How Cultural Heterogeneity Relates To A Business Case For Diversity [Research Breakdown]

How does Diversity, Inclusion and Culture relate to organisational performance?

Find the relationship between cultural diversity and organisational performance in a way that is going to change the way you think about it forever.

Here are some key messages from this episode

  • The unusual relationship between cultural diversity and organisational performance
  • When Diversity is conducive to organisational success and when it is detrimental
  • The Trade Off Between Cultural Diversity and Performance

Play the episode for more.

Here are some key takeaways from this episode

Cultural Diversity can get in the way of coordinating tasks

“The first emphasizes cultural homogeneity, suggesting when there’s cultural diversity in an organisation. Different beliefs and Different expectations can get in the way of people coordinating tasks. This suggests we want people to have enough cultural agreement to get a job done.”

Cultural Diversity is great for innovation

“you get access to a broad array of cultural resources, this means the organization is assumed to have greater capacity for creativity and innovation especially in uncertain and competitive environments”

Cultural Diversity has dual aspects: Interpersonal and Intrapersonal

“The paper refers to this as interpersonal heterogeneity; this is the sort of diversity that organisations are typically trying to promote. People with different backgrounds and different views.”

Here are some resources so you can go deeper

Duality in Diversity: How Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Cultural Heterogeneity Relate to Firm Performance

Kenny, E. J., & Briner, R. B. (2007). Ethnicity and behaviour in organizations: A review of British research. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 80(3), 437–457.

Kenny, E. J., & Briner, R. B. (2013). Increases in salience of ethnic identity at work: The roles of ethnic assignation and ethnic identification. Human Relations, 66(5), 725–748.

Rob Briner Linkedin 

Check out these related episodes of the show

3 Foundational Steps To Building An Inclusive Culture

The Reality of How Employee Resource Groups Can Create An Inclusive Culture

Whenever you’re ready, there are a few ways I can support your Inclusion Journey:

The Elements of Inclusion #4

Leaders must collaborate innovatively to leverage cultural expertise and drive business performance.

  • Why inclusive outcomes are driven by innovation
  • How developing a business case for diversity and inclusion specific to your organisation is a competitive advantage
  • Why novelty is at the heart of your inclusion journey

The Elements of Inclusion #3

Leaders must establish systems to ensure that everyone shares the same advantages and benefits. These processes will create incentives for inclusive behaviours.

  • How to augment your team with the tools and insights they need to prevent structural disadvantage
  • Why reinforcing generative norms ensures everyone belongs in the organisation
  • How inclusive representations can be embedded to promote an inclusive culture

The Elements of Inclusion #2

Leaders must redefine career development relationships to support inclusive performance.
  • Why traditional mentor relationships must be revised for an inclusive workplace
  • How leaders must embrace networks of developmental relationships for individual growth
  • Why established workplace norms must evolve for inclusion in the modern workplace

The Elements of Inclusion #1

Leaders must properly socialise people and socialise inclusive ideas by providing an environment for the cultural learning needed for an active role in an inclusive organisation

  • How your socialisation processes must evolve to encourage the sustainable cultivation of inclusive competencies
  • Why Leaders must consistently negotiate the line between organisational commitment and personal authenticity to promote performance
  • How developing intersectional self awareness can help leaders to leverage individual employee experiences