Despite the shifting political conversation around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), one reality remains constant: our workplaces, customer bases, and communities are becoming increasingly diverse.
Organizations that understand how to collaborate across differences and design products for a wide range of users are gaining a measurable competitive advantage. Knowing how to operate in a high-performance market with colleagues, customers, and competitors from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives is not simply a social value—it is a differentiator.
Unlike public school districts, which by design serve their immediate geographic communities, independent schools like Harley often draw from a much broader region. In our case, more than 30 zip codes are represented within the school community. Harley intentionally seeks students, families, and teachers from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives because we believe students benefit from learning alongside people whose experiences differ from their own.
Our teachers design both academic and social experiences that emphasize collaboration and shared problem-solving. Whether kindergarten students are working together to count and create 100-bead necklaces for the 100th day of school or Grade 8 students are collaborating on service-oriented capstone projects, the process of learning how to work together often carries as much importance as the academic content itself.
In business, as in schools, teamwork is a top priority. Employees who cannot work well with others can limit a team’s ability to innovate, regardless of their individual intelligence or expertise. In an increasingly global society, the “soft skills” associated with collaboration across diverse teams—listening, perspective-taking, and respectful disagreement—are not optional. They are essential to effective organizations.
However, the value of a principled approach to DEI in the workplace does not end with improved teamwork. Many businesses have realized measurable competitive advantages by intentionally incorporating diverse perspectives into product development and market strategy.
For example, Procter & Gamble intentionally diversified its product design and research teams and developed new products like Pantene’s Gold Series, designed with and for Black women. Members of this team recognized that traditional research and development processes had historically underserved consumers with textured hair. By addressing this gap, the company opened new market opportunities and strengthened brand loyalty among a wider customer base.
Similarly, when designers at Microsoft partnered with organizations such as AbleGamers Charity and Cerebral Palsy Foundation, they developed the Xbox Adaptive Controller. In addition to expanding the accessibility of gaming to players with limited mobility, the innovations that emerged during the design process ultimately improved usability across the broader Xbox product ecosystem. Features originally developed to support accessibility ended up benefiting all users.
Schools are uniquely positioned to help students develop the skills necessary to contribute positively to an increasingly diverse workforce. By creating classroom environments in which multiple perspectives are encouraged and respected, educators help students develop the ability to listen for understanding, respectfully challenge ideas, and refine their own thinking as they encounter new information.
Intellectual friction is sometimes part of this process. When that friction occurs within safe, well-managed learning environments, it can lead to transformative growth. Students learn not only how to articulate their own perspectives, but also how to thoughtfully consider the perspectives of others.
This work can foster a deeper sense of empathy—something our world could always use more of. We are living in an era of digital echo chambers that often reward “us versus them” thinking. Schools and businesses alike have an opportunity to push back against this dynamic by fostering what psychologists often call “cognitive empathy”: the ability to understand another person’s perspective even if you do not share their background or experience.
This ability is also central to design thinking and user-centered innovation—both of which play an important role in Rochester’s modern economy. Companies in sectors ranging from optics to advanced manufacturing depend on teams that can understand the needs of diverse global customers.
In many ways, schools serve as an early “research and development lab” for the future workforce. Rochester does not simply need workers—it needs workers who are comfortable operating within a global, multicultural marketplace. From health care to advanced manufacturing to technology, many of the region’s employers serve customers and partners around the world. If we fail to cultivate this comfort with difference in the classroom, we risk exporting our local talent into a global marketplace they are not prepared to lead.
But if we intentionally build diverse school communities where perspectives differ and are valued equally, we can expect future business leaders to enter the workforce with deeper market insight, fewer blind spots in decision-making, and stronger alignment with evolving consumer values. Perhaps most importantly, an understanding and appreciation of difference helps cultivate a more thoughtful and ethical society—qualities that are just as important in the business sector as they are in any other part of civic life.
Schools, like businesses, that reflect and prepare students for a pluralistic society are not only ethically aligned—they are helping ensure that Rochester’s future workforce remains innovative, adaptable, and globally competitive.
Dr. Ryan Kimmet is the Head of School at The Harley School and a veteran leader in independent education. His column explores the intersection of K–12 innovation, workforce development and the regional economic impact of modern schooling.