Over the past few years it seems our society has finally come to accept the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion. Of course there are still people here and there afraid of the changes taking place, but the reality is organisations cannot afford not to take action

 

Attitudes aren’t just changing because there is evidence that diverse workforces are more successful, though they are, or because Millennials and Gen Zedders prefer them, though they do. Instead fostering welcoming attitudes and building teams that represent all parts of society is now just seen as the right thing to do. It’s normal.

 

Still, this isn’t the time for us to relax and pat ourselves on the back, in fact, at The GC Index we think that it is time to look beyond this foundational level and truly embrace inclusivity and the benefits it can bring. Though it is of course important to see that all people are represented in our workplaces, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities or any other trait, we need to do more than just make sure they are represented, we need to give them a chance to thrive.

 

Here at The GC Index we firmly believe that everyone is capable of making a positive impact and that it is by that impact that they should be judged. It is about creating an environment where everyone is able to contribute and, once you’ve done that, you can reap rewards which will keep your company thriving in the years ahead.

The GC Index

 So how does The GC Index fit in to all this? Well, we call the Index an ‘Organimetric’ and what this means is that we work with individuals, teams and organisations to help people understand the different ways in which they work and the different ways they can make an impact. The ultimate aim is to provide a common language that allows people to communicate effectively as they make better business decisions and build a platform where everyone can contribute.

The GC Index® has been developed so that it works across all industries and for all types of roles – in fact you don’t even have to be in the workplace to gain something from it. It works completely independently of technical skills and, as such, helps create a level playing field so that everyone can make that positive impact.

 

Of course, things don’t stop at the individual level. The GC Index® and The Young People Index can also help us understand relationships better and explain the make-up of a team, helping everyone involved recognise their own strengths and weaknesses as well those of the whole. This can be vital in working out where a team might be lacking or where it is unbalanced. A proper understanding of all of this helps create a better balance and ultimately improves performance.

Balancing and understanding teams in this way is something that good managers have always striven to do, and great managers have sometimes achieved it! But at The GC Index our goal is to make framework and common language easily accessible for everyone to use, applied consistently across organisations and in learning environments so that everyone can make that all important impact.

 

Driving diversity

So how does all of this tie into diversity? Research shows companies that prioritise true equality are more financially successful and are seen as more desirable places to work. But that does mean understanding what true equality means and actually embracing it, not just ticking what we consider to be the right boxes.

 

Diversity is understanding, accepting, and valuing the differences that people bring to the company, regardless of race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation or any other variation such as education, personality and experiences.

 

Inclusion, meanwhile, is the development of a collaborative, supportive, and respectful environment, boosting the involvement and input of each person.

When you combine the two together there is a clear goal for your company to work towards, something that will come together to provide a competitive advantage. Of course, attracting talent and building a diverse workforce is only the first step, you also need to consistently employ best practice to continue to reap the benefits, that means treating all employees fairly, providing a level approach to opportunities and appointing leaders that are passionate about diversity across all levels.

Beyond this companies that truly embrace diversity make good use of collaboration and teamwork, they prioritise creativity and innovation and they use of collaborative conflict resolution processes. Being this sort of agile, responsive and flexible organisation should be seen as much more than just an HR initiative and more a top-to-bottom business approach.

When you combine the advantages of this behaviour with the insight offered by The GC Index® you can build a business that is diverse and successful, a place where people are happy to work and, say it with me, where everyone has a chance to make their best possible impact.

To find out more about our framework please contact us at info@TheGCIndex.com