The future of workplace diversity is not what you think but in fact, it’s how you think. Embracing cognitive diversity is being described as the evolution of Inclusion by analysts and academics. But just what does that mean and how can it benefit organisations and employees?
Dominique McAll, from Norman Broadbent’s Human Resources Search Practice, looks into the impact of Diversity of Thought and explores this fascinating subject to understand what companies can – and must – learn to embrace and unlock it.
Enterprising leaders have long understood that bringing together people of different backgrounds and experiences is both ethically sound and good for business. Companies scoring highly on diversity scales consistently out-perform their less diverse competitors.
Now as a generational shift transforms the workplace – millennials will make up 75 per cent of the global workforce by 2025 – a less visible but increasingly powerful kind of diversity is emerging. Diversity of thought – or cognitive diversity – is being described as ‘the new frontier’ by analysts and academics forecasting advances in leadership development and strategy execution.