Diversity

“To get real diversity of thought, you need to find the people who genuinely
hold different views and invite them into the conversation.”
~ Adam Grant 

Diversity

“Diversity is a term that refers to the variety of different perspectives represented on a team…The term represents a broad range of experiences, including gender, sex, socioeconomic background, upbringing, religion, education, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, neurodiversity, and life experience.”  

~ Better Up 

Embracing a diverse work environment is part of the Lab’s five stewardship values.

WE COLLABORATE ACROSS BOUNDARIES

We recognize that innovative solutions to complex problems arise from a diversity of thought, approaches, experiences, and roles. Our tradition of inclusion dates to our founding director E.O. Lawrence, who pioneered the practice of team science for large, complex scientific challenges.

Dimensions of Diversity

Internal diversity:
Internal diversity refers to any trait or characteristic that a person is born with. These might include sex, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, or physical ability.  These are often demographic groups and many are protected characteristics.

External diversity:
External diversity includes any attribute, experience, or circumstance that helps to define a person’s identity — but is not something that they were born with. Examples include socioeconomic status, education, marital status, religion, appearance, or location. These characteristics are often influenced by others and may change over time. They’re considered external since they can be consciously changed.

Organizational diversity:
Differences in job function, work experience, seniority, department, or management level are referred to as organizational diversity. Often, entire departments or levels of a company can be homogeneous — that is, everyone looks the same, comes from the same background, or has the same experience. 

Worldview diversity:
Worldview diversity encompasses a broad range of beliefs, political affiliations, culture, and travel experiences. A person's worldview, or perspectives, contributes to an innovative, inclusive work environment that is forward-focused. Anything that influences the way we interpret and view the world is part of worldview diversity.

(Source: Better Up - What diversity really means, and why it’s crucial in the workplace)

Benefits of Diversity

Increased creativity and innovation
A diverse workforce brings together individuals with different backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and problem-solving approaches. This diversity of thought fosters creativity and leads to innovative solutions. Diverse teams are more likely to generate fresh ideas and develop unique approaches to challenges.

Improved decision-making
When teams consist of diverse individuals, decision-making processes are enriched. Diverse perspectives enable a more comprehensive analysis of problems and a consideration of different viewpoints. This can lead to better-informed decisions and minimize the potential for groupthink.

Enhanced problem-solving
Different backgrounds and experiences offer alternative approaches to problem-solving, resulting in more robust and effective solutions. Diverse perspectives challenge assumptions and encourage critical thinking.

Increased employee engagement and retention
Inclusive workplaces that value diversity foster a sense of belonging and create an environment where employees feel respected and valued for their unique contributions. This inclusivity boosts employee morale, satisfaction, and engagement, ultimately increasing retention rates and reducing turnover.

(Source: Better Up - What diversity really means, and why it’s crucial in the workplace)

LinkedIn Learning Shorts 

To access LinkedIn Learning courses, sign in with your Berkeley Lab ID/Password.

LinkedIn Learning Full Courses

Foundations of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging  (39 min)

In this course highlights how you can play an important role in diversity, equity and inclusion. The presenter explains key terminology and the business case for diversity, then dives into best practices for diversity, inclusion, belonging, and equity. She covers how biases can impact recruiting and hiring, as well as the importance of inclusive communication, sponsorship, and mentorship. She goes over why belonging matters, how to interrupt microaggressions, how to evaluate your organization for transparency and accountability, and much more.

Self Reflection 

This self assessment from Washington College gives you an opportunity to reflect on your cultural competency in terms of self-awareness, knowledge, skills. The self-assessment begins on page 2. 

This is a tool and not a test. It's designed to help you identify areas of strength and areas that need further development. Remember that cultural competence and inclusion are a process, and that learning occurs on a continuum and over a life time. We're all learning - don't forget to give yourself grace when you take the self-assessment.

Cultural Competence Self-Assessment Tool

Berkeley Lab Shorts

Berkeley Lab employees share their thoughts on how diversity enriches the workplace by having people share their different viewpoints and experiences. 

Diversity of people, backgrounds, cultures, and ways of thinking lead to more innovative solutions which is important in finding solutions to the world’s top science challenges. Berkeley Lab’s Chief Diversity Officer Lady Idos has reflective questions for teams to explore about diversity.

Diverse perspectives are critical to innovation, particularly in science, since everyone views a problem through their own lens. It is only when you combine these diverse perspectives that you get a full picture according to Inder Monga, Division Director, Scientific Networking/ESNet at Berkeley Lab.