Why Measuring Cultural Diversity Matters – And How We Finally Did It

In 2014, as a skilled migrant, I moved to Australia. There, I joined a fascinating and multi-talented team, working in the fields of education and intercultural understanding. This came after spending my entire career in tech teams – where the moment you walk into a meeting, you’d be confronted with dashboard, charts, numbers, all flashing across the screen. In the tech world, everything is measurable. Everything is data-driven.  

But here? Something felt… Different. 

This was my first time working in a non-tech team. As I listened to the conversations around me, I heard words like harmony, belonging, balance, well-being, equal opportunity, diversity. These words – rightly – resonated with everyone!  

But, for me, something was missing… 

I waited for numbers.   
I waited for data.  
But… Nothing.  

After weeks of listening, I realised—there weren’t any numbers. I wondered – how could there be facts, without evidence? 

I walked into the CEO’s office and asked him straight up, “If diversity is good for business, then… Are we more or less diverse than last year?”… “And how do we compare to the company next door?”  

“How do you actually measure diversity?”  

Then, there was a moment of absolute silence.  

I wasn’t sure – had I just asked something completely inappropriate?  

Then, finally, he said:  

“That’s a very interesting question… I don’t know. But let’s find out.”  

What was at that point supposed to be a small research project turned into a 10-year journey that brought together dozens of anthropologists, data scientists, subject matter experts, developers and cloud engineers to build a methodology for measuring diversity like has never existed before. 

After building this method and using it to analyse data from nearly 1 million people, we discovered something astonishing: no two people—out of the million—had exactly the same identity.  

The moment you have two people in a room, diversity, as it were, is already present. Our individual identity pattern is as singular as our fingerprints with unique identities, intricate layers, and differs from each other infinitely.  

This realisation changes everything… 

Let me explain… 

We live in a world where “diversity” is everywhere. It is endlessly discussed —at conferences, in policy debates, in business reports, and in nearly every boardroom worldwide. Yet for all this discussion, there was no consistent way to measure it – or even really any consensus on what “it” is! Yet all apparently agreed it was important, but very few could say what exactly should be counted and how to compare across groups or countries. 

What is diversity, as we mean it? 

This was the knowledge gap that inspired our research. The results were published in the International Journal of Organizational Diversity and later transformed into Cultural infusion’s Atlas, a platform now used in over 42 countries by nearly a million people! 

The Problem: Diversity Without Definition 

“Diversity” sounds straightforward, in theory. But when you dig deeper, you quickly find it is not so simple: 

• Does “diversity” mean gender, age and ethnicity? 

• What about language, birthplace, or beliefs? 

• Should socioeconomic demographics be included? Sexualities, disabilities, neurodivergence, position levels, country of birth, including our past generations? How far back? 

• How deep do we go? 

This lack of consensus meant that organisations—schools, companies, even governments—were making decisions without a clear baseline. This is like trying to navigate without a map. 

Even worse, diversity was often spoken of in vague or hyperbolic, utopian terms, especially in corporate reports. Studies would claim diversity improved performance, innovation, or profitability, but without robust measurement methods, these claims remained shaky and difficult to verify. 

Our Approach: Disaggregate, measure and re-aggregate  

The core idea of our research was simple: instead of treating culture as one indistinct, nebulous concept, we disaggregated it into measurable dimensions. 

We identified four fundamental categories that evidence suggests most strongly shape cultural identity: 

1. Ethnicity 

2. Language 

3. Worldview (beliefs, religious and secular) 

4. Country of Birth 

It needs to be said that these are not the only categories we might use to define people, but these are the ones we found were most consistently used across anthropology, sociology, and global data collection.  

Most importantly, they are measurable. 

From there, we were able to build a mathematical index—drawing on entropy and probability theory—that could calculate diversity on a scale from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (maximum diversity). 

This meant diversity could finally be measured: 

• Within an organisation, 

• Across different countries, 

• And over time. 

What We Found 

Diversity Looks Different Around the World 

Once we had our model, we tested it! Hundreds of participants across Australia, France, and Pakistan took part in surveys about what they believed defined culture. 

Our findings were striking: 

• In France, ethnicity dominated as the most important factor in defining culture (averaging nearly 60%). 

• In Pakistan, worldview and religion were by far the most important (averaging over 36%). 

• In Australia, the four factors were seen as more balanced, with ethnicity slightly leading (30%) but language and worldview close behind 

These results revealed an important fact: not only is diversity multidimensional, but different societies value those dimensions differently. This means a “one-size-fits-all” approach to diversity is inadequate.  

Context matters. 

From Research to Reality: The Birth of Cultural Infusion Atlas 

What began as purely an academic question quickly began development into a practical tool. With the support of Cultural Infusion, we transformed the methodology into a groundbreaking platform called Cultural Infusion’s Atlas. 

Today, Diversity Atlas helps organisations worldwide: 

• Map their cultural diversity in real numbers. 

• Benchmark and compare across teams, regions, and industries. 

• Track change over time, helping leaders see whether initiatives are making an impact. 

The platform’s success speaks to the demand: from its beginnings in academic theory, it is now being used in over 42 countries by nearly a million participants 

Why It Matters? 

What we measure, we can manage. 

Without measurement, “diversity” risks becoming a buzzword. With measurement, it becomes a tool for action: 

• Businesses can understand how diversity affects performance and innovation. 

• Governments can design policies that reflect real community makeups. 

• Schools and universities can encourage belonging in multicultural classrooms. 

• Health providers can deliver services more attuned to the needs of diverse populations. 

In short: measurement turns ideals into outcomes. 

The Journey Ahead 

This work is not yet finished. Cultural diversity continues to evolve. It is shaped by migration, globalisation, generational change, and technology. Socioeconomic status, gender identity, and so many other evolving factors intersect with culture in complex ways. 

By creating a common language and framework for measuring diversity, however, we have taken an important first step. One that enables deeper understanding, fairer practices, and stronger, more inclusive societies. 

Final Thoughts 

When I first published the initial paper, I didn’t, or couldn’t’, imagine it would lead to a brand-new platform that would be used globally. The response, though, made something clear: organisations are hungry for better ways to understand their people. 

The lesson here is simple: diversity is not just about celebrating difference. It is about measuring it, learning from it, and applying those insights to build a better future – for everybody 

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