Diversity Insights by Global Diversity Collaborative

DIVERSITY INSIGHTS Brief insights on diversity + inclusion topics

CONTENTS /

DIVERSITY BUSINESS CASE

LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABILITY

RACE & ETHNICITY

GENDER

GENERATIONS

RELIGION

DISABILITIES

LGBT (Q)

READING LIST

DIVERSITY BUSINESS CASE / In 1987 the Hudson Institute released Workforce 2000 the now famous study of the work force of the future, which was commissioned by the United States Department of Labor. This study offered predictions about changes that will occur in the demographic composition of the United States population and workforce by the year 2000. Although the statistics cited in the study have been modified since the original predictions, the findings were startling enough to convince businesses to look at diversity as an economic as well as a social issue. The workforce continues to change in many ways – in age, gender composition, racial background, national origin, cultural background, physical ability and sexual orientation. Today there are more than 7 billion people in the world with about ½ of the world population residing in Asia. There are global shifts occurring related to age, gender, and race / ethnicity, disability, migration/immigration and religion. The world is diverse. However, in many situations there are opportunities to be more inclusive by embracing all types of diversity and by moving from tolerance Diversity / to acceptance organizations begin to realize that diversity can drive innovation with differing thoughts and viewpoints to Different thoughts, ideas and approaches that result from an tackle problems. individual’s culture, background,

Inclusion / An environment that recognizes, values, respects and embraces all characteristics that make us different, fosters open communication, and encourages all individuals to maximize his or her potential.

experience, physical capabilities, Diversity means skills, ethnicity, education, race, moving beyond religion, age, gender and lifestyle, barriers and and all other characteristics that stereotypes of make each person unique. culture, color, race, religion, age, sexuality, physical abilities, generational differences, economic settings, etc. and forming a team of talented professionals to create excellent work.

Diversity + Inclusion efforts are about building the capacity of your workforce to serve clients and community. The demands of services have become more complex, requiring organizations to create new markets, improve the performance of teams and drive client engagement. Diversity + Inclusion is a collective mixture of differences and similarities. The values, beliefs and experiences of a diverse workforce which frames how we see the world, is critical to building capacity and strength to deliver innovative, effective and relevant services. Many Fortune 500 companies have focused Diversity programs and recognize the business advantages of embracing diversity as a core value and driver. Research printed in the December 2013 issue of Harvard Business Review 1 provides compelling evidence that diversity unlocks innovation and drives market growth. Additional research conducted by Catalyst.org 2 asserts that companies with the highest representation of women on their top management teams experienced better financial performance than companies with the lowest women’s representation. Global Diversity Collaborative 2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABILITY / As leaders it is critical for organizations to demonstrate commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion in your organization through the following actions:



Top leadership commitment – create vision of diversity & inclusion demonstrated and communicated throughout the organization.



Ensure diversity & Inclusion is a key part of the organization’s strategic plan – a diversity strategy and plan that has been developed and aligned with the organization’s strategic plan.



Linked diversity & inclusion to performance – promote understanding that a more diverse and inclusive work environment can yield greater productivity and help improve individual and group performance.



Measurement – a set of quantitative and qualitative measures of the impact of various aspects of diversity & inclusion.



Succession planning – an ongoing strategic process for identifying and developing a diverse pool of talent for current and future leadership.



Recruitment – attracting new diverse talent to the organization.



Learning & development – ongoing sustained effort to understand and educate employees and clients about THE ORGANIZATION’s commitment to diversity and inclusion



Communication – ongoing sustained effort to inform employees and clients about THE ORGANIZATION’s commitment to diversity and inclusion

RACE & ETHNICITY / The traditional definition of race and ethnicity is related to biological and sociological factors respectively. Race refers to a person's physical characteristics, such as bone structure and skin, hair, or eye color. Ethnicity, however, refers to cultural factors, including nationality, regional culture, ancestry, and language. An example of race is brown, white, or black skin (all from various parts of the world), while an example of ethnicity is German or Spanish ancestry (regardless of race).

Definition

Significance

Genealogy

Distinguishing Factors

Nationalism

Ethnicity

Race

An ethnic group or ethnicity is a population group whose members identify with each other on the basis of common nationality or shared cultural traditions.

The term race refers to the concept of dividing people into populations or groups on the basis of various sets of physical characteristics (which usually result from genetic ancestry).

Ethnicity connotes shared cultural traits and a shared group history. Some ethnic groups also share linguistic or religious traits, while others share a common group history but not a common language or religion.

Race presumes shared biological or genetic traits, whether actual or asserted. In the early 19th century, racial differences were ascribed significance in areas of intelligence, health, and personality. There is no evidence validating these ideas.

