Definition of Diversity and Types

In an online article from SHRM, diversity is described as "the similarities and differences between individuals, accounting for all aspects of one's personality and individual identity." Within any given population, these aspects of personality and identity may take differing forms. This means that the application of diversity may vary from organization to organization and country to country.

Some organizations look to expand their application of diversity into new areas in a growing list of identity groups: race, religion, gender, culture, ethnic background, age, thought (which refers to the unique perspectives an individual brings), and so on. Others may change how they view the whole concept of diversity. They may move from viewing diversity defensively as a matter of legal or ethical compliance to viewing it strategically as a valuable asset that an organization can use to compete.

HR organizations responsible for workforces in different countries must be aware of differing legal standards, measures, and requirements. Many countries, for example, have laws prohibiting employment discrimination, though they may function differently, so a multinational organization must be aware of the specifics in every country in which it operates.

Three Types of Diversity

When considering diversity, it is important to consider these three types.

Legacy diversity. Generally, traits that are easily recognizable and visible, such as external physical characteristics. Culture, ethnicity/race, nationality, gender, physical attributes, age, and language are all examples of legacy diversity traits.

Experiential diversity. Diversity based on lived experiences, for example, where an employee grew up, where they went to school, and other life experiences (family, hobbies, interests). Employees with similar or shared experiences can form connections and work well together. At the same time, these bonds can result in the formation of cliques, which can have an exclusionary effect in some cases.

Thought diversity. Diversity based on different perspectives, resulting from education and socioeconomic background. Introducing thought diversity can help guard against "group think," inject new insights into decision making, and help identify prime candidates to tackle urgent problems and issues.