. However, diversity can feel important to customers, who are already demanding a more diverse approach from companies.
Jasmin views uncertainty among leaders as the greatest obstacle to diversity management. Leaders may start out with a narrow vision of diversity. Defence mechanisms might kick in if a leader feels uncertain or lacking in knowledge.
In this respect, Jasmin has some questions for leaders: “Can you push yourselves to understand something that feels strange now? Do you have sufficient emotional skills? And can you unravel your own prejudices and biases? All of this affects how leadership is perceived, particularly by people from different backgrounds.”
On the internet, there are plenty of good examples of technology and gaming sector companies that have done fine work to promote diversity and inclusion. “There’s no need to reinvent the wheel regarding diversity,” Jasmin reminds entrepreneurs.
