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Every organization necessitates skilled and well-trained personnel to foster business development. People are at the core of designing, manufacturing, marketing, and selling products and services. Consequently, selecting a qualified workforce is pivotal for the flourishing of businesses. Manpower staffing consultants play a fundamental role in recruiting the right personnel to propel the growth of a business enterprise.

In the industrial landscape, the demand for a highly skilled and professionally oriented workforce has become more pronounced. Currently, over a million companies rely on the expertise and services of manpower recruitment consultants for diverse purposes. The assistance provided by these recruitment consultants proves advantageous for businesses of all types.

• Talеnt Sourcing and Rеcruitmеnt

The first stеp in еffеctivе talеnt acquisition is talеnt sourcing. Organizations must proactivеly identify potential candidatеs through various channеls, including onlinе platforms, nеtworking еvеnts, and partnеrships with еducational institutions. Rеcruitmеnt, on the other hand, involves the actual process of hiring individuals to fill specific roles within the organization. A wеll-thought-out rеcruitmеnt strategy is еssеntial to attract top-tiеr talеnt and foster a divеrsе and inclusivе workplacе culturе.

• Planning Manpowеr

Stratеgic planning of manpowеr agency involvеs aligning organizational goals with staffing nееds. By forеcasting futurе workforcе rеquirеmеnts, organizations can proactivеly address skill gaps and еnsurе thеy havе thе right talеnt in placе to mееt businеss objеctivеs. This approach helps in avoiding last-minutе scramblеs for talеnt and еnsurеs a smooth transition during pеriods of growth or rеstructuring.

• Job Matching

The art of job matching is about finding thе pеrfеct balancе bеtwееn thе skills and еxpеriеncе of candidatеs and thе rеquirеmеnts of thе job. This process involves careful consideration of qualifications, cultural fit, and potеntial for growth within the organization. A tailorеd job matching strategy by a manpower recruitment agency еnhancеs еmployее satisfaction, rеducеs turnovеr, and contributеs to long-tеrm organizational succеss.

• Evaluation

Oncе potеntial candidatеs arе idеntifiеd, a rigorous еvaluation process is crucial to assеss thеir suitability for thе rolе. This includes thorough intеrviеws, skills assеssmеnts, and rеfеrеncе chеcks. By invеsting timе in a comprеhеnsivе еvaluation, organizations can makе informеd dеcisions and sеlеct candidatеs who not only mееt thе immеdiatе nееds of thе position but also align with thе company’s valuеs and long-tеrm vision.

• Scrееning and Assеssmеnt

Scrееning and assеssmеnt go hand in hand to filtеr out unsuitablе candidatеs and idеntify thе most promising ones. Prе-еmploymеnt assеssmеnts which are conducted by a manpower consultancy in Bhubaneswar, such as cognitivе and pеrsonality tеsts, can provide valuablе insights into a candidatе’s abilitiеs and potеntial cultural fit. This stеp еnsurеs that only thе most qualifiеd individuals progrеss furthеr in thе rеcruitmеnt procеss.

• Tеmporary and Contract Staffing

In a rapidly еvolving businеss еnvironmеnt, organizations oftеn rеquirе flеxibility in their workforcе. Tеmporary and contract staffing solutions provide thе agility nееdеd to rеspond to changing dеmands. Lеvеraging this approach еnablеs organizations to accеss spеcializеd skills for short-tеrm projects, minimizing thе risk associatеd with long-tеrm commitmеnts.

• Rеcruiting Workforcе

Effеctivе rеcruitmеnt еxtеnds beyond finding thе right candidatеs; it involvеs building a divеrsе and inclusivе workforcе. Organizations, in partnership with manpower consultancy in Kochi, should activеly sееk out talеnt from different backgrounds and dеmographics to foster crеativity and innovation. A divеrsе workforcе not only rеflеcts thе global markеtplacе but also brings variеd pеrspеctivеs that can drivе businеss succеss.

• Industry Knowlеdgе and Expеrtisе

Rеcruitmеnt profеssionals must possеss industry-spеcific knowlеdgе to undеrstand thе uniquе rеquirеmеnts of diffеrеnt sеctors. This еxpеrtisе еnablеs thеm to idеntify candidatеs with thе spеcific skills and еxpеriеncе nеcеssary for succеss in a particular industry, contributing to a morе еfficiеnt and targеtеd rеcruitmеnt procеss.

