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Today’s workforce is more diverse than ever— businesses of today have a mix of races, genders, cultures, sexual orientations, and up to five different generations of workers. Yet according to Different by Design, a study done by Deloitte, only 11% of companies have highly inclusive work environments and only 4% believe that they are good at engaging millennials and other generations at work.
Inclusive teams create better workplaces for all employees, better ideas, and more creative solutions. How can managers and leaders start creating this type of culture? It starts at the top.
The latest track of our Inclusive Teams curriculum will teach managers at your organization to:
Build and shape the best, most inclusive teams
Model inclusive behavior and set team expectations
Respond to non-inclusive behavior
When it comes to driving diversity and inclusion, it can be difficult to find a place to start. However, a team can only be as inclusive as its leadership. That means managers play a crucial role in advocating and modeling inclusive behavior for their teams.
“Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.” – Anonymous
If you’re a manager who wants to build an inclusive team, the first step is understanding the difference between diversity and inclusion. As the above quote explains, diversity is not enough, it’s important to assure that everyone feels that they can speak—and be heard.
According the Harvard Business Review, employees with inclusive managers are 1.3 times more likely to tap into their innovative potential. Finding the right mix of people and creating an environment where each and every team member can excel are two big goals for the business leaders of today— but being inclusive is a skill.
These managers are master communicators and act as positive examples for their team members and other employees within their organization. They understand their own biases and are able to overcome them by actively working to drive positive change within themselves and their workplace.
Smart businesses are embracing diversity and inclusion
Organizations like AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, and PricewaterhouseCoopers have made diversity and inclusion a top priority because it makes smart business sense. These companies understand that people from different backgrounds bring different ideas to the table, which not only supports innovation and growth, but allows their businesses to better speak to their inherently diverse customers.
Businesses who have diverse and inclusive leadership from the top down are outperforming their peers financially. According to McKinsey, companies in the top quartile of executive-board diversity 53% higher returns on their equity than those that were less diverse.
Make no mistake about it: building and supporting a workplace culture that is both diverse and inclusive won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.
Be sure to get in touch with one of our learning specialists if you want to train your managers to build diverse and inclusive teams at your organization. sales@eiffelcorp.co.za
+27 (0) 11 234 4000
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