Completing a project efficiently and on time is vital to the success of any project. It is also important to consider the diversity of a project management team, according to the Project Management Institute’s 2020 Pulse of the Profession® in-depth report, “A Case for Diversity.” Almost 90% of project professionals who responded to the survey agree that diverse teams, both in culture and gender, increase the overall value of a project, while 83% said international team members also contribute to project value.
Even during the Coronavirus pandemic, project managers and project management teams should have diversity and inclusion at the forefront when planning a new project for any business.
What Is the Difference Between Diversity & Inclusion?
The terms diversity and inclusion can be used interchangeably, but they mean very different things. Simply put, diversity is the practice of adding different races, ages, sexual orientations, genders, and other classifications to a company’s workforce. Human resource departments may strive to meet a certain diversity quota to ensure that the employees have diverse attributes. While diversity in an organization is valuable, it means little without inclusion. Inclusion is how a company’s culture encourages people of all backgrounds to participate and ensure that everyone’s contributions are listened to, valued, and implemented.
Why are Diversity & Inclusion Important in Project Management?
With any project, the input and perspective of others are important to getting the project done correctly. If everyone on a project management team is the same age, gender, race, and has the same type of background, a completed project may not be relevant to a significant part of the company. The true success of a project can be measured by the project manager’s ability to include international, intergenerational, and other inputs and recognize the immense benefits that they can provide.
Strategies to Implement Inclusion
If you are managing the implementation of inclusion throughout your organization, the PMI report suggests applying these key strategies:
- Create a bold action plan that encourages C-level executives to get involved. Change begins from the top down.
- Build a formal mentorship program in the organization. Encourage female leaders to mentor new female employees and help them thrive in their career.
- According to the Pulse survey, only 18% of respondents said their organization has a mentorship program to develop female project managers.
- Form distributed teams that pull in people from all backgrounds and areas of the company to discuss the new inclusion practices.
- Utilize technology to encourage communication. Especially during COVID-19, the workforce is spread out among remote locations. Technology helps bridge that communication gap.
- According to PMI research, 73% of respondents said the use of mobile texting applications to communicate with clients and colleagues has increased compared to five years ago.
The amount of diversity and inclusion within your company can affect an outsider’s perception of the business, particularly among newer recruits. The PMI report states that Generation Z respondents in a 2019 Deloitte report indicated that diversity was one of their top five concerns about a place of employment.
How to Encourage Inclusion During the Coronavirus Lockdown
The Coronavirus pandemic has caused many businesses to rethink how employees work together. Perhaps more than ever before, employees are working remotely, which means inclusion could be suffering in the name of efficiency. According to the PMI report, which referenced a 2020 study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity, 27% of companies have put all or most of their diversity and inclusion initiatives on hold because of the pandemic. As The Project Economy evolves, PMI recommends that organizations continue to recruit diverse candidates and include them on project teams.
According to the PMI report, “with a future focus on the post-pandemic world, investing in diversity and inclusion will give organizations a much-needed competitive edge as they explore new work ecosystems and chart their path forward.”
Looking to Help Make a Difference in Project Management?
Florida Tech offers an MBA in Project Management degree program that emphasizes the importance of effectively leading a project team through the project management lifecycle. Learn more about our project management degree program and start making a difference by contributing to diversity and inclusion in your organization.