There still is diversity in my soup...

Deloitte's study 'Waiter, is that diversity in my soup?' goes back ten years. Back then, the pressure for companies and their leaders of doing more with less, stand fiscal pressure, face increased uncertainty and volatility to drive company performance was on the rise. The tangible uplift for business performance could be seen when employees think that their workplace is highly committed to and supportive of diversity and they?feel highly included. That is 10 years ago!

Ever since, the outside pressure for companies and for leaders to innovate hasn't changed - to the contrary. #Digitization, #crisismanagement, #globalization, #AI have increased the pressure for leaders to drive change even further. So, well worth to have a look at the role of Diversity (&Inclusion). So where to start?

Always start with the end in mind.

The feedback from employees in what their recommendation was to drive diversity in the workplace was looking at hiring the personality matters.

• “Need more transparency in the selection process.”
• “Improve fairness in promotions and encourage different viewpoints.”
• “Train managers not to recruit people who are similar to themselves but to be more open minded. Apply the same to promotions.”
• “Ensure that managers (all the way from the senior leadership team to the team leaders) are fair in their assessment of subordinates’ performance.”
• “Hold managers and members of senior leadership accountable for their actions.”

Select for fit to the position

In order to make sure, you promote and/or select leaders that will drive diversity and inclusion in your organisation, clear role descriptions and requirement profiles will help. Investing in setting up a career model to show that your hiring criteria for a specific role are transaprent and not based on intuition is a first step. My experience shows that more and more companies have invested in new leadership models since #digitization and #nework has impacted the company performance.

What get's measured - get's managed said Peter Drucker. In order to push Diversity in organizations, you should put metrics behind those goals - and it's not just about promoting women into leadership positions. What else leaders can do to drive diversity within their teams?

Here's a checklist:

1. Create awareness: understand the value of diversity and the positive impact it has on performance and innovation. Actively share these beliefs with your team.
2. Set diversity goals: define clear diversity goals for your team or company.Set concrete actions to achieve these goals.
3. Foster inclusive company culture: create a company culture that supports diversity and inclusion.Implement awareness and inclusion training for all employees.
4. Rethink recruiting strategies: review your recruiting practices for potential bias. Invest in interview trainings and personality assessments to hire for fit to the position and appeal to a diverse applicant population.
5. Promote diversity in leadership: advocate for diverse leadership. Implement a career model and mentoring programs to promote the advancement of diverse talent.
6. Transparent communication: communicate openly about your diversity goals and progress and provide regular updates to build transparency and trust. A feedback culture will help trust and accountability within teams.
7. Flexibility and Work-Life Balance: implement flexible work models to accommodate the diversity needs of your employees.Promote a work-life balance.

What is your experience in driving diversity in your organization and what role do you think leaders have in pushing it?

Source:

Waiter, is that Diversity in my soup? A Deloitte study.

A shared understanding: driving Diversity and Inclusion in Assessments

Four layers of diversity - by Thomas Roosevelt