Corporate Leadership Center's thought leadership focuses on timely and relevant topics for business leaders as they, and their organizations, work to shape the future. These materials have been developed in celebration of Corporate Leadership Center’s achievements and the positive impact of its programs, CEO Perspectives and Leading Women Executives.
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ENABLING THE VALUE OF DIVERSITY THROUGH INCLUSION
SEPTEMBER 2019
by Deborah DeHaas, Director and Advisor, Corporate Leadership Center; Vice Chairman and National Managing Partner, Center for Board Effectiveness, Deloitte
Companies have focused on improving the diversity of their executive leadership and talent pool for years, with progress at a slower pace than many leaders and directors aspired to. It has become increasingly evident that improving diversity without enhancing inclusion does not allow the value of diversity to be fully realized.
This poses two key questions:
1. Why is inclusion so important?
2. Why is inclusion so difficult to advance?
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CHALLENGES FOR ORGANIZATIONS:
1. Articulating Strategic Goals
Many organizations have primarily focused on diversity because it is easier to quantify and measure. But defining and prioritizing strategic approaches to inclusion can differentiate business results.
2. Creating Accountability at the Board Level
Many organizations lack accountability in board and executive oversight of diversity, and especially inclusion. In reviewing the charters of a group of Russell 3000 board committees, most focused on diversity and demographic composition; only a few made reference to inclusive organizational culture or practices. Conversations with directors confirm that boards may not consider diversity and inclusion as separate concepts.
3. Broadening Performance Management Scorecards
Scorecards evaluating the performance of organizations and individual leaders tend to focus on lagging measures of diversity, instead of leading indicators that address inclusivity. By developing a set of metrics that address progress on key inclusion topics -- such as trust, respect, courage, fairness, flexibility, humility, empowerment and commitment – companies may be able to better predict and address issues around employee engagement and retention.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE, INCLUDING HOW TO ACHIEVE A MORE INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT.
Many business leaders use “diversity and inclusion” as a single phrase or use the words interchangeably. Understanding the difference between the two may be an important starting point for organizations to achieve better outcomes.
DIVERSITY covers a wide range of characteristics which people were born with or have acquired, such as gender, race, ethnicity, disability status, military or veteran status, or sexual orientation, among others.
INCLUSION ensures all members of an organization feel welcomed with equal opportunities to connect, belong, grow, contribute, and advance their skill sets and careers, while feeling comfortable and confident
being their authentic selves.
DIVERSITY IS ABOUT TRAITS WHILE INCLUSION IS ABOUT FEELINGS AND BEHAVIORS.
Having a diverse workforce is critical to achieving business success. With diversity of people comes a myriad of perspectives and unique points of view, which drive more innovation and help us reach our business goals. We recognize the importance of an inclusive culture to continue to build upon the power of diversity for our company.
Today’s talent can choose which employers they want to work for. An inclusive work environment means a place where everyone feels accepted, able to speak up to share insights, and provide more value to the organization.
Driving inclusion is a shared responsibility between executive leadership and the board, but the roles are different. Management develops the strategy and executes the inclusion mission. The board exercises oversight and holds itself, management and the organization accountable.
Additional Topics
MARCH 2019 - THE RISE OF URBANIZATION
A recent report in The Economist estimated that the 50 largest urban areas contain only 7% of the world's population but produce 40% of its economic output. Major urban areas are hotbeds for innovation, sources for talent and driving changes in patterns of demand for goods and services. Business leaders need to understand the urban landscape and shape strategies to reflect these growing trends.
To provide greater insights on this topic, Christian Beaudoin, Managing Director, Research, Strategy, Site Selection at JLL, discusses what companies need to consider when selecting a city (Watch Video), and Mark Hacker, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer at Motorola Solutions, shares how Motorola's move from the suburbs has benefited the company. Read more
MAY 2019 - UNDERSTANDING EFFECTIVE REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
CEOs and board directors view a company’s reputation as one of its most valuable assets. Recently however, there is a growing gap between the rise in corporate reputational risk and companies’ capabilities to manage it.
Every month a new reputational disaster makes the headlines, destroying shareholder value and trust among customers and other stakeholders. But the loss of public trust is just the beginning of a company’s troubles -- lawsuits, public hearings, and investigations often follow. Management missteps may be a part of the problem, but there are broader trends in these ever more frequent and severe corporate crises. Read more
JULY 2019 - UNDERSTANDING THE CHANGING EMPLOYER/EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIP
On June 5th, 2019, CEO Perspectives held its Spring Event at Deloitte in Chicago, to focus on the fast-changing nature of work across sectors. The event featured: Keynote Speaker: Jeff Schwartz, Human Capital Principal, Global Human Capital Marketing, Eminence & Brand Leader, US Leader for the Future of Work, Deloitte; Panel Discussion Moderator, Deb DeHaas, Vice Chairman and National Managing Partner of the Center for Board Effectiveness, Deloitte; and Panelists: Jeff Schwartz, Jonas Prising, Chairman & CEO, ManpowerGroup, and Betsy Ziegler, CEO, 1871. Read more
SEPTEMBER 2019 - ENABLING THE VALUE OF DIVERSITY THROUGH INCLUSION
by Deborah DeHaas, Director and Advisor, Corporate Leadership Center; Vice Chairman and National Managing Partner, Center for Board Effectiveness, Deloitte
Companies have focused on improving the diversity of their executive leadership and talent pool for years, with progress at a slower pace than many leaders and directors aspired to. It has become increasingly evident that improving diversity without enhancing inclusion does not allow the value of diversity to be fully realized. Read more
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