Exploring the Benefits of Diversity in the workplace by Joanna Cunningham
In 2022 concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion should be common and shared goals in any workplace.
Joanna Cunningham, an arts leader, based in Waterford, Ireland and living in Waterford, Ireland shares the benefits of diversity in a professional environment.
The Meaning of Diversity
Inclusive workplaces recognise the multiple benefits of including people from a wide variety of ethnic, social, and educational backgrounds. Healthy and high functioning workplaces intentionally employ people from a range of diverse backgrounds and keep a close focus and open mind towards race, age, ethnicity, education, religion, gender, and sexual orientation.
True diversity in a workplace goes beyond the optics of box ticking and strives to achieve a level of inclusion which reflects the demographics of the community in which it operates. Further to this, in order to foster open-mindedness with a view to increasing productivity and harmony, perspectives of all cohorts should be sought in the development of day-to-day operational and policy matters so that true and equal professional practice is achieved.
The Benefits of Diversity
Fresh Perspectives
Evidence shows that diverse perspectives contribute to positive operational and performance outcomes in business. Diverse teams are more productive and have greater capacity to problem-solve. I have found that being open to and approaching problems with an ear to diverse viewpoints will always result in improved outcomes.
Greater Talent Pool
We have found that being diverse in outlook results in attracting a richer talent pool which in turn leads to the establishment of innovative, progressive and solution focused teams.
Enhanced Performance
When people work in diverse and inclusive environments, individuality is celebrated and people feel free to be themselves. This leads to higher achievement levels and greater productivity.
According to Joanna Cunningham, homogenous employee cultures can hamper new and fresh thinking. Evidence has shown that people who work in homogenous work environments feel a pressure to conform. Removing constraints and supporting free thinking and individuality allows employees to enjoy a sense of confidence about themselves and their contribution to their workplace.
Employee Camaraderie
When employees’ backgrounds and contributions are appreciated, a collegial and high functioning atmosphere is fostered. This is achieved, in part, by accepting and celebrating differences. Conversely, supporting and promoting conformity leads to division and can even cause a sense of hostility amongst teams working together. In short happy employees work harder and take their jobs more personally.
Encouraging Communication
Harmony in the workplace can be achieved through good leadership and role modeling.
Diversity Works for Everyone
It is vital that workplaces reflect the diversity of community demographics. The days of single-gender, single-generation, single-race companies are numbered. Organisations which thrive are those that embrace equality, diversity and inclusion and the benefits of this can be seen in the increased productivity, creativity, and innovation which follows.
Joanna Cunningham underscores the need for diversity in today’s workplace. No matter where in the world a company is located, it can maximize its open-ness to a rich, deep and diverse range of perspectives.
Joanna Cunningham, who is from Co. Kildare, Ireland, is the Executive Director of the Watergate Theatre in Kilkenny, Ireland. Joanna graduated from University College Cork with a Bachelor of Music before completing an MA at University of Limerick with a focus on the developmental, social and educational origins of music and its therapeutic potential. Before taking up her post at the Watergate Theatre in 2018 Joanna headed up the Music Programme at Garter Lane Arts Centre, Waterford and before that worked as Deputy Director of the Waterford Healing Arts Trust at Waterford University Hospital. Joanna ran a community arts programme in Ballyfermot, Dublin for 8 years before moving to Waterford in 2010.
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About Joanna Cunningham
Joanna Cunningham, who is from Co. Kildare, Ireland is the Executive Director of the Watergate Theatre in Kilkenny, Ireland. Joanna graduated from University College Cork with a Bachelor of Music before moving on to the University of Limerick where she graduated with a MA in Music with a focus on its social psychology and therapeutic potential.
She has worked at the Watergate Theatre since January 2018. Before this she ran the Music Programme at Garter Lane Arts Centre, Waterford and before this she worked as Deputy Director of Waterford Healing Arts Trust at Waterford University Hospital. Joanna ran a community arts programme in Ballyfermot, Dublin for the first eight years of her career post MA.
The Watergate Theatre contributes to ensuring that Kilkenny is in line with an Ireland which believes that each citizen’s life should be enriched by arts and culture. Within this mission Joanna aims to create opportunities for the local community to engage in high quality arts experiences while working with artists to create these opportunities. Through her work Joanna aims to support the development of the arts locally and to build partnerships through which the Watergate works alongside members of Kilkenny’s artistic and non-artistic communities. Joanna aims to increase the depth of engagement by all community sectors with a particular focus on children and young people.
