I grew up in a monocultural environment. Most of my friends were Turkish, from a similar middle-class background, and I attended Turkish schools where we all spoke the same language and shared the same cultural references. But from an early age, I had a deep fascination with the world beyond my own.
My favorite holiday as a child was April 23rd—Children’s Day in Turkey. Not just because it was a day off for kids (though that was a nice perk), but because of the tradition where children from different countries would visit Turkey, dressed in their traditional attire, performing their native dances. I would watch the parade and performances for hours, daydreaming about what it must be like to live in those countries, to speak their languages, and to be immersed in their cultures.
That curiosity turned into reality when, at 15, I had my first international experience at a summer camp in Vienna. On the very first day, I met my roommate, who introduced herself as being from Slovenia. My heart almost stopped. I had never met someone from Slovenia before—if I was being honest, I wasn’t even sure where it was on the map. (That was ignorance on my part, of course.) But the experience was thrilling. I was finally meeting people from places I had only dreamed about, and the world I had once imagined from my television screen was now real, tangible, and full of possibilities.
Now, I look at my daughter and see a completely different world. Her friends are from everywhere—different ethnicities, backgrounds, and religions. Recently, we spent a few days at a friend’s house in London, and my daughter casually mentioned that their daughter celebrates Diwali. When I asked her how she knew, she said she had seen a picture on their wall with lights and decorations that looked like Diwali. A festival that, in my childhood, was known mostly to only Indian communities was now something my daughter recognized without hesitation.
That’s the kind of world where people thrive—one where differences are not just acknowledged but understood and valued. And yet, at the same time, we live in an era of increasing division, where many organizations and governments are rolling back their commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
The Retreat from DEI: A Step Backward
Over the last decade, the push for DEI initiatives in workplaces gained momentum, only to now face significant backlash. Many companies are stripping away their DEI commitments, often dismissing them as superficial, ineffective, or legally risky. Sure, some DEI programs have been performative—token efforts to meet corporate responsibility checklists—but research shows that when done right, diversity isn’t just a moral imperative; it’s a business growth strategy.
Studies from McKinsey & Company consistently show that diverse teams outperform homogeneous ones. Their 2020 report, Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters, found that companies with diverse executive teams were 36% more likely to have above-average profitability. Harvard Business Review supports this, showing that diverse teams make better decisions 87% of the time compared to non-diverse teams.
This is interesting because research shows that in the short term, homogenous teams tend to perform better. And I get why. When you already know and recognize the other people in the room—when you share the same background, assumptions, and ways of working—there’s no initial stumble. The team clicks, decisions are made quickly, and things move fast.
But in the long term, diverse teams have the advantage.
Why Homogeneous Teams Excel Early On:
✔ Cognitive Ease & Familiarity – People naturally gravitate toward those who think, act, and communicate similarly, leading to smoother collaboration.
✔ Shared Mental Models – Homogeneous teams have aligned ways of working, reducing misunderstandings and making execution faster.
✔ Lower Coordination Costs – Less need for translation, explanation, or negotiation of different viewpoints means quicker decision-making.
Why Diverse Teams Win in the Long Run:
✔ Cognitive Diversity – Different perspectives foster creative problem-solving and challenge the status quo.
✔ Resilience & Adaptability – Exposure to varied viewpoints enhances a team's ability to navigate uncertainty and complexity.
✔ Innovation & Market Insight – Diverse teams bring a broader understanding of customer needs and global markets.
Even beyond business, research from X-Teams (Deborah Ancona & Henrik Bresman) demonstrates that the most innovative and high-performing teams over time are those that actively seek external input, challenge each other’s thinking, and integrate different perspectives.
Take a look at the graph below: it illustrates how homogeneous teams start strong but eventually plateau, while diverse teams gain momentum and outperform them over time.
The Limits and Failures of DEI
Despite this overwhelming evidence, many DEI initiatives have struggled, particularly in the U.S., due to:
❌ A Narrow Focus on Race & Gender – Ignoring aspects like nationality, socioeconomic background, and neurodiversity limits the full potential of diversity.
❌ Lack of Inclusion & Psychological Safety – Diversity alone isn't enough; teams need environments where different voices are heard and valued.
