8 ways diversity and inclusion help teams perform better

“The key outcome all employees are driving for is respect,” says Cox. “I encourage leaders to focus on this. You can define what respect looks like and what the lack of it — disrespect — looks like. If you look at Pew Research data, disrespect is one of the top three reasons why people voluntarily leave.”

More relevant products

“If the people building your technology don’t have an appreciation and understanding for the culture of your buyers, you’re not going to optimize your investment,” says Palomarez.

This can cover everything from the spoken and written language to the actual product ideas. If your team doesn’t have lived experience of the people in the markets you serve, you will miss something. You might miss many things. There are so many examples of this in AI development that it is affecting the development and application of the technology.

If, for example, no one on your team has any lived experience around disability, you will probably miss a larger market than you think.

“A lot of the work we do is around accessibility and digital inclusion,” says Hilary Stephenson, managing director at nexer digital. “People typically look at technology as designed for the majority and then look at edge cases. We flip that model. We design for the needs of disabled people, people who aren’t as confident, can’t afford Wi-Fi, or don’t trust digital services. If we design for them, we have a better chance of meeting the needs of everybody because everyone is aging or might break an arm or leg. We often think of accessibility as a niche thing for disabled people, but we all have access needs.”

Improved engagement

If you build a team that is inclusive, that welcomes a diverse group of people and works to make sure that the women, people of color, LGBTQ people, and those with disabilities are comfortable and able to bring their authentic selves to the workplace, those people will not be wasting mental energy protecting themselves, hiding, or navigating toxicity. And neither will anyone else.

“When you build your team to cater to the people who have the most needs, you inadvertently make your team that much stronger for everybody else that might be experiencing something momentarily,” says Allen. “You have a framework that’s been built to foster a positive work environment for anybody who might be struggling.”

The systems you have built to create a welcoming culture for everyone, serves everyone on the team, often in ways you can’t see until everyone is free to be who they are. “If you’re distracted about not being able to be authentic,” says Allen, “you’re taking up bandwidth and energy that otherwise could be going to doing your job extremely well.”