Diversity is more than working with different kinds of people. With varied backgrounds comes extensive knowledge, personal networks and approaches to problems. If your business is not diverse, you are failing to compete effectively and letting your competition get a leg up. However, it may not be apparent if your company is diverse enough. Complete a diversity analysis of your workplace to see where your company stands.
Step 1
Outline the dimensions of diversity that you wish to analyze. There are many dimensions of diversity; you will have to use your business intuition to choose which ones are most relevant to your business. Possibilities include gender, ethnicity, age, expertise, outside interests and college degrees or other credentials earned. For instance, a company that only employs those with a master's in business may be slower than the competition to adopt new technological innovations.
Step 2
Match the diversity of your workplace to the demographics of your customers. Your company should be at least as diverse as your customer base. You can obtain customer data from your marketing department's demographic data or construct a new study looking at new aspects of customers.
Step 3
Exceed the diversity of your competitors to move your company into a competitive advantage. The more diverse expertise you have at your company, the easier it will be to spot new opportunities, identify new customer segments and surmount industry obstacles. You can obtain competitor data from government surveys, industry trade groups or informally from your own professional network.
Step 4
Identify the areas in which your company is not diverse and make it a primary business goal to solve the problem. You may be getting a narrow spectrum of employees because of the places you are advertising job openings or the wording of your job postings. Consult with community groups, colleges and universities as well as your own employees for means of reaching new groups of potential employees.
Step 5
Establish a procedure for your company's diversity to be analyzed on a regular basis, such as every year. This helps make sure you are matching the goals you set and helps you spot new trends quickly.
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Writer Bio
Chris Daniels covers advances in nutrition and fitness online. Daniels has numerous certifications and degrees covering human health, nutritional requirements and sports performance. An avid cyclist, weightlifter and swimmer, Daniels has experienced the journey of fitness in the role of both an athlete and coach.