To be Diverse or Not to be Diverse

As we all know, diversity and inclusion are the latest buzzwords and organizational focus these days. Finally, and fully right so. Though it is rather sad to witness that a company now requires a designated chief executive and a department to implement diversity and inclusion. As a German, I have long struggled with the female quota that was introduced in Germany in 2016 requiring that women hold 30% of top board seats (btw in 2018 it is still less than 30 percent). Part of me says yes, we need it to get a foot into the door that has been closed for oh so long, but the other part of me finds it mortifying that a law must be passed that reduces women to an openly disadvantaged group that needs this type of legislative support. 

So, over the years, I made my peace with it. 

And yes, as I am living in the United States, I was also happy to see that diversity was a positive outcome of the 2018 midterms. 

However, I cannot shake off the question that has been with me for many years and especially due to the current momentum. What truly is diversity? 

Reading through tons of research, statistics and articles there seems to be one common thread – diversity must be seen and declared to the outside, it is defined by gender, race, age and openly declared preferences.

But what about the diversity of thoughts and opinions? 

How can we proclaim diversity based on superficial attributes to please the eye of the beholder? 

I am aware that not everyone will share my views, of course, because in the end these are my views.

Why do we think that visible diversity, or as I like to call it for everyone’s eyes only, is equal to improvements, innovation and performance?

Yes, we have some statistics available, for example in 2018 the Peterson Institute for International Economics completed a survey of 21,980 firms from 91 countries and found that having women at the C-Suite level significantly increases net margins.

“A profitable firm at which 30 percent of leaders are women could expect to add more than 1 percentage point to its net margin compared with an otherwise similar firm with no female leaders,” the report notes.

Again, I am not trying to make a case against diversity, but for me the root causes that need to be acknowledged and resolved to live true inclusion and build diversity into every company’s foundation go way deeper.

When I moved to the US many years ago, I underestimated the power of ‘pc’ (political correctness) but, don’t worry, I was reminded of it almost on a daily basis. Cultural differences were definitely part of the equation and it took me as well as my team probably a year to adjust to each other. 

Something I tried to implement with my team as leader was to get rid of being ‘pc’ and being respectful while being vocal instead - respectful to other people’s ideas, approaches, thoughts – as long as these would not intentionally and personally hurt any individual. 

So, what is so different about this? Before I moved to the US, I was told to avoid any personal viewpoints or discussion about religion, politics and anything that could possibly be in opposition to anyone’s thought and perspective.

I believe that by quasi mandatory exclusion of life topics that evoke emotional responses in the workplace, you are suppressing diverse thinking and personal connection – both of which are fundamental in creating trust, loyalty and dedication, and ultimately are a cornerstone for progress and innovation. 

Isn’t it more about the respect for each other than the opinion itself?

Everyone advocates for authenticity in- and outside of the workplace, but let me ask you, how authentic can you be when you have