More than 700 attendees gathered on Monday at the Parsons School of Design for the third annual Women in Innovation Forum in New York City (W.IN. Forum NY), where a key topic was the correlation between diversity and innovation.

Speaker Laura Sherbin, co-president at the Center for Talent Innovation, talked about the idea of  two-dimensional diversity and why “inherent diversity, “ while valuable, is not enough. According to Sherbin, there are two kinds of diversity — immutable and mutable — both of which are necessary for innovation.  

Immutable Diversity

Inherent traits like race, ethnicity, religious background, sexual orientation, and disability fall under the category of immutable diversity.  “For a while, diversity was just about bringing people in the door and thinking that magic would happen,” Sherbin said. But a second type of diversity — mutable diversity — also is needed in order to make a palpable impact in an organization, she said.

Mutable Diversity

Mutable diversity refers to acquired traits — anything from cultural fluency and generational savvy to technological literacy and cross-functional knowledge. Unlike immutable diversity, these are learned through personal experience. Together, immutable and mutable diversity form 2-D diversity.

“The power of diversity is huge if leveraged in the right way,” Sherbin said.

According to her research, companies with 2-D diversity are 75 percent more likely to have a marketable idea implemented, 70 percent more likely to see their company capture a new market, and 45 percent more likely to see their company improve market share, than companies without 2-D diversity.

What an inspiring, thought-provoking panel on the value of diversity. Laura Sherbin poignantly discusses the importance of “acquired diversity”, which she defines as the shifts and evolutions in one’s perspective as a result of experience. #WIN18 @WinforumNY pic.twitter.com/8mfztxU5Nu

— Trendalytics (@TrendalyticsCo) May 21, 2018

Some inclusive behaviors employers can implement in their own organizations to help leverage diversity:

1. Ensure everyone gets heard.
2. Empower decision-making by team members.
3. Share credit for team success.
4. Give actionable feedback.
5. Take advice from others and incorporate into decisions.
6. Make risk-taking safe — and celebrate it.