Gaining the top and bottom line improvements offered from effective diversity policies
Gaining the top and bottom line improvements offered from effective diversity policies involves creating a culture that embraces each person's diversity. Our diversity assessments in organisations, both private and public sector, in Asia, Europe and North America consistently demonstrate that employees from groups that are different from the historically dominant group often do not feel embraced by their organisation's culture.
Typically in Western organisations the historically dominant culture is that of white, middle aged, middle class, university educated, heterosexual males. Our research has revealed that organisations can have excellent diversity policies and yet people from the non-traditional groups will report (e.g.. through our affinity focus groups in which our specialist facilitators mirror the diversity of the participants) that they do not consider them to be an employer of choice or a supplier of choice to their groups.
Obtaining the diversity dividend from your diversity efforts involves underpinning your diversity action plan by change management methodology. It is only in this way that the historically dominant culture favouring one group can be changed to one that embraces everyone's diversity.
Our consultants are all experts in change management as well as diversity. This means that we can help our clients firstly determine the aspects of the culture that needs to be changed for it to be more inclusive to diverse employees, customers and suppliers. We can then help them devise diversity action plans to bring about these changes and, as a result, deliver real value to top and bottom line business performance.
Related articles:
The critical success factors for an effective diversity intervention
Take an honest look at your business culture from a diversity perspective
Understanding what areas of diversity and inclusion already work in your business culture
Is your organisation really a 'meritocracy'?
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