These days, it seems like even talking about diversity and inclusion can spark a political debate. But here’s the thing—it doesn’t need to be political. This isn’t about left or right. It’s about people. It’s about teams. It’s about building environments where different perspectives aren’t just welcomed, but seen as essential.
Because they are.
In tech, in product, in leadership—diverse teams consistently outperform homogeneous ones. Not because it feels good, but because it works better. This is a business discussion. A design discussion. A collaboration discussion.
So let’s talk about it.
Diversity Fuels Innovation
We talk a lot about collaboration in agile and product development circles. We talk about cross-functional teams, shared ownership, working in small steps. But there’s something deeper we often miss when we focus only on process: who’s in the room matters. A lot.
You can have a smooth process, frequent feedback loops, and even a well-oiled CI/CD pipeline—but if your team is homogenous in background, worldview, or lived experience, your outcomes will reflect that narrow lens. And in today’s world of complex, interdependent systems, that’s not just a blind spot—it’s a risk.
Diverse Teams Are Smarter Teams
Multiple studies have shown that diverse teams are more creative and better at problem-solving. A study published in Harvard Business Review found that teams with greater cognitive diversity solve problems faster than more homogenous teams.¹
Research from McKinsey & Company echoes this: companies in the top quartile for ethnic and cultural diversity on executive teams were 36% more likely to outperform on profitability.² And a report from Boston Consulting Group found that organizations with more diverse management teams had 19% higher revenue due to innovation.³
In other words, diversity isn’t just a value—it’s a business advantage.
Why Diversity Matters in Software
Software is inherently a human endeavor. We like to pretend it’s purely technical—code in, value out—but in reality, it’s messy. We build software for people. Real people. With different perspectives, constraints, abilities, languages, and expectations.
If everyone on your team comes from the same background, lives in the same kind of neighborhood, and learned to code in the same way, you’re going to make unconscious assumptions about users. You’ll overlook edge cases. You’ll fail to imagine how someone else might engage with your product. This is not a hypothetical risk—it’s a well-documented issue.
Look no further than the countless examples of algorithmic bias or accessibility oversights. These aren’t just technical problems. They are team composition problems.
Inclusion Is the Activation Layer
Of course, diversity alone isn’t enough. You can bring a variety of people into the room and still silence their voices if your environment isn’t psychologically safe. If people don’t feel heard, don’t feel safe to challenge assumptions, or constantly have to explain or defend their experience, the benefit of diversity never materializes.
Inclusion is the activation layer for diversity. It’s what turns potential into practice.
Creating inclusive environments means rethinking how decisions are made, how meetings are run, and how feedback is given and received. It means deliberately making space for voices that might otherwise go unheard. It means creating a culture where difference isn’t just tolerated—it’s valued.
What This Has to Do With Behaviors
Two of the behaviors I talk about often—Work Together and Know the Problem You Are Solving—are especially relevant here.
If your team doesn’t reflect the diversity of the people you’re building for, how well can you really know their problems? If your collaboration doesn’t include a wide range of voices, how complete is the solution you’re working on?
Teams that work together in a meaningful, inclusive way are better positioned to uncover blind spots, build empathy, and deliver solutions that work for more people. That’s not just good product thinking—it’s good business.
Closing Thoughts
In a time when division feels easier than connection, we need to remember that inclusion isn’t about politics—it’s about people. It’s about building stronger teams, better products, and more resilient organizations. It’s about seeing the value in perspectives that differ from our own.
You don’t have to agree on everything to work well together.
But if you want to do great work—creative, impactful, innovative work—you have to make space for voices that aren’t like yours.
That’s not a political stance. That’s a leadership one.
You can’t innovate in an echo chamber. If you want to build better products, foster stronger teams, and make more informed decisions, start by widening the circle. Listen more. Invite in difference. Make inclusion an everyday behavior, not just a policy.
Diversity fuels innovation. Inclusion makes it sustainable.