By Gary P. Pisano (Harvard Business Review, Jan 2019) ABSTRACT: This article offers some important insights as to why some companies are successful in pursuing innovation while others fail at it. The proposition advanced by the author is that the nature of innovative cultures is misunderstood. He seeks to dispel five common misconceptions about how …
(Boston Consulting Group, Jan 2019, by M. Kretz and others) ABSTRACT: This article begins with the observation that while many companies and their leaders recognise the benefits that diversity brings and have instituted various kinds of diversity initiatives, across the board the reality is that progress has been slow. (The authors are, of course not …
Symmetra has long advocated objectively rating and benchmarking the salient features of a diverse and inclusive workplace. One of the most important indicators of the level of inclusivity in a workplace is whether employees have a positive sense of belonging. Belonging advances employee engagement, motivation, identification with the goals of the business and collaboration. It is pleasing …
Sexual harassment in the workplace has been described often as an “intractable problem”. Despite legislation designed to combat it which has been in place in Australia for decades, and despite corporate leaders proclaiming that there will be zero tolerance for acts of sexual violence or harassment, evidence is that its occurrence has not come down. …
I recently attended the Forum on Workplace Inclusion, held in Minneapolis, USA, where I was privileged to present a paper on Symmetra’s program to Embed Psychological Safety in the Workplace. One of the aspects I sought to emphasise in Symmetra’s proposition is that a psychologically safe environment is one where opposing views and differences can …
In an increasingly globalized business arena, many companies are looking to Asia for talent, solutions and business expansion. This session explores how D&I is often viewed and treated differently, and will highlight the D&I topics relevant to Asia which can differ from western markets. The first part will be an introduction to key D&I issues …
Some Diversity Programs do not succeed Why is it that many diversity programs have fallen short of the goals or expectations of those who designed them and why are women and members of a range of diverse minority groups still so under-represented in leadership? Traditionally, strategies to achieve equity in the workplace or to combat …
Traditional business is changing fast. There are 5 key consumer shifts taking place that is driving the need for organisations to become Customer Inclusive and Customer led. Being customer centric is no longer enough. The level of interdependence between customers and organisations is increasing. This interdependence is not new, companies and customers have always been …
Biases are Innate That unconscious bias is a real feature of human cognition is no longer a matter of dispute or doubt. A mountain of evidence has been accumulated on the existence and impact of subliminal processes below our active consciousness influencing our behaviour continuously. The evidence derives from improved psychological insights generated by the …
Malcolm Gladwell who popularised the phrase ‘The Tipping Point’ as the title of his best-selling book defined it as “the moment of critical mass, the threshold the boiling point”. Often the tipping point in significant social movements is recognised only in retrospect. However in the march to give women their rightful role in large public …