Why projects need diverse people who think differently

The business case for gender and ethnic diversity is irrefutable. Diversity delivers – it’s good for the bottom line. There is a vast quantity of evidence that businesses with higher levels of social or identity diversity among staff outperform less diverse firms for profitability, value creation and innovation.

We certainly need to keep making the case for diversity at work while there are more CEOs in the US named John than there are female CEOs, but we no longer have to do so on grounds of equity or social justice. Diversity delivers particularly in situations of ambiguity, complexity and unpredictability – situations faced by all organisations in 2020. That’s because diverse organisations and teams think differently.

You may also be interested in

• Harnessing the power of difference APM Module (🔒)
• Think Differently: a virtual event redefining diversity in projects
• How inclusive is your stakeholder engagement?

Posted by Matthew Moran on 24th Sep 2020

About the Author

I am Head of Transformation at The Open University and sometimes lecturer in the OU Business School, and I speak, write, consult and advise on strategy, project and product management, and organisational change.

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