Why DEI Won't Die: The Benefits of a Diverse IT WorkforceWhy DEI Won't Die: The Benefits of a Diverse IT WorkforceWhy DEI Won't Die: The Benefits of a Diverse IT Workforce

Here are best practices for building a diverse workforce to boost revenue and gain a competitive edge.

August 26, 2025

6 Min Read

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When a company has a truly diverse workforce and an inclusive culture, employees feel comfortable bringing their whole selves — their unique ideas, perspectives, and experiences — to work.

This diversity of thinking is a catalyst for creativity, encouraging teams to ask bolder questions, challenge assumptions, and approach problems from multiple angles, leading to more innovative solutions.

For technology teams, diversity is a strategic imperative that drives better business outcomes. In IT, diverse leadership teams generate 19% more revenue from innovation , solve complex problems faster, and design products that better serve global markets — driving stronger adoption, retention of top talent, and a sustained competitive edge.

Zoya Schaller, director of cybersecurity compliance at Keeper Security, says that when a team brings together people with different life experiences, they naturally approach challenges from unique perspectives.

"That's when real innovation happens," she says.

Schaller pulled quote

Someone might question what others see as the obvious answer — not to be contrary, but because their perspective leads them to consider different risks, needs, or solutions.

"Conversations with diverse viewpoints can take longer, but the end result is often a stronger, more thoughtful product or strategy," Schaller says.

She says attracting and retaining high-performing, diverse talent starts with how companies communicate.

"Job postings should use plain, inclusive language and avoid long lists of 'must-haves' that might unintentionally narrow the candidate pool," Schaller says.

Once someone joins the team, it's about building a culture where they see a future — through mentorship , fair performance reviews, internal mobility, and real investment in professional development.

Expand Sourcing Channels

Companies can expand sourcing channels by partnering with coding boot camps, apprenticeships, workforce re-entry programs, and professional associations such as Women in Technology, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), while also engaging with open source communities.

Judy Ellis, senior vice president of global diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at AMS, says strengthening the employer brand is equally important.

"This can be done by sharing authentic employee stories, highlighting inclusive policies, and demonstrating visible leadership commitment to DEIB [diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging]," she says.

Flexible career pathways — including upskilling, reskilling, and non-linear career options — create growth opportunities that help keep talent engaged.

DEI initiatives, Ellis points out, also have profound long-term impacts on their potential workforce composition.

"Individuals of different backgrounds, cultures, experiences, regional upbringings, ethnicities, and other factors bring a unique life experience to the job," she says.

This allows the team to view an issue from multiple perspectives and consider a variety of solutions.

"Thought diversity is one of the strongest benefits of a diverse workforce," Ellis says.

Combating Hiring Biases

Common missteps, according to Ellis, include over-focusing on meeting diversity hiring targets without addressing the retention, development, and advancement of underrepresented technologists.

"Crafting overly broad or tokenistic job descriptions can fail to resonate with specific tech talent communities," she says. "Don't treat DEI as an HR-only initiative but rather embed it into engineering and leadership accountability."

Schaller cautions that bias often shows up in subtle ways — how résumés are reviewed, who is selected for interviews, or even what it means to be a "culture fit."

"Involving a range of team members in the hiring process helps level the playing field," Schaller says. "Diverse perspectives help catch unconscious biases and ensure candidates are evaluated fairly — not just on experience, but on how they'll contribute to the team."

Megan Smith, head of people and culture at SAP Americas, says technology is a powerful tool for combating bias in the hiring process and creating more equitable opportunities.

For example, HR teams can embed AI into their recruiting programs to proactively identify gender-biased language in job descriptions and automatically screen candidates based on their qualifications rather than names, genders, and other bias-prone information from applicant profiles.

"This helps increase the diversity of applicants and address unconscious bias," she says.

She adds that skills-based hiring enables organizations to consider candidates with transferable skills and growth potential, rather than focusing solely on specific job titles or qualifications.

"By embracing a more flexible approach to talent acquisition, organizations can build a diverse workforce with a wide range of skills and perspectives that drive creativity and innovation," Smith says.

Diversity Fuels Innovation

"Our problems are never one-dimensional, so our teams can't be either. Our diversity fuels innovation because different backgrounds bring different ways of thinking, framing a challenge, designing solutions, or questioning assumptions," says Kerri Lowenthal, vice president of people and culture at Indicium.

She notes that the team is made up of many employees who had one career and pivoted through the company's Lighthouse Program and Academy program.

"We intentionally reserve 50% of the program positions to women," Lowenthal says. "After graduating from the program, we follow through with ongoing support via our women's leadership program and affinity group."

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She points out that being a global company adds another layer, with technical teams working with people from all different backgrounds.

"Our Brazil and U.S. collaboration means the team approaches technical challenges, blends different cultural approaches to client challenges, puts a big emphasis on communication, and inspires new ways of working," Lowenthal says.

Indicium adapts hiring practices to each market's legal and cultural context, she adds.

In Brazil, they can post opportunities specifically for an underrepresented group, such as women or people with disabilities.

"In the U.S., we have structured interviews and diverse hiring panels to help reduce bias," she says. "Across both regions, we ensure candidates are evaluated on skill, potential, and if they are aligned with our values."

To attract and retain talent from underrepresented groups in technical roles, she says you must do more than just attract and hire.

"We focus on access, development, and community," Lowenthal says. "Many companies have diversity targets but fail to build out structures and programs that allow people to grow and thrive. We enable and develop everyone throughout their career."

Intentional Leadership

Leadership sets the tone for organizational culture. Leaders' choices and examples build an inclusive culture.

Leaders should be active champions of inclusivity, as it is an ongoing commitment that requires consistent action and reinforcement from the top.

"This means fostering trust, so employees feel safe to share ideas, making sure recognition and opportunities are equitable, and removing barriers that limit participation," Smith says. "When leaders model inclusive behaviors, they inspire the same throughout the organization."

John DiLullo, CEO at Deepwatch, says leaders must be intentional about building teams that challenge each other constructively rather than defaulting to consensus.

"When harmony becomes more important than truth, bad decisions follow," he says. "But when diverse voices are empowered, teams make sharper, more resilient choices."

He adds that fostering true diversity of thought isn't just about ticking demographic boxes; it's about rounding out the team you already have and creating an environment where people feel safe to question assumptions and offer alternative perspectives.

DiLullo recommends establishing geographically remote teams, such as splitting a team equally between regions to activate diversity without tokenism.

"Flatten the organization and create developmental assignments that attract more applicants," he says. "Alternatively, add new roles that might be more easily filled with qualified diverse candidates."

DiLullo says reimagining team size, for example, increases the manager-to-individual contributor ratio from 1:7 to 1:10 or 1:12 to create more opportunities to improve diversity and avoid groupthink.

"When building teams, the first five or so members should be hired considering their qualifications only," he says.

After that, leadership should impose a filter to avoid homogeneity by hiring orthogonally to existing profiles.

"For example, if the team has five women with predominantly analytical skills, the next hire should be a man more fluent in communication skills," DiLullo says.

He adds that leaders can also encourage debate, assign devil's advocates, and ensure decisions are pressure-tested by people with different lived experiences.

About the Author

Nathan Eddy

Contributor

Nathan Eddy is a freelance writer for ITProToday and covers various IT trends and topics across wide variety of industries. A graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, he is also a documentary filmmaker specializing in architecture and urban planning. He currently lives in Berlin, Germany.

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