Delivery Through Diversity

MANAGING DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE

The shift towards technology, globalization will have major impacts on the workforce and how organizations address diversity in the workplace. Encouraging diversity is the way forward for organizations. In a global talent market, businesses that can successfully manage diversity in the workplace will have a definite competitive advantage over others in terms of differentiation, innovation, and employer branding.

There are several benefits of a diverse workplace, first, diversity offers an organization different skillsets and talents. At the same time, an organization can create an inclusive work environment thanks to diversity. Moreover, diversity simply mirrors a company’s customer base that is in most cases highly diverse. A fourth diversity benefit is empowering a business to compete globally. Finally, diversity can boost a company’s competitive advantage by improving employee retention rates, employee morale, and the ability to attract new talent.

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In research on diversity, equity, and inclusion

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For LGBTQ equality in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, every year since 2006

OUR JOURNEY TOWARD RACIAL EQUITY

Our 10 actions toward racial equity

In 2020, McKinsey put forth a public commitment to anti-racism and social justice. While we know that we have a long way to go on our journey, we are proud to support the leaders, businesses, and communities working for a more just and equitable society.

Our Asian voices

In this feature, 72 Asian colleagues at McKinsey raise their voices and share their stories—on what Asian identity means to them, what allies can do to support their communities, and how they are processing this moment

LATEST THINKING

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Building supportive ecosystems for Black-owned US businesses

October 29, 2020 – The right business ecosystems can mitigate or negate the effects of structural obstacles to business building for Black business owners—and add $290 billion in business equity.

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Women in the Workplace 2021

September 27, 2021 – A year and a half into the COVID-19 pandemic, women in corporate America are even more burned out than they were last year—and increasingly more so than men. Despite this, women leaders are stepping up to support employee well-being and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, but that work is not getting recognized. That’s according to the latest Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey, in partnership with LeanIn.Org.

TIPS FOR MANAGING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY.

PRIORITIZE COMMUNICATION

To manage a diverse workplace, organizations need to ensure that they effectively communicate with employees. Policies, procedures, safety rules, and other important information should be designed to overcome language and cultural barriers by translating materials and using pictures and symbols whenever applicable.

TREAT EACH EMPLOYEE AS AN INDIVIDUAL

Avoid making assumptions about employees from different backgrounds. Instead, look at each employee as an individual and judge successes and failures on the individual’s merit rather than attributing actions to their background.

ENCOURAGE EMPLOYEES TO WORK IN DIVERSE GROUPS

Diverse work teams let employees get to know and value one another on an individual basis and can help break down preconceived notions and cultural misunderstandings.

BASE STANDARDS ON OBJECTIVE CRITERIA

Set one standard of rules for all groups of employees regardless of background. Ensure that all employment actions, including discipline, follow this standardized criterion to make sure each employee is treated the same.

BE OPEN-MINDED

Recognize, and encourage employees to recognize, that one’s own experience, background, and culture are not the only ones with value to the organization. Look for ways to incorporate a diverse range of perspectives and talents into efforts to achieve organizational goals.

We know that digital and AI technologies are transforming the world of work and that today’s workforce will need to learn new skills and learn to continually adapt as new occupations emerge. We also know that the COVID-19 crisis has accelerated this transformation. We are less clear, however, about the specific skills tomorrow’s workers will require. The need for manual and physical skills, as well as basic cognitive ones, will decline, but demand for technological, social, and emotional, and higher cognitive skills will grow.