According to a new study by the nation’s leading independent human capital management research firm, more than 80% of organizations believe they provide a diverse and inclusive environment for their employees. However, Brandon Hall Group research shows only about one-third rate themselves highly for critical drivers such as having a diverse talent pipeline, leadership that reflects the diversity of the customer base and workforce or a workforce that reflects the diversity of the customer base or communities the organization serves.
Boca Raton, Dec. 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In the wake of the social justice movement and COVID-19, Diversity & Inclusion has never been more important, both as a business driver and as a way for organizations to connect with their increasingly diverse workforces.
“In 2020, many organizations took action to improve inclusive practices, discuss social issues and support employee activism at work and in the communities they serve. Complicating the evolution of D&I is a lack of executive-level leadership, critical for culture change,” said Brandon Hall Group COO Rachel Cooke.
Almost half of organizations have no clear D&I leader or efforts are led by a non-manager with other, often competing, responsibilities. Organizations that do have a senior leader or executive, such as a chief diversity officer, heading their D&I efforts are two- to four times more likely to say their initiatives are successful, the research shows.
“Organizations that do not invest leadership, time, energy, and resources into Diversity & Inclusion are missing a unique opportunity to improve organizational culture, business competitiveness, employee engagement, and talent retention,” said Brandon Hall Group SVP and Principal HCM Analyst Claude Werder.
Employers seeking to fully leverage the power of Diversity & Inclusion to improve business results must answer many critical questions, including:
- How can we do a better job leading, managing, and funding D&I efforts to improve the impact?
- How can we do a better job creating awareness of unconscious bias and building a culture of self-awareness that empowers “unconscious inclusion?”
- How can we embed the values of Diversity & Inclusion in all levels of the organization?
- How can we develop a diverse pipeline of professional and leadership talent, internally and externally?
“Success in Diversity & Inclusion involves an organization-wide strategy. It is about building a culture through values, engaging talent, continuous learning, recognizing success, and employee activism,” said Brandon Hall Group CEO Mike Cooke. “It is a complex journey, but one worth investing the time, money, and effort required to drive business growth and improve the engagement of employees, customers, and all other stakeholders.”
Brandon Hall Group provided its membership community with the latest Diversity & Inclusion research, which includes two studies — one on benchmarking and one focusing on how the importance of Diversity & Inclusion is changing. Based on both the quantitative research and scores of interviews, we offer our clients seven strategies to improve Diversity & Inclusion as a business driver.
To get a glimpse of the evidence-based insights Brandon Hall Group publishes for the most forward-looking corporate organizations, download the infographic Bridging the Diversity and Inclusion Gap Between Intent and Reality at https://go.brandonhall.com/l/8262/2020-12-17/bbc391 .
—About Brandon Hall Group Inc.
Brandon Hall Group is the only professional development company that offers data, research, insights and certification to Learning and Talent executives and organizations. The best minds in Human Capital Management (HCM) choose Brandon Hall Group to help them create future proof employee development plans for the new era.
For over 27 years, we have empowered, recognized and certified excellence in organizations around the world influencing the development of over 10,000,000 employees and executives. Our HCM Excellence Awards was the first to recognize organizations for learning and talent and is the gold standard, known as the “Academy Awards of Human Capital Management.”
Our cloud-based platform delivers evidence-based insights in the areas of Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Acquisition and HR/Workforce Management for corporate organizations and HCM solution providers.
To learn more visit https://www.brandonhall.com
Article source: www.GlobeNewswire.com