How Diversity & Inclusion Drives INNOVATION Dr How Diversity & Inclusion Drives INNOVATION Dr. Joyce McClellan Chief Development and Diversity Officer

Who am I… Joyce McClellan Tulsa Tech – Student Services - Placement Division Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Officer Strategic Initiative Team Lead – Improving the Access & Success of our students

Student Services Career Placement Division HIRETULSATECHGRADS.COM Extensive interaction with Industry Partners Employers are now asking us to include D & I in our Career & Job Readiness Training #AppreciateDiversity

Dimensions of Diversity Inherent or Acquired Secondary Dimensions Secondary Dimensions Acquired or changed throughout one’s lifetime Have less impact – still impact self definition Marital Status Education Religious Beliefs Primary Dimensions Differences from birth. Tend to have an impact throughout one’s life Primary Dimensions Age Gender Ethnicity Parental Status Military Experience Person Sexual Orientation Physical Ability Race Geographic Location Work Background Income

Innovation is the Predominate Competitive Game-Changer arameter Can we all agree…? Innovation is the Predominate Competitive Game-Changer arameter

Diversity in the Workplace Generates INNOVATION Diversity can be inherent (traits you are born with) and/or acquired (your experience, background, etc.). Having a strong representation of both types of diversity is considered two-dimensional (2D) diversity, and HP found that companies practicing 2D diversity out-innovate and out-perform others.

A Problem Solving Mastermind Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” The same goes for solving problems in the workplace.

The Ticket to Problem Solving A fresh sets of eyes may be the ticket to problem solving. If you see things in blue, you’ll only look for blue solutions. Your team member may think in yellow and will produce yellow solutions. Add these together and you will find that through collaboration, green was the answer all along.

Harvard Business Review says…Teams Solve Problems Faster When They’re More Cognitively Diverse…

How Diversity Drives INNOVATION New research provides compelling evidence that diversity unlocks innovation and drives market growth Appreciating Diversity & Inclusion creates the environment where “outside the box” ideas are heard and embraced Inclusive leadership sets the tone for courage & innovation Value and solicit all voices – by the 3rd meeting Have courage to fail

10 Benefits of Diversity & Innovation

INNOVATION Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI-nnqUcYSg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yflSZODY6YU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quAoIYo8AKc

Ms. Carla Harris – Vice Chairman Morgan Stanley Diversity is imperative to innovation: “If you need a lot of ideas in the room, you need a lot of perspectives in a room, ideas are born from perspectives.” “If you need a lot of perspectives in the room, you need a lot of experiences in the room, because perspectives are born from experiences.” “If you need a lot of experiences in the room, you must start with a lot of different people in the room because experiences are born from people...”

How Diversity Fosters INNOVATION Hiring a team of individuals with diverse backgrounds is not only an ethical business move, it’s strategic. Creating a more diverse workplace helps keep your team members’ biases in check. Diverse teams are more likely to reexamine facts and preconceived assumptions and challenge entrenched ways of thinking.

Impediments to INNOVATION…Bias/Blind Spots Our Perception: how we see people and perceive reality Our Attitude: how we react towards certain people Our Behaviors: how friendly/receptive we are towards certain people

Bias/Blind Spots… Our Attention: which aspects of a person we pay most attention to Our Listening Skills: how much we actively listen to what certain people say Our Affirmations: how much or how little we affirm, validate, or comfort certain people

Different Generations

Stages of Diversity Awareness & Appreciation Highest Level of Awareness Integration Multicultural attitude Will embrace and appreciate differences Stages of Diversity Awareness & Appreciation Adaptation Able to shift from one cultural perspective to another Able to empathize with those of other cultures Acceptance Accepts behavioral differences and underlying differences in values Recognizes validity of other ways of thinking and perceiving the world Minimizing Differences Hides or trivializes cultural differences Focuses on similarities among all peoples Defense Perceives threat against one’s comfortable worldview Uses negative stereotyping Assumes own culture superior Denial Parochial view of the world Source: Based on M. Bennett, “A developmental Approach to Training for Intercultural Sensitivity,” International journal of Intercultural relations 10 (1986), 176-196. No awareness of cultural differences In extreme cases, may claim other cultures are subhuman Lowest Level of Awareness

In closing… https://youtu.be/M5JcGo3FCyk

3 things… Now, what are 3 things you can do to be more INNOVATIVE by appreciating, celebrating, and being a more inclusive organization?

Thank you