Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion
SCO 315 Instructor Keita
What is the difference between diversity and inclusion?
Diversity is any dimension that can be used to differentiate groups and people from one another. It means respect for and appreciation of differences in ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, education, and religion. Inclusion is a state of being valued, respected and supported. It’s about focusing on the needs of every individual and ensuring the right conditions are in place for each person to achieve his or her full potential. Inclusion should be reflected in an organization’s culture, practices and relationships that are in place to support a diverse workforce.
In simple terms, diversity is the mix; inclusion is getting the mix to work well together.
http://www.rbc.com/diversity/what-is-diversity.html
What is the importance of workplace diversity training?
The importance in workplace diversity training is to educate all employees that no matter what age, religion, race, or gender a person is, a company can greatly benefit from all employees working together to move forward in a very competitive global environment. To achieve this task a company has to change the culture that is in place. People need to get away from how they used to think and feel and embrace change of acceptance. This change may allow a company to become more innovative in the way they think as they now share different viewpoints from many different ways of life. A person’s knowledge is a great asset for any company. By not allowing acceptance an individual because that person is not of the norm can only hamper a company’s longevity. Training removes barriers that once existed. People will understand that individuals from other backgrounds are not so different and they may share similar traits as those people
What is your experience with workplace culture? Could there be, or could there have been, more inclusion?
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