Ethnicity is defined in terms of shared genealogy, whether actual or presumed. Typically, if people believe they descend from a particular group, and they want to be associated with that group, then they are in fact members of that group.

Racial categories result from a shared genealogy due to geographical isolation. In the modern world this isolation has been broken down and racial groups have mixed.

Ethnic groups distinguish themselves differently from one time period to another. They typically seek to define themselves but also are defined by the stereotypes of dominant groups.

Races are assumed to be distinguished by skin color, facial type, etc. However, the scientific basis of racial distinctions is very weak. Scientific studies show that racial genetic differences are weak except in skin color.

In 19th century, there was development of the political ideology of ethnic nationalism -- creating nations based on a presumed shared ethnic origins (e.g. Germany, Italy, Sweden...)

In 19th century, the concept of nationalism was often used to justify the domination of one race over another within a specific nation.

GENDER / According to research at Catalyst.org companies with higher representation of women in senior management positions financially outperform companies with proportionally fewer women at the top. Today women account for one half of the labor force and that number is expected to increase. Despite earning more advanced degrees and being responsible for major purchasing decisions in heterosexual households, women are still plagued by equity issues. Catalyst.org continues to track the number of women in top management positions. While women make up 45% of the S&P labor force, they account for only 19.2% of board seats and 4.6% of CEO positions.

GENERATIONS / The world is aging rapidly. People age 60+ make up over 11% of the global population. According to the United Nations by 2050 they will make up 22% of the population. A recent study by Harvard University and AARP indicates the number of people in the United States aged 50 and over is expected to grow to 133 million by 2030. There are multiple generations working side-byside in the workforce. Generations are defined by cultural norms and current events that occur during formative years. Understanding the differences and drivers of each generation can help to most effectively manage multigenerational team. The workforce is aging and there is a smaller pool of Generation X workers to replace retiring Baby Boomers. Global Diversity Collaborative 2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

RELIGION / The religious profile of the world is rapidly changing, driven primarily by differences in fertility rates and the size of youth populations among the world’s major religions, as well as by people switching faiths. Over the next four decades, Christians will remain the largest religious group, but Islam will grow faster than any other major religion. If current trends continue, by 2050: 

In Europe, Muslims will make up 10% of the overall population.



India will retain a Hindu majority but also will have the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, surpassing Indonesia.



In the United States, Christians will decline from more than three-quarters of the population in 2010 to two-thirds in 2050, and Judaism will no longer be the largest non-Christian religion. Muslims will be more numerous in the U.S. than people who identify as Jewish on the basis of religion.



Four out of every 10 Christians in the world will live in sub-Saharan Africa. These are among the global religious trends highlighted in new demographic projections by the Pew Research Center. The projections take into account the current size and geographic distribution of the world’s major religions, age differences, fertility and mortality rates, international migration and patterns in conversion. Source: Pew Research Center 2015 Global Diversity Collaborative 2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

DISABILITIES / The Center for Universal Design defines inclusive design as the design of products and environments to be usable to the greatest extent possible by people of all Ages and abilities. Currently approximately 10% of the world population lives with a physical and/or mental disability. Only 20% of disabled are born with a disability. Most acquire their disability after age 16. In countries with life expectancies over 70 years of age, people spend on average 11.5 per cent of their life span, living with disabilities.

LGBT (Q) / LESBIAN GAY BISEXUAL TRANSGENDER (QUESTIONING)/ ACCORDING TO THE W ILLIAMS INSTITUTE’S, GAY AND TRANSGENDER WORKERS MAKE UP 6.28 PERCENT OF THE U.S. WORKFORCE TODAY AND NEARLY THREE QUARTERS OF THE U.S. POPULATION LIVES IN A STATE CURRENTLY ISSUING MARRIAGE LICENSES TO SAME-SEX COUPLES.



 

Gay and transgender workers have higher representation in the private sector—where they make up 6.48 percent of the U.S. workforce— verses in the public sector, where 5.31 percent of the workforce identifies as gay or transgender. There is no federal law that consistently protects LGBT individuals from employment discrimination. The Employment Non-discrimination Act is pending federal legislation. Buying power of $830 billion in 2013 (U.S.) Nearly 72% of the U.S. population lives in a state currently issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples state-wide.

READING LIST / https://www.newswise.com/articles/minority-markets-have-3-9-trillion-buying-power https://www.catalyst.org/research/buying-power/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/08/02/why-a-multicultural-mindset-is-a-must-foragencies/#334594162965 http://eyeonhousing.org/2019/03/homeownership-rates-by-race-and-ethnicity/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/500069/homeownership-rates-usa-by-ethnicity/ https://www.bigrentz.com/blog/construction-statistics

http://www.diversityjournal.com/1321-beyond-workforce-to-marketplace-diversity/