The often-used terms diversity, equity, and inclusion have distinct meanings. Here’s why that matters, and how they work together.Diversity. These words and the issues they point to loom large in tech. It’s hard to go a week without reading an article about a company touting its dedication to diversity, while another is called out for tolerating oppressive comments and workplace practices.From 2014–2016, Google spent $265 million to increase its diversity numbers , a number that has become even more well known after the company recently an employee who wrote a against diversity efforts. In a, 72% reported that diversity and inclusion was important to their company.
In which surveyed over 700 startup founders, 45% of respondents reported that they talked about diversity and inclusion internally in the last year. The majority of participants in that survey believe that the tech industry’s employee makeup will be representative of the in 2030, though that’s a far cry from where we are now.With all this talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in tech, there is no better time to dig deep and establish shared, fundamental understandings of these terms and their meanings. In my work as a working with tech companies and in many less formal conversations, I’ve found that there’s widespread confusion. People get tripped up not only on definitions, but on how to use these terms to create goals and action plans for themselves and their organizations. When we can’t get on the same page, we can’t take the next step. So let’s start at the beginning and create a shared understanding of DEI together.Let’s begin with an exercise to examine our own understandings of these terms.When I facilitate trainings exploring DEI subjects, I find it useful for my participants to start by sharing their own definitions of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This may reveal to an individual that they don’t currently see a difference between them and may also reveal the significant differences in understanding between individuals on a team.Try it yourself.
Take out a piece of paper or open a blank document on your computer and jot down our three key words: diversity, inclusion, and equity. Now define them. Write buzzwords, bulleted definitions — whatever comes to mind. What do you notice?
Are there clear differences between the terms? Do you feel able to explain how they all relate?The first time I did this exercise, I found it challenging. Diversity, inclusion, and equity are so often used interchangeably that the only difference seems to be which one is in fashion at any particular time. I’d spent so much time just thinking of them as “diversity = good” or “inclusion = good” that I didn’t know where to start on their definitions, let alone understand how they related to one another. Perhaps you found the questions similarly difficult.Being able to pull apart these definitions is vital. When we can’t hold diversity, equity, and inclusion as separate concepts — and understand how they interact — we can’t set clear goals and strategies around them.When I use this exercise in my unconscious bias training with tech companies, participants offer a wide variety of answers. Diversity is often perceived to be about perspective, representation, tough conversation, and supporting inclusion.
Inclusion prompts answers about creating environments conducive to feedback, supporting diversity, and being open. Equity was described as fairness, sameness, and valuing diversity and inclusion. Redundancies and conflicting thoughts are everywhere and it’s hard at first to tell the definitions apart.While this is completely normal, it’s also deeply problematic. If we aren’t clear on the words and ideas, how will we be clear on the solutions?Let’s examine each term individually, and get on the same page about their meanings. DiversityDiversity is the presence of difference within a given setting. You can have, for example, a diversity of species within an ecosystem, a diversity of clothing brands in your closet, or a diversity of opinion or experiences.None of this, however, is what I mean when I talk about “diversity” in tech. In that context, I’m referring to a diversity of identities, like race and gender (the current hot topics), and, in some cases ethnicity, religion, nationality, or sexual orientation.
ODEP - Office of Disability Employment Policy - Driving Change Creating Opportunity. Choose a Disability Employment Policy Resource by Topic Diversity and Inclusion. By fostering a culture of diversity — or a capacity to appreciate and value individual differences — employers benefit from varied perspectives on how to confront business. Division of Diversity and Inclusion. Welcome to the Division of Diversity and Inclusion. Are you ready to accept the challenge? Gandhi's very familiar quote, 'Be the change you want to see,' is a clarion call for campus action. We MUST commit to learning more about diverse issues. Please contact Division of.
HR folks may think of these identities as protected classes — identities that have received (and still receive) systematic discriminatory treatment, and create advantages and barriers to opportunity and resources.Let’s pause for a moment to talk about a phrase I see popping up all the time that I find troubling: “diverse candidate.” A team can be diverse and so can an organization — but a person? A person is not diverse, no matter how many norms or glass ceilings they shatter.
No matter how outside of the norm I am, I am not a “diverse person.” Diversity is about a collective or a group and can only exist in relationship to others. A candidate is not diverse — they’re a unique, individual unit. They may bring diversity to your team or your hiring pool, but they in themselves are not diverse.
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They’re a woman; they’re a person of color; they’re part of the LGBTQ+ community; they have rad ombre hair.Diversity is often used as a euphemism. People say, “We are working to diversify our upper management,” instead of, “We are working to ensure there are more women and people of color in our upper-management roles.” Stepping away from the euphemism requires us to get more specific and accurate in our goals, which can lead to more substantive and accurate conversations and strategies. Think for a moment about the diversity of your own team or organization. What is it like?
Make some notes on that paper/document you’ve got going from the earlier exercise. Follow-up question: How would your feelings and reactions change if you were of a different race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion than you are?. To be a diverse organization simply means that you have the presence of differences of identity (e.g., gender and people of color) throughout your organization. However, an organization can be diverse without being inclusive. A company can be diverse without being equitable.InclusionInclusion is about folks with different identities feeling and/or being valued, leveraged, and welcomed within a given setting (e.g., your team, workplace, or industry). A past participant of mine shared with me the wise words of longtime DEI educator: “Diversity is being asked to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.”You can have a diverse team of talent, but that doesn’t mean that everyone (particularly those with marginalized identities — women and people of color) feel welcome or are valued, given opportunities to grow, or developed by a mentor.
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The list goes on.Inclusion is not a natural consequence of diversity.