Why Diversity and Inclusion?
Companies that focus on the business impact of diversity; understanding the commercial impact within each company show an increase in profitability. Companies that intentionally manage culture significantly outperformed those that did not. More recently the statistics have become even more compelling.
“In a study of 353 companies, those companies with the highest representation of women in the top management team experienced a 35% higher return on equity and a 34% higher total return to shareholders.”
~The Calvert Women’s Principles Initiative, April, 2008
“There’s a gap between concept and execution. Diversity and inclusion touches each individual’s core values, socialization, conscious behaviors and subconscious mind-sets. When workforce, client, and supplier diversity are acknowledged as part of doing business, they will be integrated into business strategy. As such, diversity will be addressed in the manner as all other business matters, and it will be achieved.”
~Sarah Meyer-Davis, Strategic Diversity Advisors
- Inclusion – the act of including all individuals without passing judgement based on differences.
- Diversity – all human differences and understanding that each person is different and recognizing our differences. Some of these include race, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, physical abilities or other ideologies.
- Diversity and Inclusion– a business imperative. It continues to be viewed as a social program. “Organizations cannot effectively force changes in values or attitude but they can mandate appropriate workforce behaviors. ~Atlanta Tribune, September, 2008