Diversity and Teamwork
Everyone is talking about diversity. But what does it actually mean? Diversity encompasses the range of dissimilarities and distinctions in characteristics, traits, and elements within an organization, group, or society. As a social concept, diversity implies the acknowledgement and respect of everyone, irrespective of their backgrounds, genders, sexual orientations, religious beliefs, perspectives, or mental and physical conditions.
Various social and political movements are actively dedicated to combatting biases and prejudices while faciliating diversity. Moreover, diversity can be actively cultivated within the workplace setting.
The seven dimensions of diversity (Diversity Charter)
The Diversity Charter presents a comprehensive circular model with seven dimensions of diversity, highlighting the various aspects that encompass diversity. At the core of this model lies personality. Immediately surrounding personality are characteristics that can hardly be changed but that significantly impact inclusion or exclusion, such as ethnic origin, gender, and sexual orientation. Moving outward, we find the external dimensions (e.g., parenthood, income, and education). Finally, we reach the organizational circle level.
The purpose of the charter is to provide an overview of the more or less easily changeable characteristics that make up and influence an individual.
Queerness
“Queer“ is a broad term used to describe individuals who do not identify as heterosexual and/or cisgender. Those who identify as queer often face what is known as „minority stress“, which encompasses feelings of fear and distress due to the risk of violence and discrimination.
Recent studies show that between 22 and 24 percent of queer individuals have reported experiencing workplace discrimination based on their sexual identity within the past year. The systemic discrimination faced by queer individuals has a profound impact on their mental well-being, leading to higher rates of suicide, addiction, and depression within the LGBTQIA+ community compared to their non-queer counterparts.
Diverse teams work better!
Diversity of any kind is highly beneficial for both the company and teamwork:
1. Equal opportunities: A work environment valuing diversity and inclusivity provides everyone with equal chances to fullycultivate their talents, skills, and actively engage in professional life.
2. Diversity promotes creativity and innovation: The more we embrace different perspectives and ideas, the more effectively we collaborate creatively and innovatively.
3. More diverse, more success: Companies prioritizing gender diversity have a 25%
higher chance of surpassing average profitability. Moreover, businesses with multi-ethnic management teams experience an even higher percentage, reaching up to 36%.
Terms easily explained:
LGBTQIA+
Abbreviation of the words
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transsexual/Transgender, Queer,
Intersexual, Asexual
Cis-Geschlechtlichkeit
Describes a person identifying with the gender they were assigned a birth. (from Latin cis „this side“ und English „social gender“)