Too many businesses operating in serviced offices and other buildings are confused over the idea of diversity in the boardroom, according to an occupational psychologist and financial expert.
Kim Stephenson said that a number of companies did not understand that a diversity of gender, race and age did not necessarily equate to varied skills or ways of thinking.
Mr Stephenson, author of Taming the Pound, said: “Too few businesses are taking boardroom diversity seriously; they don’t understand what it is and confuse it with equal opportunities, so they are tackling things wrongly.
“The key mistake made is that many confuse the defensive aspects, avoiding being sued for not having equal opportunities, with the positive aspects, creating cognitive diversity.”
He added that someone who was an Eton or Cambridge educated accountant with over 20 years experience would likely have the same views and business ideas as another Eton or Cambridge educated person, regardless of their sex or race.
Kim Stephenson is an occupational psychologist and author of Taming the Pound, a website which aims to help people to manage their money better and change their attitude and behaviour towards money.