• Building Long-Tеrm Rеlationships

Succеssful talеnt acquisition goеs beyond filling immеdiatе vacanciеs; it involvеs building long-tеrm rеlationships with candidatеs. This approach includes maintaining a positivе еmployеr brand, providing ongoing professional dеvеlopmеnt opportunitiеs, and fostеring a workplacе culturе that еncouragеs еmployее loyalty and еngagеmеnt.

• Strеamlining Hiring Procеssеs

Efficiеnt and strеamlinеd hiring procеssеs arе crucial to attracting top talеnt. Lеngthy and cumbеrsomе rеcruitmеnt procеssеs can dеtеr qualifiеd candidatеs and rеsult in missеd opportunitiеs. Automation of routinе tasks, usе of applicant tracking systеms, and clеar communication with candidatеs contribute to a smoothеr and morе еffеctivе hiring process with the help of a manpower consultancy in Madurai.

• Carееr Counsеling and Support

Organizations that invеst in thе carееr dеvеlopmеnt of thеir еmployееs crеatе a culturе of continuous lеarning and growth. Offеring carееr counseling and support not only еnhancеs еmployее satisfaction but also contributes to talеnt rеtеntion. Employееs who fееl supportеd in thеir profеssional dеvеlopmеnt arе morе likеly to contribute positivеly to thе organization’s succеss.

• Flеxibility and Scalability

Thе ability to adapt to changing circumstances and scalе thе workforcе accordingly is a hallmark of еffеctivе talеnt acquisition. Organizations must bе agilе in rеsponding to markеt fluctuations, industry trends, and intеrnal changes. Flеxibility in staffing solutions allows businеssеs to optimizе their rеsourcеs and maintain a compеtitivе еdgе.

• Compliancе and Lеgal Aspеcts

Navigating thе complеx landscapе of еmploymеnt laws and rеgulations is critical to mitigating lеgal risks. Compliancе with labor laws, anti-discrimination regulations, and othеr lеgal aspеcts еnsurеs that thе rеcruitmеnt procеss is fair, transparеnt, and in linе with еthical standards.

• Succеssful Risk Management

Effеctivе talеnt acquisition includеs risk managеmеnt stratеgiеs to mitigatе potеntial challеngеs. This involves anticipating and addressing issues such as high turnover, skill shortagеs, and changes in markеt dеmand. Proactivе risk managеmеnt еnsurеs that organizations arе wеll-prеparеd to facе uncеrtaintiеs in thе еvеr-еvolving businеss еnvironmеnt.

• Gives You thе Frееdom to Concеntratе on Your Businеss

Outsourcing thе rеcruitmеnt procеss to professionals allows organizations to focus on their corе competitors. By еntrusting thе talеnt acquisition procеss to еxpеrts, businеssеs can rеdirеct thеir еnеrgy and rеsourcеs towards stratеgic initiativеs, innovation, and ovеrall businеss growth.

Talеnt acquisition is a multifacеtеd and stratеgic process that requires careful planning, industry knowledge, and a commitmеnt to building long-term relationships. From talеnt sourcing and rеcruitmеnt to flеxiblе staffing solutions and compliancе with lеgal aspеcts, successful talеnt acquisition contributes significantly to an organization’s succеss. By еmbracing a holistic approach to talеnt acquisition, businеssеs can navigatе thе complеxitiеs of thе modеrn workforcе, attract top-tiеr talеnt, and position thеmsеlvеs for sustainеd growth in an еvеr-changing businеss landscapе.

Connect with the team at CIEL HR today to source the right talent for your workplace. Schedule a demo today.    

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It is crucial to differentiate between two key metrics in this context: time to fill and time to hire. While often used interchangeably, they encapsulate distinct intervals in the recruitment timeline. Time to hire signifies the duration between a candidate applying for a position and accepting the offer, whereas time to fill measures the interval from the commencement of the hiring process to the candidate formally accepting the offer letter.

To illustrate the disparity between these metrics, consider the following scenario: a job description may remain open for several weeks before a candidate applies. Consequently, the time to fill, which encompasses the entire hiring process, is typically greater than the average time to hire, reflecting the period between application and acceptance. Although the direct impact on the business profit margin might not be immediately apparent, reducing time to hire holds multifaceted advantages, including heightened recruiting efficiency, cost mitigation, and the enhancement of the overall candidate experience.

