Drivers and Barriers of Diversity and Inclusion in Business: Interviews with Nine Field Experts

In an ever-diversifying world, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) strategies must exist in organizations to achieve the potential of positive business and employee outcomes. Businesses must understand how to get diversity and inclusivity in their organization, and how to mitigate the barriers they will face in doing so. Inclusion, “the degree to which individuals feel a part of the critical organizational processes”1 is crucial for employees and organizations to receive the benefits of diversity. In a climate where inclusion is valued, employees show better affective states (e.g. engagement and belonging) and higher organizational commitment2 leading to improved business outcomes. To address a gap in the D&I field, a literature review and interviews with nine field experts were conducted to identify actual drivers and barriers of D&I in business. These responses suggest that inclusion must be looked at through multi-level organizational scrutiny and requires a continual process of analysis. This research contributes business thoughts, strategies, and barriers to fostering inclusion in organizations to the D&I field. These findings are not only compelling for the case for inclusion, but in addition, provide supported D&I practices for businesses that foster inclusion