You’ve probably heard the saying...

 

diversity is being invited to the party,

inclusion is being asked to dance

 

... coined by Verna Myers, the renowned diversity thought-leader and current Netflix VP of Inclusion Strategy. At Inventum Consulting, we like that saying, but ultimately, understanding Diversity and Inclusion is open to interpretation and can mean different things to different people.

 

 

For us, diversity is about celebrating difference...

 

Different experiences, different ideas and opinions, different viewpoints. What makes us all different are our values, our culture, our personality type and our own personal experiences – these are the ingredients that make us who we are. We can be different because of our gender, our race and ethnicity, our sexuality and gender identity, our religion, our disabilities, our age, our social, cultural and economic experiences. It is also our thinking, our cognitive diversity (or diversity of thought).

 

Some argue, rightly in our view, that all ‘physical’ diversity leads to cognitive diversity simply because our individual uniqueness informs a unique perspective and interpretation of the world around us.  

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For us, inclusion is about the environmental conditions that enables that diversity to thrive...

 

It is a corporate culture that encourages that diversity to live and breathe, to have a voice and to be treated equally. It's about valuing the diversity that exists so that when all opinions, views and ideas are free to come together, it’s the best ones that rise to the top, no matter who expressed them. Its also about ensuring everyone has the same opportunity to have an impact, that everyone is valued for their merits and their personal opportunities for growth, development and success have nothing to do with how they may be different from others.