What are the benefits of diverse teams and inclusion?

"People who do not have to hide their identity, feel accepted, and find meaning in their work are healthier, more efficient, and more creative," says Emilia Rüttinger. She works in the HR department of the asset manager MEAG and focuses on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). We talk to her about the benefits companies gain from pursuing diversity goals, and the considerations MEAG has in this area. In a previous interview, Emilia discussed how she has freed up 70 percent of her energy.

Emilia, you work in the HR department at MEAG and you handle DEI—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion topics. What exactly do you do?
I deal with the various dimensions of diversity among people at MEAG. These include gender, age, ethnic origin, culture, or language, as well as the needs of people with disabilities and those of the LGBTQIA+ community. Balancing work and family life is also an important issue, so it's part of my task.

What is MEAG's focus in this regard?
The concept of equity is about granting people access to resources, such as accessibility for people with limited physical mobility or language courses for foreign citizens, thereby enabling equal opportunities in the professional world. Needs can vary greatly, so the solutions are correspondingly individual. Inclusion means creating an environment where everyone can show their authentic identity and unfold their strengths while feeling accepted. I develop all of this together with my colleagues in HR. Additionally, I focus on wellbeing and health, important components of our DEI strategy.

We, the Fondsfrauen, advocate for diverse teams and are often asked how this benefits the companies. From your HR perspective, what advantage do you see in diverse teams? What does it bring to the companies and the people who work there?
Diverse teams are demonstrably more successful because they combine different perceptions and ways of thinking. This makes it easier to evaluate topics from different perspectives and thus make better decisions. Furthermore, members of diverse teams learn from each other's different viewpoints and skills, and a learning organization typically develops faster and more evolutionarily. This benefits not only individual employees but also the entire organization. This is especially crucial in an increasingly complex world as a key factor for success. Additionally, diverse teams and organizations also attract talent on a broader scale, which is advantageous for all involved.

Let's stay with gender diversity: How is communication different in diverse teams compared to all-male or all-female teams?
In diverse teams, there is more variety of topics and different viewpoints, which then influence communication. However, I think one cannot generalize based on gender alone. There are certainly men with behaviors and abilities traditionally attributed more to women, and vice versa. The world is not binary, and this is what makes it so interesting. Beyond the gender question, I would always advise that teams should be diverse in several dimensions to maximize the benefits from different skills.

Diversity and inclusion are often mentioned in the same sentence. Inclusion is not always easy... how do you think it can succeed?
Inclusion describes the feeling of belonging and being comfortable showing one's authentic self. This is a powerful engine for development, from which all sides benefit. People who feel accepted and find meaning in their work are healthier, more efficient, and more creative. This is achieved all the more effectively the more the environment includes individuals.

How can inclusion be promoted in a company?
Achieving inclusion requires raising awareness in the environment. This includes becoming aware of unconscious biases, on which better decision-making strategies can be based, with 'Awareness Trainings' being very helpful. At the same time, it is essential to recognize the added value of diverse teams to make it the basis of one's intrinsic actions. Once this is understood, an inclusive environment is usually also actively promoted. Finally, all measures that fall under 'equity' are also part of this.

In this context, what does 'equity' mean?
Since women often face different or additional challenges compared to their male colleagues, specific support is advisable, such as flexible working hours to better accommodate pregnancy and childcare, solutions for a smooth re-entry into the job, and ideally equal career opportunities.

What potential can be unleashed when inclusion succeeds?
A very large one! This goes far beyond the potential of gender inclusion and encompasses all dimensions of diversity. Inclusion can unleash the full potential of individuals, make teams more efficient, lead to a faster-learning organization, which in turn becomes more competitive. Additionally, inclusive companies attract talent more easily, which further develops the organization successfully.

What are you doing at MEAG specifically to promote diversity and inclusion?
We are convinced that a holistic approach to DEI, which considers the needs of all, works best. Therefore, it is important to excite everyone in the organization about the opportunities for all. Only then does it unleash its full power. We focus on awareness and information at MEAG to create an understanding of the potential of DEI. Based on this, we develop solutions for the specific needs of our employees. It is encouraging that our networks of employees, which we support from HR, are highly engaged. Together, we have used Global Awareness Days, for example, to address relevant topics company-wide, gain allies, and initiate dialogues. Our women's network is very active and drives several great projects that deal with networking, visibility, knowledge transfer and innovation, or mentoring. Moreover, the network continuously organizes exciting panel discussions in-house, creating spaces for communication and networking. A great initiative was also the establishment of permanent peer counseling on LGBTQIA+ topics, created by the Pride Network. The needs of people with disabilities are equally important to us. Here, we cooperate with myAbility, a social enterprise that advocates for a fair and barrier-free society. It is also important to us that we offer continuous learning opportunities. The further development of our talent identification and development potential continues to be a major item on our agenda.

In practice, however, there are still some cases where inclusion does not succeed, not even in the area of gender diversity, let alone the others. Do you think men intentionally exclude women, or are they just doing their thing?
In my experience, this usually happens unconsciously, at least when it comes to gender-specific topics and interests, and this applies to both sides. Or also based on still unconscious assumptions, which is why one gender or the other does not feel included in a discussion. De-biasing training and education about the strengths of the other gender can greatly help. It becomes critical when the other gender is excluded from discussions due to discrimination or prejudices. Therefore, it is important to recognize disadvantages in any form in the company early on, to have clear rules, and to have methods for conflict resolution at hand.

What would you like to tell women to help them do their job better and perhaps be overall more satisfied with themselves and their environment?
In the sense of "be yourself and free yourself," live your own identity and enjoy it. Not to bend oneself to meet others' expectations. I believe authenticity is the strongest trait for being successful and happy. And to become aware of the special strengths one has as a woman, what makes one unique, to develop one's own "brand" or USPs. As a tip, I would suggest using networks and all offers to develop one's own personality and visibility. These can be mentorships, coachings, exchanges with other women through internal and external networks, but also finding the courage to not always have to be perfect when trying things out—something that men sometimes find easier.

As a woman in a still male-dominated industry, one must learn how to assert oneself. How should women assert themselves, for example, in team meetings?
Meetings in male-dominated domains are often dominated by male communication. I particularly noticed this when the volume, pitch, and timbre of my voice changed after voice surgery. I felt less heard. The female language is different in terms of emphasis, sentence construction, or pauses. Men tend to have a more monotonous voice, while women use intonation much more. If a woman pauses between two sentences, this is sometimes used by male colleagues to jump in and take over the conversation. These things should be addressed personally in dialogue after a meeting. However, the discussion culture in the team often also needs to be worked on. Here, the managers are called upon. Conversely, I am convinced that women have specific potentials to assert themselves in discussions without having to pretend or adopt male behaviors. Body language is also an important tool, which is often underestimated. Training opportunities are available here, which are also gladly taken advantage of by men.

Thank you for the interesting conversation, Emilia, and the many great suggestions!