ON TOPIC
O
LINKS TO BUSINESS STRATEGY
The research indicates that
communicating the importance
and objectives of D&I is critical to
establishing inclusive cultures. Those
20% of survey respondents forming
the vanguard group stated that their
companies clearly define D&I goals
and communicate these to the
wider organisation.
Two-thirds (66%) of the vanguard
respondents said that, “to a large
extent”, their companies’ (formal or
informal) inclusion efforts are
explicitly linked to specific strategic
goals. This compares with 45% of
other respondents.
FORMAL STRATEGIES
D&I vanguard companies also tend
to define “inclusive workplaces” and
“inclusive cultures” in specific ways
that leverage the broader benefits
of inclusion, such as ensuring diverse
voices are heard and recognising
contributions from people from
diverse backgrounds.
Perhaps, in part, because they
so often link inclusion efforts to
wider strategic goals, vanguard
companies, more often than other
organisations, have formal strategies
for creating inclusive working
environments at both national and
team levels: 83% of vanguard
companies have such strategies at
a team level, compared with 69% of
other companies.
While inclusion is a leader-led
process, it takes leadership at all
l e ve l s : i n c l u s i o n b e c o m e s
operational and meaningful when
people understand how it affects
the work they do every day. In this
context, it’s particularly notable that
vanguard companies view D&I
initiatives as contributing most
significantly to business success by
increasing employee engagement.
They more often say this than
non-vanguard companies.
CREATING THE RIGHT CONDITIONS
Organisations are at different stages
on the road to D&I and many stall
early on. Some focus solely on
numbers and targets around diverse
representation and many question
whether their investment in inclusion
initiatives is making a tangible
Q&A with Lyndon Taylor,
lead partner, Heidrick & Struggles’
Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Services
What did your D&I research aim to find out?
Our gut feeling was that more inclusive
organisations perform better: they gain more
ideas, have more innovation and better
risk-management.
We asked: “Are organisations defining
diversity? Are they defining inclusion? If so,
are they linking those efforts to business
performance? Are they communicating and
measuring it?” We then considered whether
there was a differential between the
organisations that were defining,
communicating, measuring and monitoring
D&I, and the others. We found out there was. business strategy and embedded in the
culture of the organisation.
Should the emphasis be on inclusion?
If you don’t have a culture of inclusion, you
won’t see the benefits of diversity. When
diverse executives show up, they need to
feel included, that they can speak up and
be heard, and contribute to the business.
Representation matters, but if you only focus
on representation, which I think a lot of
organisations do, it becomes an initiative.
And in our view, D&I shouldn’t be an
initiative; it should be a strategy, tied to wider What is the role of leadership in D&I?
Business leaders are responsible for
business strategy. Talent strategy (including
diversity) is a critical part of that. Inclusive
leaders are intentional about getting diverse
representation and diversity of thought, and
about communicating why inclusivity is good
for business. They are true believers. Leaders
lead the culture for the firm. If they role
model inclusive behaviours, managers down
the line will all role model these as well.
If you don’t
have a culture
of inclusion, you
won’t see the
benefits
of diversity
What does an inclusive culture look and feel
like within vanguard companies?
There will be visible representation: an
inclusive culture looks different at each level
of the organisation; you will find more gender
balance and ethnic diversity. But you will
also find open communication at all levels.
The organisation will probably feel more
team-orientated than individualistic. It will
be a place where individuals can have an
impact on the business and feel they belong.
difference. But our research shows
that pledging a commitment to
employees and stakeholders around
D&I is central to innovation, to
delivering value to customers and to
building lasting business success.
Judging by the full results of our
survey, there are good intentions and
much positivity around inclusion
within organisations, constituting a
solid base upon which leaders can
build. Our findings, linking effective
D&I initiatives to CAGR, will, we hope,
motivate all leaders to create the
conditions for inclusion to contribute
strongly to their business success.
The full survey findings are due
to be published at Heidrick.com
February – May 2020 // 97