For any organization to compete and thrive in today’s changing competitive world, they need to understand that diversity has to be at the forefront. Furthermore, diversity must be regarded as a business entity!

Now what is diversity? If you were to ask 200 people for their definition of diversity and you  are probable to receive a diversity of responses. Chances are many of these answers will affect affirmative action policies or address specific groups of people.

This is because when people reflect on the issue of diversity, they do so from their own perspective, from their personal experiences, which are often  biased.  In matter of fact, it is guaranteed to be biased.

When we think of diversity, we think of diversity as being a co-existence of different ethnic  backgrounds and genders.

The reality is that a co-existence of ethnic backgrounds and genders is just the beginning, so what it truly means to be in a diverse workplace. However, we are each  more than our gender and our ethnic background.

Now ask yourself what diversity means to you. Would you consider your current workplace diverse? You might be thinking, “yes” my workplace is diverse because there are people from all backgrounds. You might be right, but true diversity only occurs when people from all backgrounds are getting the same wages, and are given equal opportunity to climb the corporate ladder, and  not staying at the bottom of the totem pole.

Furthermore, people from all backgrounds including women must be represented in the boardroom where decisions are made for the company to be productive and profitable.