Network marketing has its own built-in opportunities for diversity. In a traditional company, human resources and management teams go out of their way to search for ideal candidates to interview for openings. Usually, job descriptions contain qualifications and at the end, there is often an asterisked paragraph that claims the company is pro-diversity.
What exactly does this “diversity” mean? The business model of diversity started with the affirmative action movement that aspired to equal opportunity employment. Equal opportunity entails hiring qualified people regardless of gender, ethnicity, religious affiliation, age or sexual orientation.
In network marketing, each and every Independent Business Owner is personally able to make a difference and create a diverse organization. But is diversity really important in a non-traditional business model?
Advocates for diversity affirm that different people bring varying perspectives to the workplace and the more “angles” there are, the better able the business is to make the best decisions that benefit the majority of people. In sales and marketing, this is crucial, because inclusivity drives volumes more than exclusivity. With the exception of niche marketing, where only a specific group of consumers is targeted, the majority of business wants as many types of consumers as possible to buy in to their products and services.
Another reason diversity is important in growing a business is that the more variance there is in an organization, the more likely each individual is to express an opinion or perspective. Solutions therefore are more abundant than in a group where everyone comes from the same or similar backgrounds. Different experiences bring different solutions.
In a research project conducted by Brigham Young University, several groups were given a murder mystery to solve. Some groups were diverse and others, intentionally homogenous. The diverse groups reported less confidence than the homogenous groups; however, they consistently outperformed their more confident counterparts!
Even when diverse individuals did not express differences but agreed with the majority of the group, the group’s behavior was generally more positive, because those in the social majority were more focused and motivated to solve the mystery.
The study confirmed the theory that when diversity is present, all members of a group or organization work a little harder and have more information to use. The practical value of diversity is that it challenges everyone in an organization to think outside of the box and to utilize existing tools to the maximum extent.
In network marketing, the whole world makes up the pool of prospects. Any successful marketer strives to keep that pool wide open. Why exclude anyone when you never know where one of your most successful downline may come from?