Leaders often ask how to increase the diversity on the team, but the deeper question is why it matters. The benefits of diversity on the team are both practical and cultural. Diverse teams bring more perspectives to complex challenges, make stronger decisions, and create workplaces where people feel valued and respected. Whether you are considering gender, race, ethnicity, background, or cognitive style, diversity fuels innovation and resilience. Understanding what kind of diversity is most needed on your team is the first step toward building these advantages.
Identify Which Kind of Diversity Is Needed
Different situations call for different types of diversity. When team members are concerned about gender imbalance, that points to one set of priorities. Concerns about racial or ethnic representation call for a different approach. And when the focus is on functional or cognitive differences, leaders may need to reconsider the mix of roles and perspectives.
Once you clarify the type of diversity at issue, look at the surrounding teams in the organization. Are they more diverse than yours? If so, why? Sometimes structural barriers or subtle cultural norms are steering people away from your team.
Look at Attrition and Culture
If you want to increase the diversity on the team, do not just look at who you are hiring. Look at who has left. Review the past few years of attrition for your team and the broader organization. Have you had diverse team members who exited, voluntarily or involuntarily? If so, what can you learn from those departures?
A pattern of turnover may signal deeper cultural issues. Without a climate that truly supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, diverse hires may not stay.
Build a Climate that Supports Inclusion
Diversity is not just about numbers. A diverse team needs a climate that allows people to contribute fully. This means:
- All employees feel respected and valued for their competence and contributions.
- Differences in perspective are welcomed, not silenced.
- Productive conflict is encouraged and resolved constructively.
- Learning flows across differences, creating growth for individuals and the organization.
When this climate exists, the benefits of diversity on the team become clear: greater innovation, stronger collaboration, and higher engagement.
Increase Diversity Through Hiring Practices
While intentions are good, execution can be difficult. Leaders who want to increase the diversity on the team need to put in the effort during every hiring process. Some practical steps include:
- Build a diverse candidate slate. Ensure that for every open position you consider candidates from a variety of backgrounds.
- Examine hiring processes for bias. From how job descriptions are written to how interviews are run, make sure every candidate has a fair shot.
- Balance merit with outreach. You are not lowering standards by seeking diversity, you are widening the funnel to ensure more qualified candidates get considered.
The benefits of diversity on the team show up here as well: better decision-making, more creativity, and stronger connections with the markets and communities you serve.
FAQs About Diversity on Teams
What are the main benefits of diversity on a team?
Diverse teams bring broader perspectives, leading to better problem-solving, stronger decisions, and more innovative solutions.
How do you start increasing diversity on a team?
Begin by clarifying what type of diversity is lacking, review team culture and attrition patterns, then adapt hiring practices to build inclusive slates.
Does focusing on diversity mean lowering the bar for talent?
No. It means expanding your reach so that highly qualified candidates from all backgrounds are included in the process.
What role does leadership play in diversity?
Leaders set the tone. By modeling inclusion, ensuring fairness, and holding the team accountable, leaders create the conditions where diversity thrives.
Closing: Turning Benefits Into Action
The benefits of diversity on the team go beyond representation. They show up in the quality of decisions, the creativity of solutions, and the overall climate of respect and inclusion. Diverse teams learn from one another, adapt more quickly, and connect more authentically to customers and communities.
At KSE Leadership, we help CEOs and executive teams put these benefits into practice. Our work fosters alignment, decisiveness, accountability, and collaboration in teams.
About the Author
Michael Quoia is co-founder and partner at KSE Leadership. He has worked with more than 50 executive teams worldwide, drawing on experience as a former McKinsey consultant, Stanford MBA alum, and partner at Heidrick & Struggles Leadership Consulting. His work focuses on team effectiveness, executive assessments, and executive coaching.
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