Why Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) is Important in STEM
If you are not yet familiar with the terms Diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), they can sound like confusing buzzwords that have just recently emerged in our daily lives. Here we look at what DEI means and how it matters to society and the workplace.
Let’s start with a quick rundown of DEI. Authors Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy summed up the essence of DEI with the quote “Diversity is having a seat at the table, inclusion is having a voice, and belonging is having that voice be heard.”
Equity further supports Diversity and Inclusion by adding a significant factor that acknowledges disadvantages that others experience in life and making an effort to address those imbalances.
A brief history of DEI
Although it may seem that DEI ideals just recently emerged, from a historical context, some DEI ideals have actually been around for quite some time. For example, in the 1940s, the U.S. government saw the need to start tackling issues of equal employment, discrimination, and desegregation in order to help our country become more productive in wartime and increase performance.
DEI increasingly became a global movement through strong alignment with people’s moral beliefs. People started recognizing and acknowledging the disparities in society and turned to examine the components of DEI to fix injustices, recognize people as true individuals and let each person have a chance to belong and succeed in a world where people are all different and unique.
In addition to the moral and productivity factors that have helped DEI make headway, there have been increasingly thorough and reputable scientific studies on the positive effects of DEI on the innovation and the success of companies.
Hiring diverse individuals, including their voices, and embedding their meaningful experiences into company operations has made a significant difference in not only improving company key performance metrics but also making a positive impact on how people connect with each other, despite differences, in the workplace which inevitably extends out to their personal lives.
Next up, we look closer at these positive effects of DEI in the workplace.
The key reasons why DEI creates such positive change are representation, innovation, and acceptance. DEI is also essential for sustainable economic growth which affects the future of humanity.
1. Representation
When an organization’s employees reflect their customer base, the company is able to understand and experience the customer’s needs on a profound and intimate level.
They can truly understand and address their customer’s pain points because their employees are a part of the same groups. For example, in order to create a product for ethnically diverse women, it only makes sense to have ethnically diverse women involved in designing the product.
In addition, diverse employees need to have a platform to be seen and heard. This allows them to inspire and interact with their coworkers and feel that they too can have a seat at the table and have their voices heard.
2. A More Innovative Society
STEM encompasses a wide range of professions and industries. But one thing they all have in common is that we identify them with innovation.
STEM provides us with breakthrough medicines that save lives, tech that makes life easier, and a variety of ways to entertain us. Without DEI in STEM, such breakthroughs would not be achievable.
The ability to create something unique, something that has never been done before, is what innovation is all about. Having the ingenuity and bravery to ask new questions and seek out potential answers is what innovation is all about.
A group of people who are all of the same sort is prone to ask the same questions over and over. A group with neurodiversity, on the other side, is more inclined to ask a variety of questions due to the diversity of its members' perspectives and viewpoints.
When it comes to innovation, companies and studies have found that having diverse teams work together results in more creativity which has translated to higher company revenues. An example is a medicinal research.
Synthetic medicine is made by replicating naturally occurring substances in our world. With thousands of years of global civilizations using natural substances such as plants and herbs to cure ailments, the more we are connected to different cultures, the more we know about effective treatments in different parts of the world.
3. Long-Term Economic Growth
Advancements in STEM are not only important for the future of humanity but have also increased economic growth around the world.
Having a strong STEM workforce, therefore, is essential to organizations that are spearheading innovations in vital fields such as clean energy, space exploration, medicine, etc. The STEM workforce needs to be inclusive and equitable to allow for a larger pool of talented individuals to enter the workforce.
Next up, we look at how we can improve DEI in STEM. Improving DEI in STEM needs to start with three components– it needs to be cultivated at the organizational level, at the individual level, and requires accountability.
How to Increase DEI in STEM
Improving DEI in STEM needs to start with three components– it needs to be cultivated at the organizational level, at the individual level, and requires accountability.
As a starting point, organizations need to be able to find a way to access a more diverse talent pool. Working with nonprofit organizations, universities or diverse recruiting companies can help.
Organizations need to also create safe spaces for diverse individuals to network and learn with their peers and individuals in senior-level positions, which can help everyone feel connected and be able to access resources and mentorship. Companies need to create metrics to improve DEI and have the right people in place to be able to create a positive environment of change and make sure the company is accountable for its metrics.
At the individual level, we need to try to look beyond our own lives and experiences and step into perspectives that are different from our own. We can start by making a conscious effort to listen and take in different perspectives.
Although we may hear vastly different ideas, we will always hear the resounding human elements that we can identify with such as sadness, excitement, love, relationships, etc. When we connect on where we are similar, we open our hearts to empathizing on where we may differ.
Recognizing and understanding our different backgrounds can help create a more unified society, starting from the way we treat and connect with our co-workers inside the workplace.
Also, understanding a person’s unique circumstances can help us be more compassionate towards all and cultivate an empathetic tone when we communicate. This is key to being able to effectively communicate with others and thrive together.
Lastly, here are some measures we can work on and hold ourselves and organizations accountable for:
Building inclusive company cultures
Paying employees fairly
Reviewing company policy
Avoiding microaggressions
Identifying our own implicit biases
More representation in education
Having everyone participate
Access to support and mentorship
Having diverse individuals across all levels of the organization
Final Words
Conclusively, DEI is one of the most important factors in unifying humanity and helping us thrive. One of the areas in which we can improve DEI is in STEM fields that have historically had fewer women and ethnic minorities, to name a couple of underrepresented groups.
Starting with the organizational level, effective changes such as DEI metrics and creating a safe space for employees to connect, share, respect, accept and help one another, trickle down to individuals and generate positive ripples in our society as a whole.
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