How to Distinguish Between Diversity and Inclusivity

Both diversity and inclusivity are crucial for an operative business model. But while many business owners assume that diversity and inclusivity are the same thing, it’s important to recognize the differences. Diversity, on its own, isn’t enough to sustain a business. Inclusivity, however, encompasses more than merely accepting diversity in your organization.

Inclusivity Creates Unique Insiders

Although some businesses are reluctant to look much farther into diversity beyond meeting quotas, inclusivity requires an active approach to making those diverse populations feel welcome. Whether it’s hiring employees or greeting customers, acknowledging what makes people unique is the first step.

However, it doesn’t end there. Inclusion involves both “high belongingness” and “high value in uniqueness,” according to a study on inclusion and health. Diversity alone doesn’t mean much. Instead, it’s the inclusion aspect that has positive impacts on psychological health and job satisfaction.

Helping people feel welcome and valued isn’t something business diversity courses offer instruction on. Still, it only takes thoughtfulness and a little effort to ensure that diverse co-workers feel that they belong. It’s this underlying identity that differentiates diversity practices from true inclusion.

Inclusivity Policies Speak Clearly

Most companies may claim to support diversity, but that doesn’t mean their policies embrace it. But CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion aims to change that. The initiative encourages CEOs to act toward creating and maintaining workplaces that promote diversity and inclusion discussion and progress.

CEOs who accept the pledge are doing more than drafting company policy or establishing quotas for hiring minorities. They’re encouraging conversation on the topic of diversity, and they’re also sharing their ideas and methods with others.

Rather than compartmentalize personnel issues from business ones, companies are learning that having frank conversations does more for unity and team-building than staying silent does. After all, your people affect your bottom line. Valuing them puts exponentially more value back into your business.

Team Building Takes Priority

Simply adding diverse people to a team isn’t enough to guarantee increased business success. While diversity can increase profits and reduce biases, CEOs and team leaders need to be proactive in uniting employees. 

Unfortunately, studies show that for example, white Americans associate multiculturism with exclusivity rather than inclusivity. Rather than seeing inclusivity as embracing diversity and promoting cohesion, an overwhelming ratio of majority populations feel threatened by it.

Inclusion Means Action

The underlying difference between diversity and inclusivity is the inaction of one and the action of the other. Diversity policies may mean well, but without addressing individual and team needs within those policies, companies are missing out.

While research shows that differences among team members can prove valuable when it comes to problem-solving, the value-in-diversity theory is genuinely only as helpful as we make it. A heterogeneous group that is incohesive is less valuable than a homogenous group that works well together.

To that end, encouraging not only teamwork but personal connection is critical in promoting inclusivity among peers. Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of work to be done when it comes to making diversity principles into actionable inclusivity measures. But the good news is, inclusivity is earning attention as the next step in not just workplace diversity, but widespread societal progress.