Diversity in tech is crucial. For tech companies, nurturing and actively supporting a workforce of diverse talent is now a ‘non-negotiable’ – particularly if they are looking to develop meaningful technology that positively impacts the lives of a wider spectrum of people.

In a sector that is set to play an increasing role in solving some of the biggest challenges we face as a species – recently brought into sharp focus by the COP26 negotiations in Glasgow – ‘groupthink’ is likely to be one of our biggest enemies.

Not only is nurturing and investing in inclusion and diversity the right thing to do, it’s also good for business too. I for one truly believe that taking positive action on the issue has been a cornerstone in my company’s explosive growth – AND Digital, which is now one of Europe’s fastest growing companies.

Below I share some thoughts and examples as to how we’ve invested in diversity to drive a growth mindset.

Transcending perception blindness 

At its most simplistic level, the global tech community is one of problem solvers. Although we use sophisticated technology to solve these often complex problems, it’s the very powerful human attributes like creativity, perception, logic and reasoning that are the real fuel for digital breakthroughs.

Following this logic, it’s no surprise that technology alone will only ever take us so far. If you have an industry that has the same technology and a homogenous workforce operating it, then we can only ever produce ‘one size fits all’ solutions to the problems we’re trying to solve.

As living organisms, each and every one of us is shaped by our environment and lived experiences. We each interpret and perceive our world differently from one another. When it comes to tackling challenges, having multiple ways of seeing the same problem is a huge benefit and will only ever lead to the most effective solutions being produced.

In short, diversity and inclusion are key ingredients in developing what is known as a ‘growth mindset’. Not only will they prevent the onset of perception blindness in an organisation, they’ll bring a whole raft of cultural, organisational and growth benefits in the long term.

Diversity in tech: Still work to do?

So, given the potential benefits and advantages that an enlightened approach to diversity can bring, you would expect the tech sector to be fully invested, right?

Unfortunately, recent research from Tech Nation shows that there’s still work to be done. In its recent report, Diversity and inclusion in UK tech companies, the organisations found that only 22% of directors in tech are women – this decreasing to 13% in the gaming sector – with only 19% of overall tech workers women.

When it comes to attracting international leadership, the UK tech industry fairs only slightly better, with tech directorships being held by 18% of people with a non-UK nationality – this is compared to only 13% in the wider economy. This is higher than the proportion of non-UK nationals working in the tech sector – which is 15% compared to 10% across the whole of the UK economy.

These stats only offer a tiny snapshot of the work to be done in relation to gender and geographical/cultural origin. For instance, we all exist with differences across a myriad of determining factors including – but not limited to – sexual orientation, religious/spiritual beliefs, race/ethnicity, age, disability, and socio-economic background.

So, what action can organisations take to ensure they’re unlocking the benefits of a diverse culture?

Deeds not just words  

We know that a small ‘diversity commitment paragraph’ on a website certainly won’t cut it for those companies on the hunt for digital talent. As a result, AND has been taking positive action.

For a starter, we know that curious, talented minds can come from all sorts of places. That’s why we’re involved in a number of initiatives that work at the grassroots level to ensure we’re not only attracting the diverse talent we need today, but laying the foundations for tomorrow’s needs too.

One initiative I’m particularly proud of is our work with the charity Code Your Future, which sees us providing refugees with the training and support they need to succeed as developers in the industry.

As well as providing some wider societal impact to people in need, we’re also futureproofing our business by providing a pathway to success for people that could add innumerable life experience and value to what we do here at AND.

AND is also looking to encourage more females – a really underrepresented group in the tech community – into the industry through two initiatives. Firstly, our involvement with Code First Girls sees ANDis (the collective name for our people) deliver free courses in coding to women right across the country, teaching them the fundamentals of modern web development.

In addition, we’ve invested heavily into our AND She Can programme. This initiative is designed to inspire girls and women to consider a career in technology, by providing real insights into tech careers, guidance and inspiration from women role models who are already working in the industry. Naturally, this complements the work we do with Code First Girls.

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As well as looking externally, we also do a lot internally to ensure we are held accountable when it comes to issues of diversity. For instance, we give one of our ANDis a place on the AND Digital Board. As part of their year’s tenure, they are in essence acting as a voice for the rest of the company, and holding the senior leadership team to account on issues of representation, diversity and fairness.

We also have a lot of support groups set up which actively meet to talk about the issues currently affecting them, and the ideas they have to bolster inclusion and diversity across the organisation.

Presently we have a selection of groups including: Women in tech, BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic), LGBTQ+, Working Parents, and a Distinguishing Differences group which focuses on issues relating to neurodiversity and disability.

Our Social Responsibility, Ethics and Inclusion committee also meets regularly to ensure we’re continually evolving our policy as a company in-line with ANDi needs and expectations.

Fostering growth through cognitive diversity 

Part of AND’s success to date has been built on its ability to nurture and support the internal cognitive differences between each and every individual too.

Here comes the science bit. Based on the HBDI whole brain thinking model, each and every ANDi’s cognitive functioning is split into four distinct quadrants, these being: analytical, relational, practical, experimental. To ascertain how each individual learns, thinks and operates within this quadrant, we ask each new recruit to take a short questionnaire on joining.

As you’d expect, all our ANDis have varying degrees of each of these core ingredients, some may be more analytical than practical; others may be more confident when it comes to being experimental than they are when it comes to exerting relational influence.

By gaining some insight into the diverse cognitive make-up of our people, we’ve been able to tailor our business goals, operations and educational opportunities to ensure our way of doing things remains vibrant, multifaceted, optimised and free from perception blindness.

In fact, the insight we’ve gained from a simple questionnaire has helped us to ensure we have the right mix of people across five vital functions of our business, these being: Operate, Evolve, Connect, Launch and Govern.

For example, using our insight and framework, we know that to operate effectively as a business we need people with high levels of practical application, optimisers and learners, who are great with people and clients, are outcome and impact minded, and have the analytical minds to drive things forward. Equally, when it comes to putting the best governance structure in place for the company we know that we need to draw on individuals who have strong strategic, process, risk, relational and data driven mindsets – “eyes on and hands off”.

Again, the very fabric of AND is based on nurturing diverse styles of thinking to perform very diverse business functions.

Diversity: The secret sauce of success?

As we live through a period of time labelled by the media as ‘The Great Resignation’, all businesses regardless of sector and size, need to reassess their values, principles and goals beyond the old laylines of commercial benefit and growth. An active investment in diversity is not only good for business, but it’s also good for your people too – those already in your employment, as well as those you’re likely to better attract in the near future.

For more information about AND Digital, visit: https://www.and.digital/