14 Aug 2023
Having a diverse mixture of staff can really help improve the work environment and the business as a whole.
When we say diversity, people will often think this just means gender, ethnicity, age and cultural background, however it’s not just that. Diversity also means bringing together different mindsets to improve the way your business flows.
It can be people from different social classes for example, or from different parts of the country who have grown up living very differently from each other and have therefore developed different world views and tools for dealing with what they see in the world in front of them.
Cognitive Diversity
Cognitive diversity refers to the different ways people think. Different mindsets offer different skills, this can often be seen when we look at someone who thinks creatively and someone who thinks logically, of course many people can be both creative and logical, but having a mixture is a great way to improve your business.
The term cognitive diversity is a concept that comes from the difference in perspective and information processing, therefore it isn’t always directly linked to the most obvious factors such as race and gender. It can be linked to neurodiversity as well, people who are on the autistic spectrum tend to think outside of what neurotypical people think of as “the box”.
To a neurodiverse person “the box” may not exist at all and their way of thinking about things can be far removed from that of some of their colleagues. This is exactly what we are looking for though as it means they can help to come up with innovative solutions to problems that are experienced in the business.
Personality
Personalities are vitally important in the workplace. It’s always important to remember that you’re hiring humans and not machines, therefore understanding that people have different personalities and characteristics is important in order to create a diverse environment.
It is important that you understand that your employees are whole people with full and complex lives outside of the working environment. They are each the hero in their own story and they don’t just power down in the corner when the working day is done like robots. They are all very much individuals with their own tastes, opinions and preferences on all manner of different issues and causes.
Why is this important? Well, you wouldn’t want all your staff to be the same, some people are nurturers and can help mentor other staff, some people may be leaders and help take the weight of management. All these different characteristics make up one whole in the workplace and when they’re all looked after for their individuality, you will find the workplace thrives.
Workplaces thrive on differences as long as all of these differences are respected. This is something that upper management can make a real difference with by treating every one of their employees with respect and understanding and making sure that this is seen by people across the company.
Of course, there can be clashes of personalities in a workplace, but this can also be manageable by thinking strategically on where people sit in the office to avoid cliques, but to also put leaders and nurturers with less confident staff in order to help them develop. New staff find that being seated next to someone who is long-established at the company can help them feel settled and welcome.
It’s not uncommon for us to get on with people who are more like us, but the saying goes ‘opposites attract’ and that’s for good reason as this helps us balance different people out to avoid clashes. If you keep your staff in their comfort zone, you won’t get too far. The reason is simple: if you hire people that think the same, you will get more of the same results.
Unconscious Bias
One of the hardest factors to overcome as a recruiter or as an employer is unconscious bias. Our unconscious bias can create barriers that restrict diversity in a workplace, but this is just one person’s perspective.
Many people have the ability to adapt, so when we look at a person, we may not think they’re suitable for a particular work environment, however, we should see what skills and experiences they can add to a particular environment in order to help it evolve.
If we constantly keep hiring the same kind of people with the same background, the environment doesn’t get a chance to keep changing and gets stuck in a bad cycle where it can’t always flourish to it’s true potential. In some ways it can be likened to having too shallow a gene pool.
If you are unable to bring in fresh blood and fresh ideas, and everyone has had the same kind of upbringing and the same background, they are obviously going to think in similar ways, which makes more complex problem solving more of a challenge.
By being diverse, it’s an opportunity for people to learn, communicate and interact with people of different mindsets and from different backgrounds. It has a direct and positive impact on businesses as you’re encouraging your people to develop new skills and new solutions.
Also, it has been proven to boost performance and creativity as the employees are being forced to think in new ways that they never previously had. This is a healthy thing and one that will stand everyone involved in good stead as they embrace their personal growth and move to. The brainstorming potential that comes from people who think in very different ways is fascinating, because you never know the brilliant ideas that they may come up with between them. Being able to gather a diverse group of staff can help you to come up with new marketing strategies and potential new products in a much more organic way.
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