Inclusion and Diversity programs already started in the workplace in the 1960s following the introduction of equal employment laws in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was one of the key achievements of Martin Luther King Jr to embrace a diverse coalition of people from different backgrounds.
Prior to this, many companies had known histories of racial and age discrimination described in Employment Act of 1967.
Nowadays the terms of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) are a strategic part within various Industries. Studies have shown that Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity provide higher revenues. Studies showed that diverse businesses generated 19% more revenue from innovation than less diverse businesses; another study found that diverse companies had 2.3 times higher cash flow than those of companies with more monolithic staff.
Defining Diversity & Inclusion in the workforce
Diversity goes further than having representations from different races; it means organizations that comprise employees of different genders, with a variety of unique backgrounds, experiences as well as socioeconomic- and cultural diversity.
Inclusion is about the environment in which diversity thrives. An inclusive work environment allows employees from different backgrounds to feel welcome, bring their best, most authentic selves to the workplace and create a general sense of belonging.
Studies have already shown that both terms are extremely important for the success of an organization, and it should start at the top, if your leadership team is lacking diversity, then the organization is missing out on a key opportunity to create an inclusive culture. On the other hand, if organizations that view diversity merely as a trend are missing out on the true value that comes with a truly diverse and inclusive organization.
Purpose of this project
Human beings are complex individuals, where the experiences that individuals had in the past and the environment in which they grew up do have a significant impact on their decision-making in later life, take for example a CEO that grew up in a family with racial issues, a family where their forebears did not consider black people or women to have a profession rather than bringing up children, even in the 21st century the latter examples still exist. This CEO from our example that grew up in that environment might become very judgmental and might have difficulties of choosing his leadership team to be diverse; further to this it might be difficult for that CEO to show and provide his team and his organization the right inclusiveness.
This paper will look at how Inner Management as a tool can help Senior Managers (CEOs, VPs, CFOs, etc.) of any type of organization to overcome judgment and open their mind to bring the right workforce within their workplace.