Achieving Diversity & Inclusion

Next Practices in Achieving Diversity & Inclusion

The Auxiliary has already created its Policy Statement and Strategic Plan to develop diversity
and inclusion initiatives throughout the organization.  Our Plan addresses the purpose, vision,
specific goals, and action items toward managing diversity.

It’s incumbent upon the Auxiliary’s elected and appointed Leadership to incorporate and
carry out our diversity policies and objectives into every aspect of the organization’s functions
and purpose.  It is our Leaders who’ll be expected to carry out an active role in implementing
our diversity processes helping the Auxiliary maintain the competitive edge as a volunteer
organization; our actions will be aligned with the core values of Honor, Respect, and Devotion
to Duty.

Now is the time to move beyond viewing diversity and inclusion as merely the numerical
representation of certain groups.  It’s time for a systematic application of diversity concepts to
the business of our organization.  Diversity and inclusion are business priorities of Team Coast
Guard and it takes people with diverse talents and perspectives in an inclusive culture.
What is Diversity & Inclusion?

“Diversity includes all characteristics and experiences that define each of us as individuals.”  
A common misconception about diversity is that only certain persons or groups are included
under its umbrella, when in fact, exactly the opposite is true.  Diversity includes the entire
spectrum of primary dimensions of an individual, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion,
disability, and sexual orientation.  Secondary dimensions commonly include: communication
style, work style, organizational role/level, economic status, and geographic origin.  It is a
simple fact that each of us possesses unique qualities along each of these dimensions.

Leadership Commitment

The degree to which our leaders are actively involved in implementing initiatives, taking
ownership and communicating the vision will be a test of their leadership.  Managers manage
change, but best‐in‐class leaders create change by inspiring their members, they also recognize
the importance of diversity and inclusion being infused into all of the Auxiliary’s processes.  
Diversity and inclusion is both a top priority and a personal responsibility for our leaders.

Empowering through Leadership

As a part of our next practices, diversity and inclusion will not depend on a single leader
because it will be woven into the fabric of the way we will conduct business.  And because our
leaders will come to understand that being competitive on a global front requires full utilization
of the skills and talents of all our members and potential members to better serve and meet the
needs of a diverse community.

“Success will only be achieved through inspired people operating in an environment based on
mutual trust respect, openness, candor, empowerment, teamwork, innovation, risk taking,
integrity, and encouraging and valuing diversity.”

Accountability

A key element to ensuring the success of any organizational initiatives especially diversity and
inclusion is accountability.  Accountability is achieved by making the appropriate leaders
responsible and ensuring that “everyone is on board” and actively engaged in the diversity
process.

We will begin with a monitoring system to measure diversity and inclusion representation by
function at all levels to: (1) ensure a balanced workforce, and (2) strengthen the organization’s
ability to attract, retain, and develop the most highly qualified members.  Specific measures
included in the plan are: positive responses to member surveys, positive articles in publications,
sustaining the reputation as a volunteer organization of choice, improved representation of
diversity at all levels, effective remedial action when appropriate, awards, and other
recognition.

It is the policy of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary to
ensure that all citizens, regardless of race, gender, color,
national origin, sexual orientation, age, religion, or physical or
mental disability have an equal opportunity to become a member
of this organization. People from a wide variety of backgrounds
and interests are welcome and
encouraged to join the Auxiliary to work side by side with us as
we serve the boating public.

The fundamental action imperative of diversity is to create an
environment, which fosters an appreciation of the values, skills,
and abilities of each individual member. Members are responsible
to each other for promoting an inclusive atmosphere of
acceptance and respect, for demonstrating a commitment to fair
and equal opportunity, and for moving beyond simple tolerance to
embracing and celebrating our different backgrounds. We are
committed to enjoying a diverse and inclusive membership. We
all understand that diversity is not a problem to be solved, but
that it is an asset to be developed.

Diversity is an imperative to the Auxiliary; it can increase
morale and impact our success. In essence every member is
responsible for fostering an inclusive team atmosphere and
being a contributing part of Team Coast Guard.

The Auxiliary is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive
environment, a journey guided by the deeply held values of
Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty, as America's Guardians,
we understand that diversity is not a problem to be solved, but
is an asset to be developed.

Everyone wins when we think and act inclusively. Team Coast
Guard wins via your targeted flotilla leadership assessment
focused on critical mission support requirements. The Auxiliary
wins by using informed leadership methods to sustain our course
as a premier volunteer organization. The nation wins because we
open our Auxiliary hatches to new opportunities to learn from
others, grow our membership and mission partner base, and
increase our readiness to serve others.