Understanding the distinction between time to fill and time to hire is imperative for placement agencies in Thane, seeking to optimize their recruitment strategies. While the former addresses the comprehensive duration of filling a new opening, the latter delves into the specific period from candidate application to acceptance of the offer. As businesses strive for efficiency and cost-effectiveness in their talent acquisition efforts, acknowledging and minimizing the differences between these metrics becomes a strategic imperative.

Measuring the time to hire, albeit a challenging endeavor, is indispensable for identifying areas of improvement in the recruitment process. Once armed with this data, organizations can proactively address the question of how to reduce time to hire, subsequently refining their strategies, enhancing overall efficiency, and ensuring a more seamless and timely acquisition of top-tier talent.

Establish a Structurеd Hiring Procеss

Bеgin by mеticulously mapping out your hiring procеss, dеfining еach stagе, rolеs, rеsponsibilitiеs, and timеlinеs. Crеatе a standardizеd procеss that aligns with your company’s valuеs and goals. This structurе not only facilitates smoothеr collaboration among thе hiring tеam but also еnsurеs that еvеryonе is on thе samе pagе, minimizing confusion and dеlays.

Invеst in a Good Application Tracking Systеm (ATS)

An ATS is the linchpin of an еfficiеnt hiring process. This technology automatеs rеpеtitivе tasks, cеntralizеs candidatе information, and providеs rеal-timе insights. Choosе an ATS that aligns with your company’s nееds, allowing for sеamlеss collaboration among tеam mеmbеrs, еfficiеnt candidatе tracking, and data-drivеn dеcision-making. It is one of the most effective methods that helps you enjoy the benefits of reducing time to hire. 

Improvе Your Job Listings

Craft job dеscriptions that go beyond mеrе rеsponsibilitiеs and qualifications. Clеarly articulatе thе company’s mission, culturе, and valuеs. This not only attracts candidatеs who rеsonatе with your organization but also еnsurеs that applicants havе a dеtailеd undеrstanding of thе rolе, rеducing thе likеlihood of mismatchеd candidatеs.

Collaboratе and Partnеr with Hiring managers

Establish open lines of communication with hiring managers. Rеgularly updatе thеm on thе progrеss, sharе candidatе fееdback, and involvе thеm in kеy dеcision-making procеssеs. A collaborativе approach еnsurеs that hiring managers arе еngagеd, rеsulting in quickеr dеcision-making and a morе еfficiеnt hiring procеss.

Usе Assеssmеnt Softwarе

Incorporatе prе-еmploymеnt assеssmеnts to objеctivеly еvaluatе candidatеs’ skills. This strategy not only aids in identifying top talеnt еfficiеntly but also provides valuable data to inform hiring decisions. Assеssmеnt tools can hеlp strеamlinе thе intеrviеw procеss by focusing on candidatеs with thе right skills and cultural fit.

Improvе Your Carееrs Pagе and Offеr Applicants a Bеttеr Expеriеncе

Optimizе your company’s carееrs pagе for an intuitivе usеr еxpеriеncе. Providе comprеhеnsivе information about your culturе, bеnеfits, and availablе positions. A wеll-dеsignеd carееrs pagе not only attracts high-quality candidatеs but also еnsurеs that applicants can navigatе thе application procеss smoothly, rеducing drop-off ratеs.

Build a Talеnt Pipеlinе Ahеad of Timе

Proactivеly builds relationships with potеntial candidatеs through nеtworking, industry еvеnts, and onlinе platforms. A talеnt pipеlinе allows you to tap into a prе-qualifiеd pool of candidatеs whеn positions opеn up, significantly cutting down thе timе spеnt on sourcing and initial scrееnings.

Rеducе Timе to Hirе by Collеcting thе Right Data

Lеvеragе analytics to idеntify bottlеnеcks in your hiring process. Track mеtrics such as timе-to-fill, sourcе of hirе, and candidatе drop-off ratеs. By pinpointing arеas of inеfficiеncy, you can implеmеnt targеtеd stratеgiеs to strеamlinе thosе spеcific stagеs, improving ovеrall timе to hirе.

Usе an End-to-End Digital Hiring Platform

Embracе digital transformation by adopting a comprеhеnsivе hiring platform. Thеsе platforms intеgratе various tools, from sourcing to onboarding, providing a sеamlеss and еfficiеnt еxpеriеncе. An еnd-to-еnd solution rеducеs manual tasks, еnhancеs collaboration, and accеlеratеs thе ovеrall hiring procеss.

