Three in ten executives consider the balance of flexibility and centralised control to be the most challenging internal barrier to managing diversity, as found by a study carried out by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and sponsored by SuccessFactors. Asia Pacific was found to be the most challenging region for generational concerns—organisations with a long history of centralised control find accommodating flexibility particularly difficult.
The global survey, conducted at the end of last year, surveyed 228 executives, with 29% of respondents representing Asia Pacific, who are responsible for designing and developing their organisation’s HR strategy.
Key findings of the survey include:
- The majority (82%) of executives agree that a strategic approach to managing diversity can help access a rich talent pool.
- The integration of the millennial generation employees in the workforce is viewed as a significant diversity challenge.
- 80% believe strategic changes are needed to accommodate younger employees in the workforce.
- Offering learning and career-development opportunities is a key strategy for managing a diverse workforce.
- Almost half (47%) are supporting policy initiatives such as mentoring in order to engage diverse talent.
The top global markets that present the most difficult challenges for managing a diverse workforce include:
Generational issues
Asia Pacific (29%), North America (23%),
Africa (15%), Western Europe (14%)
Cultural/religious issues
Middle East (51%), Asia Pacific (20%),
Africa (14%)
Language issues
Asia Pacific (43%), Africa (17%),
Latin America (12%)
Gender issues
Middle East (46%), Asia Pacific (18%),
Africa (13%)
Education and training issues
Africa (45%), Asia Pacific (18%),
North America (12%), Latin America (10%)
Business growth depends on attracting and retaining a workforce with globally diverse values and demographics. With diversity increasingly seen as a strategic business advantage, HR executives agree that companies must embrace multicultural and multigenerational needs to meet ongoing recruitment and retention goals.
The EIU surveyed 228 HR executives around the globe to learn about the challenges of an increasingly diverse workforce, Millennials and their strategies for making the most of these rapid industry changes. The findings were compiled in a new study, Values-based diversity: The challenges and strengths of many.
HR executives are investing in a variety of strategies to provide employees with an engaging work experience, including mentoring new and high-potential employees (47%); exposing high-potential employees to diverse business situations (45%); and providing flexible working arrangements (43%). Key to successful implementation of these strategies is the technology to enable them. Solutions include a global system of workforce data to provide a single system of record, cloud delivery options to innovate quickly and collaboration tools help companies manage their diverse workforce. The top tools are: core HR / HRiS systems (35%); eLearning (31%); videoconferencing (25%); cloud-based collaboration tools (21%); and enterprise social networks (20%).
Anka Wittenberg, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, SAP commented, ”We all know that the business landscape will look dramatically different in coming decades. By embracing people’s differences, we can not only make SAP a better place to work, but spark our innovation, better serve our customers, and gain competitive advantage. In addition, we can support broader societal change.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
