We are a globalised world, a single planet. More and more organisations include people of different cultures, identities, nationalities and religions. Can this diversity be an asset for these organisations?
Studies on the impact of diversity in companies
Research carried out in recent years has shown that greater diversity makes companies more competitive. For example, in its 2020 report “Diversity wins: How inclusion matters”, McKinsey states that companies with greater ethnic diversity outperform competitors with a lower diversity index by 36%.
The same study presents another figure linked to diversity, this time gender diversity: 25% higher performance for companies with a high gender diversity index compared with competitors with the lowest index.
In a recent survey by the human resources company Monster, 83% of Generation Z candidates said that a company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion matters when choosing an employer.
Inproov’s experience
Managing diversity so as to make the most of it is essential in leading teams and in deciding how to put them together. At Inproov we have built up specific expertise in this field: when designing business processes, we take into account the least visible aspect, namely how people will put the change into practice in their day-to-day work.
In my experience managing human resources at major multinationals in the automotive sector, I have had the opportunity to observe the dynamics that arise between different people and different teams, and the impact of those dynamics on production processes. When introducing a new technology or deciding to undertake an organisational change, these aspects must be taken into account. Otherwise, you risk paying a price in terms of higher staff turnover and higher absenteeism. But there are hidden costs too: lower efficiency, growing conflict, higher communication costs.
Designing a “perfect” process is an essential skill, but it is not enough. Every project has to be adapted to the context in which it will be developed. To do this, you need to analyse the skills present in the organisation in order to implement the win-win solution: maximising performance by making the most of the organisation’s present (and future) abilities.
How to build high-performing teams
Suppose the equation is made up of a high coefficient of multicultural diversity, widely varying lengths of service, heterogeneous individual skills, high turnover and an undefined inclusion process, and that the goal is to increase productivity. How should the process be shaped and how should the teams be defined? By creating teams that are balanced in terms of individual productivity? With people of roughly the same age, to keep communication costs down? Deciding the weight of the multicultural factor in each team can be one of the keys to defining the winning model.
