Dr. Catherine Ball

Want to put a bet on a business? Invest? Buy shares? A start-up is doing a ‘friends and family’ round of funding? Could there be just one metric alone that could give you an indicator of performance for your possible investment? Some people believe there is, and they call it ‘diversity’. More diverse companies are more stable; plus female founded businesses gives, on average the best return on every dollar invested. Diverse companies not only are more successful, they are also happier places to work at and have better staff retention.

If these ideas are true, then why is it that only approximately 2% of global venture capital goes to female founded businesses. In the top 100 share indices across the world you’re more likely to find a bloke called Richard in charge than a woman at the top of the table. Some companies unbelievably still have all male boards. Is this something you ever check when making large purchasing decisions?

Diversity is not just about gender. If you’re sat around the table and looking back at you are people who look, speak, were educated, or live the same kind of life as you, then ‘Houston, we have a problem’. Diversity and inclusion in the corporate world can seem like an uphill battle. Diversity is being asked to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance. Just numbers are not going to make the difference, the final push towards equality will be a change in culture, where differences equal corporate strength.

Look to mother nature, diversity is directly related to ecosystem health: The same is in the business world. Engage with the idea of 2D diversity, which means you can increase your own diversity quotient by training in a new language, learning to dance, picking up a card game or chess, and hanging out with people different to yourself. Travel broadly, try new things, and broaden your horizons in ways that translate to better performance at work.