Diversity and Inclusion Are Part of Your Brand Purpose
- By Dan Bieler, Forrester
- August 31, 2021
As the world gradually enters a post-pandemic stage, businesses are recognizing “softer” themes — including ethics, sustainability, trust, and diversity — as necessary components for shaping new value propositions.
At the same time, product value propositions are increasingly being based on services and experiences rather than features and functions. Consequently, creativity, self-initiative, and passion play a vital role in developing customer-obsessed strategies and differentiated offerings.
Tech executives, therefore, need to make diversity and inclusion (D&I) a core part of their talent strategy, as:
- D&I is about systemic cultural change. D&I transforms an organization’s culture and boosts its innovation capabilities, thus generating better employee and customer experiences as well as new revenue opportunities. New perspectives help tackle challenges and opportunities from unconventional angles. Deepa Gautam-Nigge, senior director — corporate development and diversity advocate at SAP, states that “connecting the dots beyond the obvious, either in business or in culture — that’s only possible when the full range of diversity is used.”
- D&I injects fresh ideas into a conservative and stagnant environment. Diversity blends different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Firms that encourage diversity of thought are better positioned to attract and retain top talent, boost customer obsession, improve employee satisfaction, and increase creative decision-making. Vinod Kumar, CEO at Vodafone Business, shared that “for me, what is even more important than simply the physical representation of diversity is to ensure that all decision-making considers the perspectives of ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation to arrive at balanced decisions that are inclusive before getting a sign-off.”
- D&I is not all about humans. Countering bias in data and in algorithms needs to be part of your diversity strategy. There is no “raw data,” as every data has a bias. Hence, big data and database design should be viewed as part of AI design. Moreover, organizations that design AI algorithms must also have strong diversity initiatives to minimize biases. Elena Estavillo, founder and CEO of Centro-i, observes that “organizations that design AI algorithms must also have strong diversity initiatives to minimize biases in data.”
Questions like “What is the value of diversity — and how is it measured?”; “Why should you align your D&I with your AI strategy?”; “How does D&I affect management culture and management style?”; and “How do you embed D&I inside an organization’s culture rather than pursuing diversity as a ‘project’?” are essential for organizations to succeed in the coming decades.
The original article by Dan Bieler, principal analyst at Forrester, is here.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of DigitalWorkforceTrends. Image credit: iStockphoto/wildpixel