What are the 6 best strategies for working with diversity?
John Thompson
Published Feb 18, 2026
6 Strategies for Leveraging Diversity in Your Organization
- Set a clear, inclusive vision.
- Increase the quality and quantity of conversations occurring between managers and direct reports.
- Walk the talk.
- Turn the organizational hierarchy upside-down.
- Consider the whole person.
- Increase involvement.
What is D&I?
Diversity and Inclusion (or D&I) is an approach taken by organizations to building diverse teams and promoting an inclusive workplace, in order to set underrepresented groups up for success. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Diversity & Belonging, and other variations are also common.
What is diversity in a workplace?
Diversity in the workplace refers to a workforce comprised of individuals of race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, physical ability, and other demographics. When considering your diversity goals, it’s important to break down specifically what diversity, equity, and inclusion gaps you have in your workforce.
What are the different types of diversity in the workplace?
There are four different types of diversity: internal, external, organizational, and worldview—and you should aim to represent them all. Keep reading to learn more about each one and how diversity affects the workplace.
How do you promote diversity?
Strategies to Promote Inclusiveness
- Acknowledge Differences.
- Offer Implicit Bias Training — for Everyone.
- Provide Mentors.
- Let People Learn by Doing.
- Encourage Personal Evaluation.
- Ask Questions.
- Value All Diversity.
How do you build diversity?
How to build diversity in the workplace?
- Leverage diverse job boards.
- Offer targeted internships and scholarships.
- Highlight diversity on your career site.
- Reward diverse referrals.
- Have a diverse interview panel.
- Unconscious bias training for recruiters.
- Create diversity friendly policies.
- Reassess employee benefits.
Why is diversity so important?
Diversity brings in new ideas and experiences, and people can learn from each other. Bringing in different ideas and perspectives leads to better problem-solving. Working in diverse teams opens dialogue and promotes creativity. The value of diversity is true for our culture, too.
How can we promote diversity in the workplace?
How do you work with diversity?
5 Tips for Dealing Better with Workplace Diversity
- Redefine, and recognize the many types of diversity.
- Redefine discrimination, and clamp down on all its forms.
- Celebrate diversity in all ways possible.
- Keep reaching out.
- Don’t assume people understand your jokes.
How can leaders support diversity?
Make inclusion and diversity updates a standing agenda item at your regular leadership team meetings. Share stories as well as numbers. Set and provide clear expectations of advancement and consequences. Reward and communicate progress broadly.
What are the benefits of diversity in society?
The benefits of living in a diverse society are:
- it promotes tolerance and understanding between different cultures;
- it enriches our community through shared experiences with different people;
- it attracts more money to our economy through the growth of different businesses;
What are key areas of diversity?
key areas of diversity and their characteristics, including:
- culture, race, ethnicity.
- disability.
- religious or spiritual beliefs.
- gender, including transgender.
- intersex.
- generational.
- sexual orientation/sexual identity – lesbian, gay, bisexual, heterosexual.
Why is diversity important in workplace?
A diverse workplace is an important asset, since it acknowledges the individual strengths of each employee and the potential they bring. Valuing the differences of others is what ultimately brings us all together and can be the secret to a successful, thriving workplace and a fair work culture.