Beautiful Diversity is a series of management reports issued from our global think l@b. Based on thoughts and analyses shared by innovation experts, it intends to provide managers and professionals with actionable tools to generate innovative products and plans based on their personal and team diversity. 

Diversity as a practice to manage uncertainty

Economic and business disruptions are leading an increasing number of businesses, from various sectors and type, to face daily complex challenges they need to handle on top of developing their business as usual activity. The growth of digital opportunities as well as the exponential impact of new joiners in incumbent markets question the stability of so far known business strategies. Because the trends generating this situation are linked to systemic issues, such as our interconnected economies and related decisions as well as our generational divides and diverging cultural ideals, only systemic approach to change are able to guide businesses in best defining how to innovate.

Diversity is a key element in defining individual value within complex systems affecting and interconnecting a growing variety of ideas and issues. By developing diversity as an innovation practice, project owners, team leaders and stakeholders are able to find the exact skills they need to deliver personal and unique value. In our management report “Diversity as a success story“, we detail the components of inner and outer diversity which can be used to define team, projects and individual diversity profile as a holistic way to scope the combined business and human value of an initiative.

How to build a diversity profile

The objective of building diversity profiles is to understand how skills, ideas and projects can be combined to develop a constructive partnership. Such tool can for example determine what specific role each partner should play and anticipate potential challenges in interacting with other specific members or partners. Diversity profile should outline the human components of our conversations, breaking them down into specific diversity category to define common denominators to build upon. As an example, weareinnovation.org diversity profile would read as follows:

• Words: what type of language is used and why? This blog essentially speaks marketing and strategy language to analyze information so results can be applied by other innovation professionals.
• Context: what are the root causes of this idea? This blog was built among growing opportunities offered by the knowledge economy, dynamic and increasing number of innovation stories shared on other innovation media and open-innovation trends calling for knowledge sharing and interconnection.
• Appearance: how does the way individuals come across play in conversation? By adding visual content and inspiring pictures to analyses, the blog intends to enrich ideas with a positive user experience. The posts, tweets and link to source content from experts are integrated directly into main bodies so readers can understand concepts in more depth and get in learn more from the author.
• Voice: what is the specific tone used and how does it affect information? The management and strategic tone of this blog enables to focus on recommendations and action plans for change. It also lets experts’ opinions contrast with each other to fully reflect diversity on specific trends.
• Will: what is the strategic intent behind this initiative? By analyzing and integrating innovation leadership and best practices into an evolving innovation plan, this blog intends to catalyze change towards commonly desired goals, most of the time addressing complex global issues.
• Body language: how are positions and gestures interpreted across cultures? This blog uses a variety of formats and tools to adapt to the various platforms and social media it uses to reach readers. Social networks potential uniformity, linked to the use of algorithms, is balanced by the use of multiple platforms and opinion, likes, comments from followers (we have a human algorithm in constant development behind the screen ;p)
• Common sense: how does this diversity profile add value combined with others? By consolidating ideas and examples from various sectors and areas of expertise, this blog is able to inspire other innovation practitioners with management, strategy and marketing ideas they can develop to drive change in a commonly desired direction, therefore reaching systemic impact.

By defining and analyzing diversity profiles, team members and project owners are able to articulate shared purposes to achieve objectives. They can also anticipate and build from differences as a way to generate more creativity. The next step is therefore to evaluate how those differences can benefit projects and initiatives by setting action plans aligned with individual and shared values. “Diversity as a success story” offers a step-by-step approach to define such plans.

weareinnovation.org writes the innovation story  developed by thousands of innovation experts around the world on WAI social networks. Browse our knowledge library and read our management reports to learn more.

Photograph: Nirina Photography