Hello again, this is the 3rd and final post on this topic. It is indeed a crucial topic and something which all organisations
need to pay attention to and embrace. It is my hope that more consultants such as myself will build this link between
the functioning of company and the role of Diversity.

As companies deliver their products and services to wider and wider profile of target customers it is imperative that more minorities, people of color and women are encouraged to be part of organizations and importantly are seen to be operating throughout their chosen organization at all levels.

The companies which innovate and reinvent themselves on a continuous basis are the companies which will retain their competitive advantage in the market place. Invention and innovation requires creativity and creativity requires true diversity.

Indeed the message that needs to be propagated throughout the organization is one that creativity is driven by true Diversity and, in turn creativity is the main driving force behind innovation and invention. It is this innovation and invention which enable companies to maintain their competitive advantage, this advantage drives profitability and this profitability continually establishes the business case for Diversity.

Thanks for reading, do get in touch to share ideas and for business collaboration.

Stephen C Campbell

Diversity is not just a “Feel Good Issue” in fact it may be more of a correct statement to classify Diversity as “A Critical Business Issue” i.e. there is a compelling business case for diversity. Today’s customers have a choice in purchasing products and services and; with the internet enable world that choice is becoming more and more global on a daily basis. In fact, companies who want to be the winners in their market space and particularly those who want to be big winners, simply cannot afford to practice and conduct business with policies of exclusion in existence.

The companies who want to succeed are the ones who take Diversity beyond the Human Resources department and make it a part of the fabric of the everyday business transactions. These companies take Diversity to a level where they become role models to other companies in terms of inclusion as they welcome employees with different styles, different perspectives, different ideas, different passports, different accents and different skin colors into all levels of the business. These employees are welcomed and are used to make decisions, develop products, engage with customers as a matter of course based upon their skill set.

I’ll conlude this thread in the next post, as always do contact me to discuss or if you need my assistance with your Diversity Strategy.

-Stephen C Campbell

Often within organizations the question is asked (by varying sections of the workforce) “why are we bothering with Diversity”? The point being, “things have not been so bad up until this point so why divert time, energy and money into this thing called Diversity which only seems to be in existence to help certain sections of the workforce” and often can be interpreted as acting as a career progression disadvantage to the employees who come from the dominant sections of the workforce. Today more that ever there is a need to establish the business case for Diversity and to ensure that the message is passed down throughout al levels of the organization.

It is fair to say that Diversity is often greeted with a certain amount of skepticism and doubt, is normally ‘owned’ by the Human Resources department whose task it is to ensure that Diversity is implemented throughout the organization. In some cases the individuals with the Human Resources who are tasked with rolling out the program may not be fully up to speed with Diversity themselves and with the root cause as to why it is essential in today business landscape to have a coherent Diversity program which is understood by all within the organization.

This is where establishing the business case for Diversity comes into play, it moves the emotional aspect out of focus and gives employees the ‘real reason why it is so important for their organization to have a coherent Diversity strategy in place i.e. it is down to the effect on the bottom line business results as the company continually strives to establish its competitive advantage over and against the other companies operating in the same market space.

More on this in an upcoming post.

Stephen C Campbell

This is the final post on this topic on this critical topic of Diversity with the workplace.

The results of fully incorporating Diversity into the fabric of the organization’s decision making process by the management team (ably assisted by the Human Resources department) will result in products and services which are more targeted to the desired end user customers and delivered to those customers via appropriate marketing channels.

It is therefore the responsibility of the management team to keep the diverse target end user customer base in mind (where appropriate) and doing so ensure that the teams in place to develop and deliver the company’s products and services and best placed to do so. i.e. those teams should ideally have the balance of product development and marketing strategy skills coupled with an understanding of the end user customers of which they are selling to.

For various products and services the input into the product development process may well be seen to benefit greatly with the input of those within the organization who are most closely aligned to the target market customers. Getting these individuals involved in the appropriate decisions making junctures may well provide cherished career development opportunities as well as providing management with valuable interaction with those within the organization from the various dimensions of Diversity.

As always, feel free to post your comments or drop me an email.

Stephen C Campbell

It is indeed beneficial to all involved to view Diversity in this unemotional fashion i.e. having the best people in the best positions to make the best decisions for the company. This is indeed one of the many challenges facing management today when faced with developing, marketing and delivering products and services to a diverse target end user customer base.

Much of the questions that arise in say developing skincare products to dark skinned women when the majority of skincare products are developed for Caucasian skin may we be more readily answered by individuals who have faced the specific issues all their lives. Skincare is just one of the many examples that could be cited – food is another one wish springs readily to mind where the benefit of the point of view of individuals from specific backgrounds and cultures may well enhance the strategy development process.

The results of fully incorporating Diversity into the fabric of the organization’s decision making process by the management team (ably assisted by the Human Resources department) will result in products and services which are more targeted to the desired end user customers and delivered to those customers via appropriate marketing channels.

Will be finishing this off in the next place.

Stephen C Campbell