Getting Serious About Diversity: Enough Already With the Business Case | Harvard Business Review

As Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) continue to be a focus of organizations, this HBR article argues that firms need to shift from articulating the business value of I&D to implementing impactful actions. The authors ask the question: Why should anyone need an economic rationale for affirming any group of human beings’ agency and dignity? Instead, they argue that firms should make the necessary investment because doing so honors our own and others’ humanity and gives our lives meaning. The article provides four actions that business leaders and managers can take to unlock the potential of I&D: 1) Build trust, 2) Actively work against discrimination and subordination, 3) Embrace a wide range of styles and voices. 4) Make cultural differences a resource for learning. The article reinforces that increasing the numbers of traditionally underrepresented people in your workforce does not automatically produce benefits; what matters is how an organization harnesses and fosters I&D. Several other ideas are discussed.