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32 | TH E M R EP O RT FEATURE FEATURE I n today's world, most of us hear the words 'diversity' and 'inclusion' too often in our industry, but what is diversity? Diversity is acknowledging that we are all different individuals and that such differences are what make us unique. Inclusion is what brings the concept of diversity to life. Diversity is the sum of the ways that people are both alike and different. The dimensions of diversity include race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, lan- guage, culture, religion, mental and physical ability, class, and immigration status. While di- versity itself is not a value-laden term, the way that people react to diversity is driven by values, attitudes, beliefs, and so on. Full acceptance of diversity is a major principle of social justice. Inclusion is the active, inten - tional, and ongoing engagement with diversity at intellectual, social, cultural, and geographi- cal levels with which indi- viduals might connect in ways that increase one's awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within systems and institutions. The Diversity Advantage D iversity efforts can offer several business benefits. • • Increased•productivity:•Employees feel more comfortable in a diverse environment where all individuals are accepted and praised for their differences; in turn, they are happy doing their jobs and are more productive. • • Increased•creativity:•Diversity fosters the recognition of differences as unique strengths of each person. Singular races, cultural back - grounds, languages, religions, sexual orientations, and ethnici- ties by nature produce creative thinking, as each of us sees things from a different perspective mag- nified by our dissimilarities. • • Increased•problem-solving: Diverse environments are more inclined to promote out-of-the-box thinking when solving prob - lems and facing difficulties. Diversity Under the Magnifying Glass "Diversity" and "inclusion" are buzzwords that have been trending in the mortgage industry for some time, but when truly absorbed, they can have a multitude of positive impacts on a business. By Adriana Montes, J.D. MREPORT'S DIVERSITY ISSUE * * *