Special Report
Debunking diversity
Don’t exclude inclusion as a means
By Jessica Tremayne
Smart Business Philadelphia | April 2009
Page 1 of 3
Virginia G. Essandoh, director of diversity, Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll LLP
The million-dollar question about making an investment in diversity is: Will it pay back?
While experts say diversity in the work force is a business imperative, defining diversity by employees’ physical attributes won’t foster a functional or profitable environment.
In fact, the definition of diversity is always evolving. Twenty years ago, the word spurred thoughts of gender issues since men held a high majority in the work force, while today the gender gap is narrowed and is less of a concern. Diversity’s definition has expanded, and diversity of thought, education, socioeconomics, religion and life goals are only a few of the seemingly endless list of terms people use when defining the term for themselves. These differences in your employees can make or break your business. If you foster an inclusive environment, where all employees can contribute thoughts and plans to improve your product or service in confidence, you will improve your bottom line.
A February 2009 Groundbreakers report by Ernst & Young defines diversity as an equation for success and notes that research has proven diverse groups outperform homogenous groups even in cases where the nondiverse groups have heightened abilities. Scott Page, a professor of complex systems at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, created the diversity prediction theorem, which says the collective ability of any crowd is equal to the average ability of its members plus the diversity of the group, claiming diversity is a sure way to attain a strategic advantage.
“Diversity equals business excellence,” says Virginia G. Essandoh, director of diversity for Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll LLP, which has 570 attorneys and 1,000 staff members who participate in ongoing diversity training. “Diversity training doesn’t have to be a costly investment. It just needs to teach employees to value and respect their differences to have better communication.”
Still, the return on investment is the hard evidence you want to justify devotion of time and money. Some say it’s difficult to quantify diversity ROI, but metrics are attainable. If you start with a plan that establishes your company goals and maps out a strategy, you can document the benefits and obstacles of a diverse team’s functionality that will best benefit your business.
