Novations and Linkage Partner to Develop Benchmark Diversity and Inclusion Research

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.

ÑWith 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,â said Audra Bohannon, Novations Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion.

ÑWe are thrilled to be partnering with Novations once again to update our research findings,â explains Linkage President, Todd Langton. ÑThis 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:
1.) Inclusion has become an integral part of the discussion, with an emphasis on building an inclusive organization where everyone can succeed.

2.) Diversity has been broadened beyond gender and race/ethnicity to include all types of differencesòvisible and invisible.

3.) 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:

1.) 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 organizationÇs 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.

2.) 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 Ñbrain drainâ 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 NovationsÇ and LinkageÇs 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.