To encapsulate the immense learnings from the enthralling two-day Summit, I have divided this blog into two parts. This is the first part of the two-part blog series.

The recently concluded NASSCOM Global Inclusion Summit entailed two days of 23 intriguing sessions carried out by 56 wonderful speakers comprising of luminaries, industry veterans, pioneers, renowned political leaders, celebrities, students, evangelists, motivational speakers, and many more distinguished panellists, all with one common goal in mind – to make this world a better, nicer, more diverse, inclusive and equitable place for everyone. Similar to a beautiful bouquet of handpicked colourful flowers, the treasure trove of the absorbing conversations was truly heart-touching, but at the same time, it was also, in more than one ways, an eye-opener and a game-changer driving hard-hitting compelling action points.

Personally, I sometimes wonder that if you come to think of it no two people are the same. So in a sense, we are all DIVERSE. Some just a little more than others. It is just that our minds get fogged up by the barriers of conscious and unconscious biases. And once we are able to break these invisible shackles of biases in our heads and our hearts, a clear head and heart will be one that will be ‘open to life’ in all its shapes and forms, and we can truly attain ‘Unity in Diversity’.

It is indeed ironic, that as humans, we sometimes forget the very purpose of our existence - TO BE HUMANE. Caught in the rat-race of life, in the pursuit of dashing ahead, we overlook and neglect what and whom we are leaving behind. Navigating the corporate quagmire is a daunting task in itself for anyone in general. Hence, all the more reason we need to not only make space for a diverse workforce in our offices, but in our hearts as well, and at the same time make suitable arrangements for them to feel equal and included to participate in the same race as everyone else. It is like supporting someone who is limping, with a stick or giving spectacles to someone with weak eyesight. To be truly inclusive, we need to become the stick or the spectacles that helps those in need of support, so as to level the playfield. Allyship is something we all need, especially those who are diverse and struggling to find their feet in the corporate world. Hence, it is the responsibility of each one of us to embed Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) not just in the organizational DNA, but also in our personal DNA, for us to be able to make the world truly diverse, inclusive and equal.

Some key learnings from the riveting discussions that took place at the Summit are encapsulated below:

1. Inclusion is non-negotiable. It is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ initiative but a ‘must-have’ business imperative that needs to become mainstream. Organizations and people in general, need to move away from unconscious bias to conscious inclusion. Though complex, organizations need to focus on the assimilation and not homogenization of inclusion. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are unique and disparate themes and each of them is critical and indispensable.

2. Diversity and Equity do not beget Inclusion. All three concepts are like the three spokes of the wheel of organizational culture, wherein each of them needs to be integrated well, work in tandem, and embedded into the culture for the entity to run successfully, sustainably, and truly embrace DEI. Implementing one without the other would defeat the purpose of being truly diverse, and the wheel would not move forward. Illustratively, if a player is included in the squad of a cricket team, but never selected to play any match on-field, it would not be fair and the whole purpose of including that player in the first place is defeated. By the same analogy, simply hiring diverse individuals is not sufficient, ensuring that their opinions/ideas are included in conversations and work outputs, and they are made an active part of the essential activities that the business carries out is equally important. Concomitantly, creating an environment that is equitable for everyone, including the diverse workforce, is also essential.

3. Sum of parts is greater than the whole. Much like a fruit salad where despite being mixed together, every fruit retains its unique individuality, resulting in a delectable dish; all three elements – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – need to be weaved closely into the organizational culture, while still maintaining their individuality, to be effectual.

4. DEI is no longer a choice but a critical business imperative. As the renowned management guru Peter Drucker famously once said, “culture eats strategy for breakfast” connoting that no matter how robust your strategy is, if it is not in line with the organizational culture and the people implementing it do not imbibe the appropriate culture, organizational success will be an elusive goal to reach. And DEI today is no longer about the nice-to-have Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity of the past; it is a key concept that makes for a compelling business case. Hence, DEI needs to be deeply engrained in the organizational culture, not just because of its innate ‘social good’ impact, but also because of its effect on business outcomes in terms of driving the top- and bottom-line of a company, and becoming a key lever of definite competitive advantage in terms of business strategy. Moreover, in practice, companies with a strong formalized DEI policy in place experience high retention rates and employee engagement/productivity scores vis-à-vis those that do not inculcate DEI interventions in their organizations.

5. DEI goals need to be measured across the organization. Another famous saying by Peter Drucker, “what gets measured gets managed”, holds true for imbibing DEI in the organization as well. DEI goals need to be translated into specific Key Responsibility Areas (KRAs) and put on the goal-sheets at all possible levels in the organization, be it senior, middle or junior management. Also, DEI is no longer an HR-specific agenda and needs to be driven by everyone in the senior leadership team, including Board members, throughout the organization.

6. Reviewing DEI goals at regular intervals is equally important. Embedding DEI into the heart of the organizational culture is truly a journey and not a fixed goal, as the goal post needs to keep changing as organizations, cultures and the human race, at large, keeps evolving. Hence, it is vital to not just take stock of progress against already-set DEI goals, but also adopt a transitional approach and review the goals themselves, at frequent intervals, to ensure that the goals are not outdated and cover the necessary parameters in-line with recent developments, if any. Monitoring progress, reviewing and revising goals from time-to-time will lay the foundation for robust DEI practices in the organization.

From early interventions to best practices, engraining DEI into the organizational culture is a continuous journey that all organizations must embark upon. Moreover, all of us need to pledge and have the determination to not only be active catalysts that inspire and influence change and challenge biased mindsets, but also contribute in terms of actionable outcomes concerning the DEI agenda, in all walks of our lives.

To know more on this topic and assimilate interesting learnings from the NASSCOM Global Inclusion Summit, please watch this space for my second blog in the coming days.