Diversity? We’re all 99.5% the same…

But thank goodness we vary by up to 0.5%!

Genetically all humans are 99.5% the same (Ventner Institute) but those genes which do vary can have a huge impact on us and our appearance, preferences and characters. The exact impact of genes is very much still research in progress and views, as is normal in developing science, vary; but most agree that many aspects of ‘us’ are significantly impacted by our genetic makeup. This includes things like how risk adverse we are, how we react to stress and even things like IQ, personality and beliefs (Prof Tim Spector).

It is wonderful that we do vary. However much you might love your favourite breakfast cereal, quinoa salad lunch and sausage & mash for dinner you wouldn’t want to eat just one of them for every meal for the rest of your life or even the same three things every day. So the fact we look, act, think, feel and believe differently is a wonderful thing - it makes the world a glorious technicolour dreamcoat rather than a drab grey blanket.

But unfortunately far too many of us, indeed sub-consciously probably all of us, focus significantly more attention on these variations. Why do we worry so much about the 0.5%, rather than loving and connecting with the 99.5% similarity?  

Diversity of thinking and opinions is proven to make teams operate better and businesses deliver improved returns, e.g. the McKinsey 2019 report which demonstrated top quartile gender diversity companies performed 25% better than bottom quartile and in ethnic diversity the difference was even greater at 36%. This makes sense when you consider that a wide range of opinions and experience make it both more likely that you’ll identify the optimum solution as well as meet you customers’ needs.

So the 0.5% difference is important, really important. But the moment we start not recruiting, promoting, considering the opinions of or communicating openly with another person because of their appearance, age, gender, sexuality, beliefs, disability, ethnicity, background or experience we are putting the 0.5% ahead of the 99.5%. That makes no sense, and given diversity improves outcomes it is worse than that - it actually harms us and our organisations.

Therefore we should all do three things:

1.      Remember everyone we ever engage with is 99.5% the same as us and treat them as such

2.     Consider what we can do to make sure our organisations not only value but encourage diversity

3.     Challenge ourselves on where we see difference and miss the overwhelming similarity

Sustainability is all about people as well as planet (and profit in a business context), hope you’ve found this interesting and remember…

Keep Kissing Sustainability Simon xx