Diversity Executive - September 2008 - (Page 55)

At ING Americas, the Color of Diversity Is Orange Diversity is part of ING Americas’ DNA, starting at the top. Chairman and CEO Thomas McInerney said he lives and breathes diversity, spending about a third of his time on talent management. That dedication is one of the reasons ING was awarded the 2008 Catalyst Award for initiatives that advance women in the workplace. While the company was pleased to be recognized, the organization doesn’t advance women for recognition, but to help achieve business success. Just before Sept. 11 and the subsequent economic downturn in 2001, ING, a global financial institution of Dutch origin, acquired Equitable of Iowa, ReliaStar and Aetna Financial Services. The company, which had been in the U.S. for 20 years, had to downsize from 30 locations to 10 and unite its workforce. Having a unified culture to leverage the diversity of the workforce, suppliers, customers and the communities it serves would help the company sustain accelerated financial growth and generate cost savings through reduced turnover. So began ING Americas’ initiative “Beyond Diversity: Building One ING Culture,” with the goal of creating one culture to recognize the business imperative of diversity and inclusion, increase the percentage of women managers at the top-most level and serve as a model for its global parent organization. Since 2003, the number of women in senior management has increased from 25 to 50 percent, and two female executives now manage 80 percent of the company’s business. Further, retention of diverse employees increased from 73.5 in 2003-04 to 80 percent in 2006-07, and high-performer retention went from 83 to 92.4 percent. “We treat diversity like any other business issue,” said Tom Waldron, executive vice president of human resources and brand. “There are goals and measurements, and people are rewarded or penalized for how well they make progress. I don’t have to stand at the pulpit and say why diversity is the right thing to do; I just get up there with the numbers.” Each business unit has a diversity scorecard that sets targets for recruitment and retention of diverse employees and diverse sales objectives. Scorecards also track human capital metrics, such as the number of women “managers of managers,” high-performer retention rates, employee satisfaction and commitment. These numbers are used to help each business develop a people plan that sets goals three years out. Metrics play a role in overall rewards. Once bonuses are set for each business unit, they can be accelerated up to 10 percent for units that exceed their diversity targets, or decelerated by the same percentage for those that don’t. The company has multiple strategies in place to further its diversity and business success including business networks such as ING’s Women’s Network (IWN), the company’s largest diverse business network, with more than 1,100 members. It’s no social club. IWN develops an annual business plan designed to provide professional development and business education, which is then submitted to the company for funding. In its 2008 business plan, IWN: • Adopted a new model for project management to provide more accountability and give credit to employees for participation, leadership and successes. • Continued to strengthen ING’s business plan to attract, retain and engage talent. • Worked with business units to focus on business growth and innovation. • Hosted professional development seminars. ING’s leadership also turns to IWN for targeted advice about marketing, product development and delivery, and how best to pilot new human resources programs. Waldron said he came up with the idea of creating another diversity/business success strategy — the Mentoring Advantage program — based on online dating. The premise is that people who want mentoring can sign up and list development or learning opportunities they are seeking, while those interested in mentoring can share skills or knowledge they have to offer, and the two can find each other. It allows employees to educate themselves and develop skills they have identified as important to their careers. Some 57 percent of mentors and 64 percent of mentees are female. Waldron said he is proud of the progress ING has made promoting and retaining women. “I no longer have to educate our leaders about the importance of diversity. Now I provide the tools to help them recruit and develop those diverse populations.” He said his ultimate goal, however, is to get rid of the diversity office. “Eventually, we shouldn’t need that because diversity has become part of the normal rhythm of our business. Orange is the color of ING,” said Waldron. “If we are orange, we can be blind to race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin and all the rest. We are just all orange.” « Nancy Hatch Woodward is a freelance writer based in Chattanooga, Tenn., who specializes in human resources, diversity and health care issues. She can be reached at editor@diversity-executive.com. September/October 2008 | www.diversity-executive.com | Diversity Executive 55 http://www.diversity-executive.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Diversity Executive - September 2008

Diversity Executive - September 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Leadership Connections Guest Editorial Diversity Executive Online 2042: A New Business Era Begins The Rules of Attraction Where to Look for Diverse Talent Like Minds Think Great Culture Teams Target Business Opportunities at Luxottica Retail Special Section Rebalancing Gender At ING Americas, the Color of Diversity Is Orange Profile Business Intelligence Case Study Strategies Advertisers' Index Editorial Resources

Diversity Executive - September 2008

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