Home / News / Novations and Linkage Partner to Develop Benchmark Diversity and Inclusion Research
June 22, 2009
Novations and Linkage Partner to Develop Benchmark Diversity and Inclusion Research
The Changing Face of Diversity and Inclusion Study
Highlights Best-in-Class Practices from Leading
Organizations
Boston, MA, June 22, 2009 - Novations
Group, Inc. (www.novations.com) has
partnered with Linkage (www.linkageinc.com),
a global organizational development company to develop the
research report The Changing Face of Diversity and
Inclusion: The, Now, and Tomorrow, an in-depth analysis of
best-in-class diversity and inclusion practices from
leading organizations.
Linkage and Novations first partnered in 1999 to conduct
ground-breaking research in the areas of diversity and
inclusion (the original research was conducted by J. Howard
& Associates, now a part of Novations). The research
study resulted in the in-depth report Leading Diversity:
Benchmarking Successful Practices.
The current study, The Changing Face of Diversity &
Inclusion: Then, Now & Tomorrow, is designed to measure
what progress has been made over these ten
years, highlight the challenges facing
organizations today and the best practices utilized to
address them, and identify the top issues that
organizations will face over the next ten years.
“With the concepts of diversity and inclusion
becoming an increasingly common part of the global
landscape, now is the ideal time to evaluate what
organizations are doing well, and where we can
improve,” said Audra Bohannon, Novations Vice
President of Diversity and Inclusion.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Novations once
again to update our research findings,” explains
Linkage President, Todd Langton. “This research
brings forth critical information and valuable
recommendations to help organizations enhance their
diversity and inclusion initiatives."
Significant Historical Trends
Study participants discussed the general evolution of
diversity and inclusion in terms of three interrelated
areas:
Inclusion has become an integral part of the
discussion, with an emphasis on building an inclusive
organization where everyone can succeed.
Diversity has been broadened beyond gender
and race/ethnicity to include all types of
differences—visible and invisible.
A movement from an emphasis on legal
compliance to understanding the business case for diversity
and inclusion has occurred.
Significant Challenges
Study participants identified several existing
challenges:
Senior Leadership support. Senior
Leadership has become increasingly engaged in these
programs over the past ten years. However, many
Leaders talk about diversity and may give their written
commitment, but do not demonstrate their real
engagement. Even when executives support diversity
and inclusion, middle managers and supervisors may not. As
a result, interventions do not get implemented successfully
at local levels.
The business case for diversity and
inclusion. While significant progress has been made
with the integration of diversity and inclusion into the
overall business plan and related strategic initiatives,
the study found insufficient understanding and support of
the business case. Additionally, the current economic
crisis has resulted in limited resources, lack of
accountability, and resistance to change.
Measuring the impact of diversity
programs. Many if not most diversity and inclusion
initiatives do not have a measurement component built in
that starts with concrete baseline data and tracks progress
as well as documenting results. Organizations also
struggle with identifying and isolating the impact of
specific diversity and inclusion initiatives on business
outcomes.
Major Emerging Trends
The research identified two developing trends that are most
directly impacting the ability to create of a culture of
inclusion
Emerging Globalization Issues.
Different forms of exclusion exist in other countries,
sometimes as part of the culture. For some participants,
the biggest challenge was balancing continuity in their
organization’s policies, procedures, and core values
while respecting and adapting to cultural differences when
necessary. Some organizations plan to meet these
challenges by providing cultural competency training, by
customizing training and the language in which it is
presented according to the audience, and by incorporating a
cross-cultural component to all diversity and inclusion
training.
Emerging Generational Issues. Common
themes regarding generational differences focused on the
key challenges between Generation Y and Baby Boomers.
Such differences made collaboration and teamwork difficult,
with older employees feeling undervalued and younger
employees feeling micromanaged. Another generation-related
challenge is the fear of a “brain drain” as
many older employees retire. To address these
challenges, several participating organizations are
sponsoring activities involving both younger and older
employees to help build mutual understanding and positive
working relations. Others are establishing Gen Y Employee
Resource Groups.
Members of the media can learn more about the findings and
download the Executive Summary at http://info.novations.com/diversitystudy/
Study Methodology and Participants
The research was conducted by collecting and analyzing both
quantitative and qualitative data. An initial quantitative
survey collected data from a sample of Novations’ and
Linkage’s organizational clients and then qualitative
telephone interviews were conducted with an additional
group of clients.
The study involved Human Resources and Diversity and
Inclusion professionals from a variety of organizations.
About Novations
Novations Group, Inc. is a full-service talent development
firm, based in Boston, MA. For over 25 years, we have
partnered successfully to implement innovative talent
development solutions to leading companies around the
world. Our consulting, training, and measurement services
help organizations gain a competitive edge in today’s
global market.
About Linkage
Linkage is a global organizational development company that
specializes in leadership development. Linkage provides
clients around the globe with integrated solutions that
include strategic consulting services, customized
leadership development and training experiences, tailored
assessment services, and benchmark research. Linkage is
headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts with operations
in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and outside
the U.S. in Athens, Bangalore, Brussels, Bucharest,
Istanbul, Johannesburg, Kuwait City, Seoul, Singapore,
Sydney and Tokyo.
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Media Contacts:
Clint Poole
Novations Group, Inc.
cpoole@novations.com
617-206-2590
Sarah Stearns
Linkage
sstearns@linkageinc.com
781-402-5599
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