Organizations often discuss the benefits of diversity; however, in many instances, these organizations simply hire a more diverse workforce and then expect the benefits to follow. Based on this week’s readings and your own professional experience, what is the difference between hiring for diversity and leveraging diversity?

Hello Dr. C. and classmates,

Many big organizations have been using the diversity in the workplace as an attempt to follow a world trend and stay, or at least try to stay aligned with this tendency. But how effective are these organizations using and applying diversity is very questionable.

I will use my organization as an example. About ten years ago, there was an internal program launched by the headquarter to increase the women representation in the top and medium management positions in all company’s divisions. In the pump division, where I work, it was incentivized to promote women, even without the best performance than their men’s peers. This program was well implemented within the company, and it improved the morale for the employees as they seem to be better represented in the management team. However, the job performance of these new women managers was highly questioned as well as the strategic decision of the business unit where they started being involved. As indicated in the lecture note of this week, “Embracing and leveraging diversity is all about opening an organization up to different ideas, perspectives, and possibilities by providing equal opportunities for those traditionally overlooked (1).” So, if a company only increase the participation of minorities, without considering performance, they would not be taken full advantage of the diversity.

It’s natural to think that people from different sex, race, religion, ethnicity, or nationality have different backgrounds and so they think different and grouping teams with diversity would expand creativity and problem-solving capacity. However, the study performed by Reynolds and Lewis showed there is no correlation between this type of diversity and performance (2). The study revealed the big difference in performance is related to the cognitive diversity that is defined as differences in perspective or information processing styles, and this is not predicted by factors such as gender, ethnicity, or age (2).

The cognitive diversity is not visible as gender or ethnic and so can easily be overlooked as well as suppressed by the company culture. If an organization wants to leverage diversity, they need to provide a candid environment where employees can freely discuss ideas without fear. As indicated by Jack in his book, without candor, “they don’t communicate straightforwardly… Instead, they withhold comments or criticism. They keep their mouths shut to make people feel better or to avoid conflict (3).” But if you want all the brains in the game, the employees need voice and dignity, and by voice, Jack means “people want the opportunity to speak their minds freely and have their ideas, opinions, and feeling heard, regardless of their nationality, gender, age, or culture (3).”

If a company wants to leverage diversity, they need to provide a candor environment and a fair and constant employee evaluation to identify the cognitive diversity and use these employees wisely.

Best regards,

Claudio Viezzer.

References:

1. JWI 520. People Management. Week two. Lecture Note.
2. Alison Reynolds / David Lewis. Teams solve Problems Faster When They’re More Cognitively Diverse. 2017.
3. Jack Welch. Winning. 2005.

peer # 2

The difference between hiring for diversity and leveraging diversity is that hiring for variety solely with the intent to magnify the dictionary definition -“the condition of having or including people from different ethnicities and social backgrounds.” As acknowledged in this week’s reading, viewing diversity from this perspective produces a simplistic insinuation of a quotas-based selection that aligns solely with legislative requirements. On the other hand, leveraging diversity is a more broadening and intellectual perspective of viewing the strength of diversity in the light of how it improves productivity and performance in the organization.

From my professional experience, I have work for teams that have been more successful in utilizing diversity as a strategic tool to optimize performance.In this work setting, the management assigned job roles based on our skill sets, and more importantly, the value that each member added to the team was the most decisive criterion and not the affiliation of the team member to their race, religion, or gender background.

At the same time, I worked for teams and leaders that experimented with job role assignments based on racial and gender insularities, which created dysfunction and lowered the morale of my teammates. It is important to note; this will continue to be a challenge in the workforce or business organization. It is impossible to get everyone on board to see things critically for what they indeed are until they get to see firsthand by failing and be challenged to make changes.

ANSWER

The Power of Leveraging Diversity: Moving Beyond Hiring for Representation

Peer #1 raises important points about the potential pitfalls of simply hiring for diversity without considering performance and cognitive diversity. The example provided regarding the internal program to promote women in management positions highlights the need for organizations to carefully consider the qualifications and capabilities of individuals being promoted. Hiring or promoting individuals solely based on their gender or other demographic factors, without considering their skills and performance, can undermine the goal of leveraging diversity.

Peer #1 also emphasizes the importance of cognitive diversity, which refers to differences in perspectives and information processing styles. This type of diversity is not visible and can easily be overlooked if organizations solely focus on visible diversity traits such as gender or ethnicity (Thibodeau, 2018). To leverage diversity effectively, organizations need to create an environment that encourages open and candid communication, where employees feel comfortable expressing their ideas and opinions. This requires fostering a culture of trust and respect, where all employees’ voices are heard and valued.

Overall, Peer #1’s insights align with the idea that leveraging diversity goes beyond just increasing representation of different groups (Hamilton, n.d.). It involves recognizing and valuing the unique perspectives and skills that individuals bring to the table, irrespective of their demographic backgrounds. By creating an inclusive and candid environment, organizations can tap into the full potential of diversity and drive innovation and problem-solving.

Moving on to Peer #2, they distinguish between hiring for diversity and leveraging diversity by highlighting the difference in perspectives. While hiring for diversity focuses on meeting legal requirements and having a varied workforce, leveraging diversity takes a broader and more strategic approach. Leveraging diversity involves recognizing the value that diversity brings to the organization in terms of improved productivity and performance.

Peer #2 shares their professional experience, indicating that teams that assign job roles based on skills and the value each member adds to the team tend to be more successful in leveraging diversity (Gómez-Zará et al., 2022). This approach prioritizes merit and contribution over demographic factors, allowing individuals to excel based on their abilities and strengths. Conversely, when teams or leaders assign job roles based on demographic insularities, it can lead to dysfunction and decreased morale.

The peer acknowledges the ongoing challenge of getting everyone on board to recognize the true value of diversity. It often takes firsthand experiences and failures to prompt organizations and individuals to make necessary changes and embrace diversity more effectively.

Overall, Peer #2’s perspective aligns with the idea that leveraging diversity involves utilizing the strengths and capabilities of a diverse workforce to drive organizational performance. It goes beyond surface-level diversity and requires a shift in mindset and approach to fully capitalize on the potential benefits of diversity.

Both peers provide valuable insights into the difference between hiring for diversity and leveraging diversity. They emphasize the importance of considering performance, cognitive diversity, and creating an inclusive and candid environment to fully leverage the benefits of a diverse workforce. By taking a holistic and strategic approach to diversity, organizations can foster innovation, creativity, and better decision-making.

References

Gómez-Zará, D., Das, A., Pawlow, B., & Contractor, N. (2022). In search of diverse and connected teams: A computational approach to assemble diverse teams based on members’ social networks. PLOS ONE, 17(11), e0276061. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276061 

Hamilton, E. (n.d.). The Ethical Importance of Fostering Workplace Diversity. www.linkedin.com. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ethical-importance-fostering-workplace-diversity-estelle-hamilton 

Thibodeau, P. (2018). cognitive diversity. HR Software. https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/definition/cognitive-diversity