Making the business case for diversity and inclusion. Short case studies and research papers that demonstrate best practice in HR
| Pages | 58-60 |
| Published date | 12 February 2018 |
| Date | 12 February 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-10-2017-0068 |
| Author | Tracy Morley |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Employee behaviour |
HR at work
Making the business case for diversity and
inclusion
Short case studies and research papers that demonstrate best
practice in HR
Tracy Morley
Over the past few decades,the US
workplace has undergone a
significant transformation.It continues
to become increasingly diverse,and
organizations are using this to create
a competitive advantage. Morethan
simply acknowledging differences,
organizations with successful
diversity and inclusion programs are
embracing the different qualitiesin
their workforce and learning how to
leverage them to support
organizational objectives.
It is important to understand that
diversity and inclusion are two
different concepts:
1. Diversity generally focuses on the
full spectrum of differences and
similarities between individuals. It
goes beyond equal employment
policies and includes other things
such as work experiences, values
and beliefs, life experience and
personal preferences and
behaviors.
2. Inclusion is what an organization
does – the actions it takes – to
ensure that individuals feel
welcomed, supported and valued
as a member of the team.
Becoming a diverse and inclusive
workplace requires a commitmentof
time, energy and resources on behalf
of the employer. Securing approval
for those resources requires makinga
compelling business case
demonstrating that the business
results are greater than the resources
needed to invest in the initiative.
Determine the business need and
engage executives
The first step in making a business
case is to identify the business
problem, need or opportunity to be
addressed. This is a critical stepand
should be given careful thoughtas it
sets the tone for the projectand, if
done correctly, provides a clear
picture as to how the solution to the
problem impacts the organization’s
needs.
The next step is to assemble a team
to research the costs, benefitsand
challenges of the proposed initiative.
In addition to HR, it is important to
have representation from various
departments such as Operations,
Finance and IT, as well as other
departments and individualsthat may
be stakeholders in a diversity and
inclusion initiative.
Implementing a diversity and
inclusion program requires buy in and
support from the organization’s
executive leadership. Accordingto
Deloitte Consulting’s (2017)Global
Human Capital Trends: Rewritingthe
PAGE 58 jSTRATEGIC HR REVIEW jVOL. 17 NO. 1 2018, pp. 58-60, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1475-4398 DOI 10.1108/SHR-10-2017-0068
To continue reading
Request your trial