❌ Impatience with the Learning Curve – Diverse teams take time to gel. Many companies misinterpret early challenges as failure and revert to familiar, homogeneous structures.
But DEI doesn’t just fail in policy. It fails in the details. In the small, everyday ways people decide who belongs and who doesn’t.
It fails in something as basic as a name.
I’ve met professionals who are meticulous about getting pronouns right—never misgendering someone—but who can’t be bothered to learn how to pronounce a foreign colleague’s name correctly. I’ve lost count of how many times my name has been butchered, brushed aside, or replaced altogether for convenience. Moerv. Merv. And when all else failed, Mary.
Don't get me wrong—I love the different ways people say my name, the variety of accents adding texture and warmth to something as personal as identity. That’s not the issue. The issue is when effort disappears. When a name is dismissed as “too foreign” and, without hesitation, swapped for something easier.
And it’s not just about daily interactions. The bias against names has real consequences.
Study after study has shown that job applicants with names perceived as “foreign” are less likely to get callbacks. A famous Harvard and University of Chicago study found that candidates with names like Emily and Greg received 50% more interview invitations than those with names like Lakisha and Jamal, despite identical résumés. Similar research in the UK showed that applicants with “ethnic-sounding” names had to submit significantly more applications just to get a response.
This isn’t an abstract DEI issue. It’s structural exclusion playing out in real time.
And I’m not alone.
One of my coachees—a highly competent professional with an accent—was routinely spoken over in meetings while his native English-speaking colleagues had the floor handed to them without question. Another told me she shortens her name on job applications, not because she wants to, but because she knows what happens when a name is deemed “too foreign.”
This is how exclusion works. Not in the grand, sweeping ways companies like to talk about, but in the small, insidious ways they refuse to acknowledge.
So what’s in a name? A lot.
Why Diversity Matters More Than Ever
Diversity isn’t a charity project. It’s not a token effort. It builds stronger businesses, sharpens leadership, and creates workplaces that are more engaging and innovative.
✅ Diversity Drives Success – Research from McKinsey shows that diverse teams make better decisions, drive innovation, and outperform competitors financially. Companies in the top quartile for diversity are 35% more likely to have higher financial returns than their industry peers.
❌ Lack of Diversity Stagnates Growth – Homogeneous teams create echo chambers where blind spots thrive and innovation stalls. The same voices, the same perspectives, the same assumptions—it’s a recipe for mediocrity.
✅ Inclusion Fuels Engagement and Retention – Employees who feel seen and valued stay longer, contribute more, and bring their full creative potential to the table. Retaining top talent is directly correlated with company culture and psychological safety.
Short-term thinking is where companies go wrong. Instead of reacting out of fear or adjusting strategies based on shifting political winds, businesses should focus on long-term sustainability. Diversity isn’t a policy to reverse when convenient—it’s an investment that pays off in resilience, adaptability, and long-term competitive advantage.
Some have even argued for a return to so-called masculine energy in leadership, as if exclusion and rigidity were the answer to modern business challenges. That kind of thinking isn't strategic; it's weak. Strong leaders don’t retreat into outdated, comfortable norms. They evolve, expand, and make the most of every talent and perspective available to them.
A Call to Action: Think beyond the Short-Term
In a world that feels increasingly disconnected, diversity drives growth, fuels competitiveness, and keeps businesses relevant. Companies that want to scale, innovate, and attract top talent need to embed diversity into their DNA—not as a compliance exercise, but as a strategic advantage.
That requires moving past surface-level DEI efforts and making inclusion a core leadership competency. Checking boxes and rolling out generic initiatives won’t cut it. Real impact comes from data-driven approaches, intentional action, and ensuring diverse voices aren’t just present but truly heard.
What makes the difference isn’t policy—it’s people. It’s my daughter recognizing Diwali without hesitation. It’s a colleague making the effort to pronounce someone’s name correctly. It’s stepping beyond familiar perspectives and expanding our understanding of the world.
Diverse teams sharpen thinking, fuel creativity, and bring energy into organizations. The best leaders know this and act on it. Those who don’t will fall behind.
Hi! I'm Merve. 👋 I help leaders build high performing teams, amplify their business impact, and advance their careers.
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