VALTTI
Diversity as a strength in the workplace
Better recognition of diversity in everyday business offers opportunities to utilize different skills, experience and perspectives. When diverse strengths are recognized and utilized in leadership, they support both the smooth running of work and the success of the organization.
Diversity is not a challenge that needs to be solved, but an asset that is worth recognizing and utilizing.
Diversity is reflected in workplaces in many different ways. It can relate, for example, to age and generations, gender, cultural background, ways of learning and solving problems, or education and experience. Some aspects of diversity are visible, while much of it can easily go unnoticed. That is why diversity should be looked at as a whole:
Do we really know what kinds of people make up our work community and what strengths they bring?
Workplace communities are at their best when different people, strengths and perspectives meet and complement one another. When we learn to recognise the impact of diversity on working together, we also strengthen our shared organisational culture and interaction.
The national VALTTI project works together with companies to explore and practise new approaches to diversity in a concrete and practical way. The result will be the Diversity as a Strength model, which helps workplaces recognise, value and make use of diversity as part of smooth everyday working life.
IDENTIFY:
Recognising and making diversity visible, and mapping individual strengths.
ACKNOWLEDGE:
Recognising the value of diversity and deepening the expertise within the work community through dialogue.
ADAPT:
Adjusting everyday practices to better support diversity.
Alongside the three-step identify–acknowledge–adapt development process, companies are supported not only by the project’s experts, but also by a diversity audit package and other practical tools and approaches designed to make everyday working life run more smoothly. As a result of the VALTTI process, workplaces gain a clear development path and concrete building blocks for managing diversity. Supervisors are also provided with practical solutions for challenging situations and improving interaction.
Smoother collaboration
When employees better understand each other’s ways of working, communication improves and misunderstandings are reduced..
Making the most of strengths
Workplaces often have skills and potential that have yet to be recognised. Understanding diversity helps uncover new strengths and new ways of working.
Wellbeing at work
Feeling accepted contributes to greater job satisfaction and strengthens employees’ commitment to the organisation..
More effective performance
When collaboration works well, employees feel good about their work and feel that their strengths are being put to use. This can also improve efficiency and overall performance.
Funding
European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), Economic Development Centre of Northern Finland
Implementation period
1.8.2026–31.5.2029
Target group
The primary target group of the national project is workplaces across Finland. In particular, the project targets employees, supervisors and management in SMEs. The project focuses on developing work communities in small and medium-sized enterprises, while also aiming to involve micro-enterprises and self-employed individuals – a total of 180 people from 45 Finnish companies.
Implementers
The national project is implemented as a joint project between Jamk University of Applied Sciences and Humak University of Applied Sciences. The project is coordinated by Jamk University of Applied Sciences.
Hilkka Heikkilä | Project Manager, Lead Partner | Jamk University of Applied Sciences
hilkka.heikkila(a)jamk.fi | +358 50 430 8407
Ella Salokorpi | Project Manager, Co-implementer | Humak University of Applied Sciences
ella.salokorpi(a)humak.fi | +358 40 034 9246
Purpose and objectives
The main objective of the VALTTI project is to develop everyday management and operations in companies so that the diverse needs of employees can be better taken into account in the workplace – by management, work communities and individuals alike. At the same time, the project aims to identify and make use of individuals’ diverse strengths.
As a result of the project:
- Workplaces gain a clear development path and practical tools for managing diversity.
- Supervisors find practical solutions for challenging situations and improving interaction.
- Each participant learns to identify strengths and find ways to reduce workload and strain, thereby supporting wellbeing at work.
- Conflicts are reduced across the organisation, while innovation, productivity and commitment increase.
- Simulations help supervisors recognise the impact of language and ways of working, and practise inclusive interaction.