Striving to increase workplace diversity is not an empty slogan —
it is a good business decision. A 2015 McKinseyreport on 366
public companies found that those in the top quartile for ethnic
and racial diversity in management were 35% more likely to have
financial returns above their industry mean, and those in the top
quartile for gender diversity were 15% more likely to have returns
above the industry mean.

In a global analysis of 2,400 companies conducted by Credit
Suisse, organizations with at least one female board member
yielded higher return on equity and higher net income growth
than those that did not have any women on the board.

In recent years a body of research has revealed another, more
nuanced benefit of workplace diversity: nonhomogenous teams
are simply smarter. Working with people who are different from
you may challenge your brain to overcome its stale ways of
thinking and sharpen its performance. Let’s dig into why diverse
teams are smarter.

They Focus More on Facts

People from diverse backgrounds might actually alter the
behavior of a group’s social majority in ways that lead to
improved and more accurate group thinking. In a study published
in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, scientists
assigned 200 people to six-person mock jury panels whose
members were either all white or included four white and two
black participants. The people were shown a video of a trial of a
black defendant and white victims. They then had to decide
whether the defendant was guilty.

It turned out that the diverse panels raised more facts related to
the case than homogenous panels and made fewer factual errors
while discussing available evidence. If errors did occur, they
were more likely to be corrected during deliberation. One
possible reason for this difference was that white jurors on
diverse panels recalled evidence more accurately.

Other studies have yielded similar results. In a series of
experiments conducted in Texas and Singapore, scientists put
financially literate people in simulated markets and asked them
to price stocks. The participants were placed in either ethnically
diverse or homogenous teams. The researchers found that
individuals who were part of the diverse teams were 58% more
likely to price stocks correctly, whereas those in homogenous
groups were more prone to pricing errors, according to thestudy,
published in the journal PNAS.

Diverse teams are more likely to constantly reexamine facts and
remain objective. They may also encourage greater scrutiny of
each member’s actions, keeping their joint cognitive resources
sharp and vigilant. By breaking up workplace homogeneity, you
can allow your employees to become more aware of their own
potential biases— entrenched ways of thinking that can
otherwise blind them to key information and even lead them to
make errors in decision-making processes.

They Process Those Facts More Carefully

Greater diversity may also change the way that entire teams
digest information needed to make the best decisions. In
a study published in the Personality and Social Psychology
Bulletin, Katherine Phillips of Northwestern University and her
team divided sorority or fraternity members into four-member
groups, each of which had to read interviews conducted by a
detective investigating a murder. Three people in every group,
referred to as “oldtimers” in the study, came from the same
sorority or fraternity, whereas the fourth, the so-called
“newcomer,” was either a member of the same sorority or
fraternity or a different one. The three oldtimers in each group
gathered to decide who was the most likely murder suspect. Five
minutes into their discussion, the newcomer joined the
deliberation and expressed their opinion as to who the suspect
was.

It turned out that although groups with out-group newcomers felt
less confident about the accuracy of their joint decisions, they
were more likely to guess who the correct suspect was than
those with newcomers who belonged to the same group.
The scientists think that diverse teams may outperform
homogenous ones in decision making because they process
information more carefully. Remember: Considering the
perspective of an outsider may seem counterintuitive, but the
payoff can be huge.

They’re Also More Innovative

To stay competitive, businesses should always continue to
innovate. One of the best ways to boost their capacity to
transform themselves and their products may involve hiring more
women and culturally diverse team members, research suggests.
In a study published in Innovation: Management, Policy &
Practice, the authors analyzed levels of gender diversity in
research and development teams from 4,277 companies in Spain.

Using statistical models, they found that companies with more
women were more likely to introduce radical new innovations
into the market over a two-year period.

In another study, published in Economic Geography, the authors
concluded that increased cultural diversity is a boon to
innovativeness. They pooled data on 7,615 firms that
participated in the London Annual Business Survey, a
questionnaire conducted with the UK capital’s executives that
asks a number of questions about their companies’ performance.

The results revealed that businesses run by culturally diverse
leadership teams were more likely to develop new products than
those with homogenous leadership.

Though you may feel more at ease working with people who
share your background,don’t be fooled by your comfort. Working
with members of the the flotilla who do not look, talk, or think
like you can allow you to dodge the costly pitfalls of conformity,
which discourages innovative thinking.

In a nutshell, enriching our flotilla with representatives of
different genders, races, and nationalities is key for boosting our
flotilla's joint intellectual potential. Creating a more diverse
workplace will help to keep members’ biases in check and make
them question their assumptions. At the same time, we need to
make sure the organization has inclusive practices so that
everyone feels they can be heard. All of this can make our flotilla
smarter and, ultimately more successful in achieving our goals.