Whitepaper | From Ideation to Investment Part III | Building a Diverse Workforce: Creating a Culture of High Performance

Part III of our series explores the essential human foundations of growth: how culture drives performance, and how inclusion strengthens resilience.  

The Power of Difference 

Starter Question: How important is diversity of people and thought in building high-performing teams?  

Diversity of people and thought are inseparable, and the best-performing teams intentionally nurture both.  

The conversation has often focused on diversity as representation, but in reality, it covers how people think, how they problem-solve and how organisations harness the breadth of that experience to create better outcomes.  

As Aylin noted: 

‘Diversity of people and diversity of thought aren’t necessarily two separate things. They’re interdependent. You can’t have one without the other, and if you want a team that genuinely performs at a high level, you need both.’  

Diversity also brings tension. By intentionally assembling teams that think differently and equipping them with the trust and psychological safety to disagree, leaders create the conditions for ideas to thrive. 

The research supports this. As referenced by Nicholas Cresswell, the Boston Consulting Group’s How Diverse Leadership Teams Boost Innovation found that companies with above-average diversity in their management teams generated 45% of their revenue from innovation, compared with 26% in less diverse firms. 

Diversity broadens a team’s capacity to listen, learn, and adapt. When people with different perspectives work together toward a shared goal, creativity becomes collective rather than individual, and performance becomes sustainable. 

Fair Hiring by Design 

Starter Question: What practical steps can companies take to ensure a fair hiring process for different groups?  

Creating fair hiring processes begins with intention. Bias can enter long before interviews, often in how roles are defined or who is encouraged to apply. Even well-meaning teams can default to hiring people who look, think, and work like themselves. 

As Tracey Stanton put it, ‘When you look across your team, ask where the gaps are. What strengths are missing? What do you need as a team to succeed?’ 

Fair hiring relies on structure and consistency. Clear evaluation criteria, diverse interview panels, and transparent scoring all help to reduce subjectivity. Nicholas explained that centralising the application review process, or using technology monitored for fairness, can also prevent bias from influencing early-stage decisions. 

Leaders play a critical role too.  

They must take ownership of outcomes, treating diversity not as an HR target but as a measure of leadership effectiveness. 

Fairness in hiring is not a project to complete but a mindset to embed. When inclusion is built into the design of recruitment itself, every new hire strengthens both culture and performance. 

Smaller organisations have an advantage when it comes to experimentation. They can trial skills-based hiring, scenario assessments, or 30-60-90-day integration plans that focus on potential rather than past titles.  

‘There are smaller shifts you can make,’ Aylin notes. Across all contexts, accountability matters most. Leaders must treat diversity outcomes as a reflection of how well their systems are designed, not as a side project to be reported once a year. Fair hiring is an ongoing discipline that strengthens both culture and performance. 

Culture as a Catalyst for Performance 

Starter Question: What role does company culture play in building high-performance teams?  

Company culture is often treated as something that follows success, rather than something that drives it.  

Yet as Allison Coward explained, culture and performance are part of the same system. When people are happy, connected, and doing work they value, performance rises naturally:  

‘It’s a virtual circle. When people are doing the thing they love, and doing it to a high level, that makes them happy. They feed into each other. So the first thing is to not see culture as this luxury extra.’ 

Most organisations have values, but few translate them into daily behaviours. Alison encouraged leaders to go further, asking how those values are lived and built into everyday systems. ‘If you have a company value that says we care about our people,’ she said, ‘look at what’s actually happening on the ground to make sure that’s true.’  

As several speakers agreed, culture is not only company-wide. Each team creates its own microculture, shaped by the behaviour of its leader.  

When managers have the skills and autonomy to model healthy dynamics, they translate company values into lived experience, turning culture from an abstract ideal into a real driver of performance.  

Barbara Lisa illustrated this point through her experience leading fast-moving project teams. In environments where delivery timelines are short and expectations are high, culture cannot be a side project. It must form from day one. 

Her approach is rooted in clarity and trust. ‘We all have a common goal,’ she explained. ‘It makes it less personal and more objective. We can ask, is it done or not, without blame.’ 

That clarity allows for openness. Rather than enforcing a rigid way of working, Barbara gives people room to be themselves, creating a space where authenticity drives performance.   

‘I really want my colleagues to accept me for who I am, and I offer the same to them,’ she said. By letting people express themselves freely and addressing friction as it arises, she builds teams that are both human and resilient.  

Her perspective reinforces a core theme of the discussion: culture is designed through everyday interactions, not annual initiatives. When leaders build trust, set clear goals, and allow space for individuality, they create the conditions for performance to thrive. 

Psychological Safety and Productive Conflict 

When teams are built on trust, disagreement becomes a source of strength. As Alison Coward explained, conflict itself is not the problem. What matters is whether it is directed toward ideas or toward people. 

Healthy teams know how to disagree productively. They focus on outcomes, not egos.  

Allison shared that one of the simplest ways to build this capability is through connection: people are more willing to challenge one another when they understand each other's intentions.

‘Those points of conflict will happen. That’s natural and we want it to happen,’ she said. ‘But what can smooth those points of conflict is understanding where people come from and how they communicate.’ 

Leaders play a crucial role as facilitators of that environment. They must create spaces where different opinions can be aired, explored and refined.   

Barbara described this as allowing people to express themselves freely, then stepping in as a mediator to ‘clean it up’ when tension arises. 

