Over the past days, many companies across the world have taken a public stand against racism. Speaking up about a lack of diversity and inclusion is a good thing. If it is the only thing you do, it's just PR.
I challenge you to look at the leadership teams in those companies. Do they represent the diversity of our society? Do they include people from different genders, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age and expertise? If they do, it did not happen by accident. They took action towards inclusive leadership. And so can you.
Belgium is not the US. Ethnic diversity in Belgian companies is mostly an entry level issue. Did you know that 50 % of 12 year olds in our cities come from a multicultural ethnic background? We see a huge imbalance in talent development in our high schools and even more in higher education. That is not the case, for example in the UK. How come? And what can we do about it? This challenge is very different from gender diversity. For 2 decades now, slightly more girls than boys have been graduating from higher education institutions. Twenty years later, they are not represented in leadership roles. Not even 20 % of Belgian management team members are women. A 'leaky pipeline' occurs amongst women after 10-15 years into their career. Age diversity is yet another challenge. How do you make 4 generations in the workplace work together, with very diverse communication styles & expectations?
Are you waiting for others to change the numbers?
Think again.
To get more diversity and inclusion oin the workplace, we need governments, media and companies to take on an active role. Start today. An inclusive company culture is about working on many different drivers for change. Just installing quota will not get you there. And is often contra productive Unbiased recruitment, a flexible work culture supporting dual careers and single/coparenting roles, unbiased career development paths, diverse and inclusive communication and representation, customer centricity and getting all stakeholders on board are other drivers. Mapping D&I to your business priorities is often the best way to accelerate your journey to more inclusive leadership.
Do you really know your 'as is'?
Be part of the solution. Gather intelligence to determine how inclusice your compa,nuy culture is today in a Diversity & Inclusion Scan. Let me help you identify the accelerating and blocking factors for diverse talents to thrive in your organisation. I use my unique ‘5 drivers for inclusive company cultures' model, based upon extensive analysis of best practices across sectors, regions and industries.
The D&I Scan gives you a clear ‘as is’ and suggested tactics for change. It is often a good starting point to go beyond the quota discussion and to set realistic goals that work for you. Take some time after summer to do this right. I takes 4-6 weeks to set up, do and deliver the D&I scan.
How will a D&I Scan help you to be a more inclusive leader?
create more awareness around the business case for more Diversity & Inclusion
gather information on the accelerating & blocking factors inside the organization for ‘minorities’
get a view of the differences in representation of women, ethnicity, age, language in the entire population, at different seniority levels, roles, and in different company segments
connect the topic to your business agenda and identify
get a view on you best next steps in the journey
learn about tactics for change that actually work
get all stakeholders on board
Are you ready to take the lead an be a more inclusive leader?
It all starts with seeing the blind spots and turning blockers into accelerators.
Take the next step. Get in touch and book your D&I Scan for 2020.
Elke Jeurissen
0476/505454
