Diversity is the Business!

I was chatting recently with the CEO of one of IDC's clients and we got onto that perennial question: what is the business case for D&I? His view was quite straightforward: "D&I is the business!"

Our client trades globally and needs to understand how to conduct business cross-culturally. Their market is fast changing and competitive and they need to recruit the best global talent to enable them to maintain a leadership edge. Readers will know from IDC's viewpoint 'Interviewing practices are key to having a global meritocratic culture' that this requires recruiters and selectors to appreciate candidates' different cultural reference frameworks to do this successfully.

Their fast moving business environment means that they need to be able to find innovative solutions to business process, customer, market and product problems. IDC viewpoints have regularly highlighted the research evidence demonstrating that diverse teams are more creative in finding lasting solutions to business problems than homogeneous ones.

Their efforts to build an inclusive culture have delivered productivity gains because their employees, whatever their diversity, feel empowered to give of their best to delivering success for the business.

This CEO is right in that the commercial success of his business is highly dependent on its capability to manage D&I. For many global organisations it is indeed the case that D&I is the business and increasingly so!

IDC's consultants have considerable experience of helping clients gain the business benefits that accrue from proficiency in D&I management.

Related articles:

·      Profiting from diversity

·      Why supplier diversity is a necessity, not an option for business

·      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