Truth & Tactics: Unlocking the power of diversity in your team

Inclusiveness doesn’t always come with diversity.

Have you ever felt as though you were “the diversity” within your team? As a woman in STEM, I have felt this way on many occasions. When managers and colleagues helped me to feel included, I was engaged and productive. However, when I felt like I was the odd one out, or that no-one else understood me, it was much harder to stay engaged and produce my best work.

It seems I’m not alone:

40% of American workers say[1] they feel isolated at work
Almost half (46%) of Australian workers feel unable to be their true selves at work some or all of the time. [2]
30% of LGBTQI+ employees and 29% of workers with a disability are afraid of criticism if they speak up openly at work.

Statistics show that diversity in the workplace contributes to better business outcomes.

Numerous studies have shown how diverse teams can deliver better outcomes, such as:

Management teams with more gender and ethnic diversity deliver higher innovation revenue[3]
Compared with individuals, all-male teams make better business decisions 58% of the time, but teams with age, gender and geographic diversity make better decisions 87% of the time[4]
More diverse workplaces are linked with better financial performance, where ethnic diversity is a stronger contributor than gender diversity[5]

It appears that more diverse teams deliver better results. Furthermore, Australian workers agree that diversity and inclusiveness is important at work:

Three-quarters of Australians support or strongly support their organisations in taking action to create an inclusive and diverse workplace[6], and
80% of Australians said that whether a company promotes diversity and inclusion is an important consideration when applying for a new job[7].

So how can great leaders be more inclusive and harness the value of diverse teams?

Check your assumptions. We often gravitate towards “people like us”. When faced with a networking event and a room full of strangers, we may unconsciously seek out someone else of a similar age and gender to talk to. However, even when someone “looks like you” it can help to remember that they may not think and work like you (and vice versa). In my household, my husband has been the stay-at-home parent while I’ve been the breadwinner for our family of six. On occasion, other working women would assume I understood the daycare juggle and working men would assume I didn’t understand the pressure of providing for a family. Remember to look past the outside markers of who your colleagues appear to be and get to know who they really are (whether they are like you or not). Ask open and follow-up questions to get to know your colleagues. Instead of “How was your weekend?” (which will probably be answered with “Good!”), try asking “What did you do on the weekend?”, which opens up the opportunity to learn more about your colleagues and who they are.

Are you aware of your bias? We are often blind to our own biases. As a new manager, I remember receiving some anonymous feedback that I had treated a direct report “like I was their mother”. Scoffing at this feedback, I thought to myself “this person is wrong – I have my own children to parent, why would I want to also parent my colleagues?” However, perhaps by being an older woman and mother, I somehow reminded this person of their mother? Perhaps I was saying or doing things that this person associated with mothering. Whether I was intentionally acting like their mother or not didn’t matter – this is how my colleague felt. Our actions and words at work can be influenced by who we are and our experiences outside work. In diverse teams, this can create challenges that require a bit of digging to unpack and address. For some quick tests to help you uncover your own unconscious biases check out the free tests by Project Implicit[8]. (I was surprised to realise that I have a moderate association between males and career, despite having lived the opposite for two decades!)

Understand different personal styles and adapt your communication accordingly. Sometimes we can fall into the trap of assuming that people who remind us of ourselves will behave the same way we would. As a new manager I had a young, intelligent female on my team who reminded me of my younger self. After briefing her to complete a task I simply asked “Does that make sense?”, to which she responded “Yes!”. I assumed that if she wasn’t sure of something she’d ask me. However, I hadn’t explained the task clearly enough, nor had I given her a safe opportunity to clarify, and she missed the deadline. If I hadn’t assumed she’d proactively clarify (as I thought I would have in that same situation) and used open rather than closed questioning techniques, the outcome may have been different. It is important to look beyond the person (whether you think they are the same or different from you), understand their personal style and adapt your communication approach when managing diverse teams.

Show respect for humans, irrespective of who you think is in your team. A colleague who was not open about their sexuality at work once called me in shock and fear, having sat through a meeting where their team leader casually narrated a story about her daughter wanting a certain hairstyle that she didn’t approve of, suggesting that the hairstyle would make her “look like a lesbian”. This extreme comment is clearly inappropriate in most settings and speaks volumes about this leader’s world view and prejudices. Legalities aside, my colleague lost trust in the leader and left the team shortly afterwards, the leader probably oblivious to the impact of her comment. Other comments that are not as clearly discriminatory, such as food or lifestyle preferences, can also have a similar impact. Despite what you think you know about your team members and their preferences, take care with your comments and anecdotes to foster a safe and inclusive team.

Team building and collaboration. When I see my friends socially, we share interests, history and values, so not a lot of thought is needed to plan activities we all enjoy. However, in a diverse team there may be a range of interests, history and values, so deciding on a team activity can require a bit more planning than continuing the regular Friday night drinks. Find out (without assuming) the different preferences and constraints of each of your team members when deciding your next team building exercise. Avoid defaulting to a survey or open discussion, where the majority usually rules. Consider a lunchtime book club, opportunities for team volunteering, or even weekly email trivia? Some more good options are outlined in this article[9].

An opportunity for great leaders

We know that diverse teams yield better results in business. However, managing a team of diverse individuals can often feel harder than managing a team of similar individuals. Great managers know not to make assumptions about the values and working preferences of others. They have the knowledge and tools to create a team culture where their diverse individuals feel they belong and the team can work in harmony.

By checking your assumptions, knowing your biases, practising active listening skills, understanding different styles, engaging in respectful communication and thoughtful team building activities, you can be a great leader who helps diverse teams to feel included and work at their best.