Diversity Executive - September 2008 - (Page 58)

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE Research Reveals Four Lessons About Diversity and Inclusion A recent study indicates a lack of focus in diversity and inclusion efforts and a broad disconnect from critical talent management initiatives. But there are steps leaders can take to close the gap. By Kevin Oakes In March, the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), asked more than 200 companies about their focus on diversity and inclusion. The result: A majority of those companies lack any kind of focus on diversity and inclusion. With talent management all the rage today, it would be natural to assume companies recognize that diversity and inclusion have a direct impact on critical talent issues. In fact, previous research by i4cp identiﬁed the ability to engage a diverse workforce and create an environment in which diversity is accepted and welcomed is essential to attract and keep top talent now and in the future. Yet, most companies are doing little to proactively create this. To ﬁnd out what is happening with diversity, i4cp asked companies to respond to a few core questions: 1. What infrastructure is in place for diversity and inclusion strategy and efforts in your organization? 2. Does your organization have a chief diversity ofﬁcer? If so, to whom does the ofﬁcer report? How are leaders held accountable for driving diversity? 3. What are the roles of diversity “teams” in your orgaFigure 1: Infrastructure in Place to Support Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Efforts in an Organization Diversity training Diversity councils Affinity groups Diversity consultants None Other 22.5% 15.6% 9.4% 18.8% 34.4% 46.9% nization, and what practices do you use to integrate diversity and inclusion? 4. Does your organization have a global diversity strategy, and if so, what are its key elements? The survey, titled “Taking the Pulse: Diversity and Inclusion,” led to four key lessons about diversity and inclusion. Lesson 1: Most companies do not have a robust “diversity infrastructure.” And size does matter. Larger organizations are more likely to have an infrastructure in place to support diversity initiatives. Infrastructure in this instance means training programs, diversity councils, afﬁnity groups and diversity consultants. The ﬁrst big ﬁnding was the lack of focus companies have on providing diversity training. More than half of the companies surveyed simply don’t do it. However, as companies increase in size, so does the likelihood they offer diversity training. Seventy-ﬁve percent of organizations with more than 10,000 employees offer some type of training. Size also mattered when it came to sponsoring diversity councils and afﬁnity groups. Just 34 percent of all companies said they have diversity councils in place to provide feedback on issues such as race, gender and sexual orientation, though more than two-thirds of larger companies said they have this today. This was the same for afﬁnity groups: Less than a quarter (23 percent) of all companies have afﬁnity groups in place to support minorities, but 61 percent of large organizations do. Figure 2: Who the Chief Diversity Officer Reports to in an Organization Other 10% CEO 22.5% Head of human resources 67.5% Source: i4cp, 2008 A total of 206 HR professionals participated in the “Taking the Pulse: Diversity and Inclusion” survey in March. Source: i4cp, 2008 58 Diversity Executive | www.diversity-executive.com | September/October 2008 http://www.diversity-executive.com

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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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