Today, organizations are striving for strategies that have the capability to drive innovative results and can increase the overall efficiency. They need such methods not only to strengthen business through their services but also to reinforce their team. For the design and tech teams, high performance, better product design, creative ideas and productive activities are a must. But then the question arises, how to achieve it?
The 2 major things that are the need of the hour for design and tech teams are Diversity and Inclusion. For those who are looking to shape up their organizations in a much better way, this can be both rewarding and challenging at the same time.
Building a diverse team should be the first and foremost step!
Industry standards are changing with an evolving demand to hire diverse and talented employees. Business levels are becoming more effective and productive by bringing diversity into their workforce.
Diversity defines the difference of people, mindset, styles and thought process. Mixing such different aspects in a team broadcasts better performance. Diversity brings a different way of thinking and helps achieve better outcomes. According to a report, companies with a diverse workforce are 45% more likely to say that they have a greater share of the market.
This proves how diversity encourage businesses to be more innovative and creative. Bringing people from various walks of life together benefits and improves the overall performance of the business. Using diverse backgrounds and perspectives of employees enables businesses to develop unique services and products.
But how to leverage diversity? Inclusion on the other hand is the key to it.
By incorporating inclusiveness into the deal, team members will be treated with respect and will feel valued, assured, and empowered. Adopting inclusive behavior not only helps in creating a more diverse team but also helps sustain it.
Reportedly, 61% of employees believe that diversity and inclusion strategies are necessary and effective.
In many terms and reasons, inclusive leadership has improved results. They don't believe in making grand gestures but prefer focusing on specific areas and information one at a time. They are open to criticism, believe in invisibility, and give space for others to be vocal about their thoughts.
Lets look at how inclusive leaders have helped teams enhance their productivity and performance.
Diversity and inclusion lead to more empathetic leadership
Diversity and inclusion are sometimes referred to as a single track, but they must be present for each person in order to achieve true change. To make sure that everyone in the team feels like they are respected, both mentally and emotionally. It brings experience from a variety of cultures, genders, locations, beliefs, and more. This results in empathetic leadership and brings a variety of experiences for the business.
According to a report, 48% of employees feel that respect is the most important element in creating an inclusive community.
A diverse and inclusive team attracts more users
It is important to know that the product or service we offer to the world out there cannot be the same. The users we cater to are diverse in all terms like ethnicity, behavior, culture, race, expectations, thoughts and so on. Diversity and inclusion help the team to build services or products that are more personalized and customized depending on the different users.
According to a report, the top three concerns for employees were diversity of thinking(55%), race/ethnicity(44%), and gender(33%).
This means User Experience has to be more prioritized to lay the building base of a diverse team and a successful company.
According to a leading Digital Transformation company TECHVED Consulting, the diversified user experience improves customer experience and helps build more diverse solutions for the audience. Their diversified and inclusive team has pulled out ways to provide more dynamic designs and strategies that have helped businesses give their customers personalized and incredible products and services.
It’s not that difficult to provide diverse and inclusive products or services. One can start simply with a brainstorming session with their team about user needs, language preference, visual elements and cues, sensitivity; everything from the users’ perspective.
Diverse and inclusive teams bring out more accessibility and usability
Accessibility and usability are 2 essential factors that determine how customers interact with businesses. Is it possible for everyone to use products or services offered? This is a very common issue that many businesses around the world face.
A diverse team will provide more exposure to various skills and be more mindful of the needs of the users. It enables them to produce products and services that are suitable for all types of people. Diversity can help create products that are more functional and usable, regardless of age, language, or place.
According to a report, 74 %of millennials believe that a company that has a culture of inclusion is more innovative and profitable.
Wrapping it up!
There's a lot that a diverse and inclusive team can bring to the table. Every company must recognize its own needs and activate the strength of a diverse team. Businesses that excel are those which have the highest rates of diversity and inclusion in their organization. Hiring a diverse team results in a satisfied workforce with high job satisfaction, as well as increased innovation and productivity. One of the top priorities for recruiting and other HR agencies is workplace diversity. Companies that have already adopted inclusive leadership and diversity practices will undoubtedly see dramatic improvements and increased efficiency. Also, to those who are still looking to improve their team efficiency and raise their industry level, we say don't give up. Continue to strive for diversity.