It’s no secret that millennials are pushing for workplace diversity and inclusion more than any other generation, but what makes them believe it’s so valuable? If you ask a baby boomer or someone from generation X, they might tell you that it’s important because not all cultures, ethnicities, or backgrounds started out with the same advantages, so it’s important to balance the scales with adequate representation.
While this is important, it’s differentiated from millennials’ perspectives on diversity; in fact, non-millennial generations are 21 percent more likely to focus on representation, and 25 percent more likely to focus on equality. Millennials, by contrast, are more likely to focus on ideas, opinions, and thoughts, and on unique experiences. That’s because millennials see diversity and inclusion as learning opportunities, and they may get more out of a diversity program because of it.
Learning Opportunities
So how, exactly, can someone “learn” from a diverse experience, or by being around a more diverse group of coworkers and leaders?
- New perspectives and approaches. Different cultures are going to have different perspectives, and may be able to offer new approaches to solve older problems. For example, a minority or non-mainstream culture may have a strong philosophical alternative to a core idea that drives your thinking. The alternative may allow you to look at a conventional problem in a new way, giving you an alternative set of solutions.
- Different values and needs. Different cultures also have different values and different needs. A culture that has historically faced adversity, for example, may need more outreach than you originally would have anticipated. A culture that strongly values communication may respond better to one-on-one interactions. Understanding this can improve your performance in a number of areas.
- Languages, customs, and expressions. Having someone from another culture or background on your team can expose you to other languages, customs, and expressions that you may not have experienced otherwise. This is an enriching experience by itself, and may arm you with new knowledge or perspectives you can incorporate into other areas of your professional life.
- Internal biases. Cultural biases arise when you see the world through the narrow lens shaped by your own cultural identity and experiences. Seeing other cultures can illuminate these internal biases, helping you understand the limits of your own knowledge and experience.
- Skills, facts, and knowledge. In a more direct way, people of different backgrounds will likely have complementary skills and knowledge that they can share and exchange with you. The more people you know, the more opportunities you’ll have to develop yourself.
Applications
Let’s look at a few specific areas where these learning fundamentals could become useful:
- Investing. Investing is an area that requires constant new learning, paying attention to new market conditions, new opportunities, new threats, and new ideas. Whether you’re investing in individual stocks or looking to acquire smaller businesses, having a diverse range of experiences and perspectives is valuable.
- Marketing. Unless you’re marketing to only one demographic, and it happens to be yours, you need a diverse perspective of individual needs and values if you want to be an effective marketer. Working with a diverse staff can help you get that experience.
- R&D. Similarly, if you’re working on developing new products and services for a company, it pays to know the types of people who might use it—and draw on the cultures and values of others to help you brainstorm new and better ideas.
- Problem-solving. No matter what type of problem you’re facing, diversity can give you tools to solve it faster, more completely, or more efficiently. Seeing the challenges and skills of others can make almost any problem easier to face.
Millennials have a different perspective on diversity and inclusion than generations past, prioritizing learning and growth over mere representation and equal opportunities. Is it a better approach? Long-term, it’s difficult to speculate, but there’s no denying that an emphasis on learning gives each individual more specific goals and more takeaways. Ultimately, that results in a bigger impact, and one that affects more people within an organization—provided they’re willing to learn.
