Women’s networks or affinity groups, have traditionally been utilised as a mechanism for organisations to attract and retain women. In a lot of businesses, this is the main sole purpose, mostly acting as a recruitment PR activity “We have a women’s network, so, by implication, we support women in business.” Whilst some enlightened organisations really use these affinity groups as a way to tap into the concerns, issues of particular groups, for most they are just a tick-in-the-box.
If you are a Diversity Manager, consider why the business is supporting Gender Diversity at all? Is it because the business wants to “keep women happy”? Do you hear, especially in times like these, that Diversity is not business-critical and so your budgets are non-existent? Or is gender diversity supported by a very solid business case on how it can impact the business’ bottom line because it enhances innovation?
Most companies, we find, have not reached that level. Diversity Management is not seen as business critical. I would, however, argue the contrary. Whether it is women or a minority group or other, affinity groups or networks can act as a catalyst for innovation. Want to know how to do that?
Embed the Network and build connections with business functions
Don’t leave the women’s network sidelined as a knitting circle. Cross-fertilise thinking with the rest of the organisation, such as sales, to look into business opportunities (e.g. new products), that women in a particular segment could find appealing or useful. Or, if you already have a product that you want to see how well it will fare with the fairer sex, why not ask the women in your organisation to give you input on how to best tweak it to suit their needs?
Invest in Out-of-the-Box Thinking
Affinity groups are also a great source of internal innovation. Adding on to the point above, bring together groups within the network to solve particular business problems. As a minority, (women, different races/cultures) thinking creatively to survive and prosper is critical. Let your organisation tap into the creative source of innovation. To do that, it is important to tap into individual identities and bring those to the table. We do this in what we call the CREATE process.
Embrace and Build On Difference
Whether it is because of different attire or different accents, affinity groups will be, by nature, different. These differences will infiltrate every grain of the business and may even, due to new perspectives, result in varying levels of conflict. Managing that conflict and allowing the different voices to be heard, appreciated and embraced is not easy. It is easier to have the “not-invented-here” response. All too often we hear “we have never done this before, so it will not work for us”. Fighting those instinctual responses is not easy.
Push the envelope: Live out of your Comfort Zone
In order to adapt to differences, do something different yourself. Read poetry or attend the ballet if you are the analytical type. Or if you are highly creative, sit down and do your personal accounts. Whilst you will not necessarily find these activities pleasing, they will open your mind (quite literally, as new neural connections will be built in your brain) to new experiences and acceptance to new influences. I wish I could say there is a magic formula for this to happen overnight… but there isn’t….
Diversity Managers are at the fore-front of change: they have to change the status quo. Making the case and building in small, but consistent activities to demonstrate the power of Diversity of Thought will enable to business move beyond Diversity Management to Industry Leadership.