Productive conflict is the sign of a healthy culture. When people can challenge, question and push ideas forward, it represents a workplace built on trust, not fear. 

Authentic Leadership 

Starter Question: How important is authenticity in influencing performance?  

Authenticity emerged as one of the strongest themes of the evening. For Barbara Lisa, it is both personal and practical.  

She spoke candidly about the impact of masking her true self at work and how it limited her confidence and performance. ‘When I know I cannot be authentic because it’s not accepted, I minimise myself,’ she said. ‘I hide, I make myself smaller, and I don’t perform. It’s not okay.’ 

Barbara’s leadership philosophy centres on acceptance of herself and of others. ‘I really want my colleagues to accept me for who I am, and I offer the same to them,’ she explained. By creating space for people to express themselves openly, she builds teams grounded in trust and belonging. 

This kind of leadership requires awareness and care. As Allison noted, high-performing cultures rely on leaders who understand how people thrive, how they communicate, and how they show up at work.   

When leaders know this, and when team members understand it about each other, authenticity becomes a shared practice rather than a personal challenge. 

Authentic leadership is not about perfection. It is about honesty, empathy and creating an environment where people can bring their full selves to work, knowing they will be supported to perform at their best. 

Retention, Equity and the New World of Work 

Starter Question: How can organisations sustain inclusion and performance as the world of work evolves? 

Retention emerged as one of the most pressing challenges for leaders today. As Tracy observed, attracting diverse talent is only half the equation; keeping them engaged is far harder. She urged leaders to ask a simple but revealing question: ‘What do you need to thrive?’ 

For many employees, thriving begins with equity. Aylin explained that true equity requires intention, not tokenism. ‘It’s about thinking where the gaps are and role-modelling behaviours that start to even that playing field,’ she said.   

Whether through tools that support neurodivergent talent or by creating space for underrepresented voices to speak first, equity must be designed into everyday interactions. 

Hybrid work has made inclusion both easier and more complex.  

As Nicholas noted, flexibility can empower people with different needs and responsibilities, but it also demands greater intentionality from leaders. ‘It becomes even more difficult to create a culture when you’re not surrounded by the signals and behaviours that show what your company is about,’ he said. 

The solution lies in deliberate connection. Leaders must craft moments for conversation, reflection, and shared experience. As one speaker put it, inclusion is not about being in the same room; it is about being seen, heard, and valued wherever you are. 

The Challenges of Hybrid Work 

Starter Question: What Impact is Hybrid Working Having on Diversity and Inclusion?  

Hybrid working has redefined how teams collaborate, creating both opportunity and complexity. As Nicholas observed, flexibility can be a powerful force for inclusion, giving people with different needs, responsibilities and working styles the space to thrive. Yet it also presents a new challenge for leaders: sustaining culture when people are no longer surrounded by the same signals and shared experiences. 

‘It becomes even more difficult to create a culture when you’re not surrounded by the behaviours that show what your company is about,’ Nick explained. Intentionality has become essential.  

Allison added that in hybrid settings, connection doesn’t happen by accident. The informal moments that once built trust now need to be designed into the working rhythm. Leaders must create rituals and routines that allow space for human connection.  

As Aylin noted, being a human-first leader in hybrid environments means understanding people deeply, not just their output. Inclusion now depends as much on empathy and awareness as it does on logistics or technology. 

Leading with Empathy 

Starter Question: What does equitable leadership look like in action?  

Equity is the bridge between diversity and performance. It ensures that inclusion is not just about who is in the room, but whose voices are heard and valued once they are there. True equity requires awareness, empathy and deliberate design. 

As Tracy reflected, retention begins with understanding individual needs and responding to them with care. ‘Being in tune with what your people need is what makes them stay,’ she said. Equitable environments give people the conditions to succeed at every stage of their working lives. 

Aylin added that equity is a design choice that starts with leadership behaviour. ‘There are so many gaps in how leaders understand equity,’ she noted. ‘It’s about thinking where those gaps are and role-modelling behaviours that start to even that playing field.’ 

Both perspectives highlight that equity is not a metric to measure, but a mindset to practice. When leaders treat fairness as a daily discipline rather than a policy statement, they create teams built on trust, belonging and sustained performance. 

Supporting Middle Management 

Starter Question: Are today’s leaders equipped to lead the teams of tomorrow? 

 The discussion closed with a shared recognition that leadership itself is changing. As Allison reflected, many people step into management roles because they excel in their craft, not because they are naturally prepared to lead others.  

Once there, they face growing expectations around wellbeing, inclusion, and adaptability, often without the training or support to meet them. 

‘There are some people who are naturally good people leaders,’ she said. ‘But others are promoted for their technical expertise and suddenly realise they have people to look after. I’m not sure all of them really want to be doing it.’ 

Leadership today requires new skills: empathy, facilitation, and the ability to design environments where others can thrive. ‘We have seen so much change over the last five years,’ Allison added. ‘I don’t know if the leadership development tools we have are really preparing leaders to lead in an uncertain future.’ 

The panel’s final message was clear: leadership is no longer about hierarchy or control, but about creating the conditions for others to perform. 

Key Takeaways 

Join us for the next session in the series as we continue to explore what it takes to grow businesses that are both profitable and purposeful.  

Find out more and register for upcoming events: https://www.trinnovogroup.com/events.