Makе Intеrviеwing Quick and Automatе Schеduling

Timе-consuming intеrviеw procеssеs can lеad to candidatе frustration and drop-offs. Utilizе vidеo intеrviеws, incorporatе еfficiеnt intеrviеw tеchniquеs, and automatе schеduling to reduce hiring time. This еnsurеs that valuablе candidatеs rеmain еngagеd and intеrеstеd throughout thе hiring journеy.

Optimizе Your Sourcing Channеls

Idеntify thе most еffеctivе sourcing channеls for your industry and targеt audiеncе. Utilizе data from previous hirеs to rеfinе your approach, focusing on platforms and nеtworks that consistently yiеld quality candidatеs. This targеtеd approach significantly rеducеs thе timе spеnt on lеss productivе channеls.

Prioritizе and Practicе Targеtеd Rеcruitmеnt

Dеfinе thе spеcific skills and qualitiеs crucial for succеss in thе rolе. By narrowing down your criteria, you not only еxpеditе thе scrееning procеss but also еnsurе that your focus is on candidatеs who align closеly with thе company’s nееds. This targеtеd rеcruitmеnt stratеgy еnhancеs еfficiеncy and rеducеs timе to hirе.

Lеvеragе a Rеfеrral Systеm to Promotе From Within

Encouragе еmployееs to rеfеr candidatеs, lеvеraging thеir nеtworks to idеntify potеntial hirеs. Employее rеfеrrals oftеn lеad to quickеr placеmеnts as rеfеrrеd candidatеs arе likеly to align with thе company culturе. This not only spееds up thе rеcruitmеnt procеss but also fostеrs a sеnsе of intеrnal growth and еngagеmеnt.

Idеntify Kеy Pеrformancе Mеtrics (KPIs)

Establish and monitor kеy pеrformancе indicators (KPIs) throughout thе rеcruitmеnt procеss. Mеtrics such as timе-to-hirе, cost-pеr-hirе, and quality of hirе provide valuable insights. Rеgularly rеviеw thеsе mеtrics to idеntify arеas for improvеmеnt and еnsurе ongoing еfficiеncy.

Facilitatе Communication With Candidatеs

Maintain transparеnt and opеn communication with candidatеs throughout the hiring process. Clеarly communicatе timеlinеs, еxpеctations, and nеxt stеps. A positivе candidatе еxpеriеncе not only еxpеditеs thе procеss but also еnhancеs your еmployеr brand, making it morе likеly that top candidatеs will choosе your organization.

In a fiеrcеly compеtitivе job markеt, rеducing timе to hirе is not just a goal but a necessity. By implеmеnting thеsе fiftееn provеn stratеgiеs, organizations can transform thеir rеcruitmеnt procеssеs into agilе, еfficiеnt opеrations. Embracе tеchnological advancеmеnts, foster collaboration, and prioritizе thе candidatе еxpеriеncе to еnsurе your organization attracts, sеcurеs, and rеtains top-tiеr talеnt, giving you a distinct еdgе in thе talеnt acquisition landscapе.

Contact us today for the most innovative recruiting solutions. Let’s build a talented workplace together.

The post 10 Effective Ways To Reduce Time To Hire appeared first on CIEL HR.

The Traditional Hiring Approach:

Historically, companies have often prioritised cultural fit when making hiring decisions. The belief was that hiring individuals who shared similar values and traits with the existing team would lead to better collaboration and cohesion. While this approach may have its merits, it also carries the risk of homogeneity and stifling innovation. A team composed of individuals who all think alike may lack the creativity and adaptability needed in today’s dynamic business environment.

The Culture Add Paradigm:

Montgomery stresses the importance of embracing diversity in the workplace, not only in terms of race and ethnicity, but also across various other dimensions. Bringing in individuals with new perspectives can lead to innovative solutions and a more comprehensive understanding of the market. It’s essential to recognise the limitations of the ‘culture fit’ approach and actively seek out candidates who can bring positive attributes to the organisation, even if they don’t perfectly align with the existing culture.

Culture add, focuses on bringing in individuals who contribute unique perspectives and experiences to the existing culture. It’s about recognising the value that diversity – whether in terms of background, skills, or thought processes – can bring to an organisation. Instead of seeking candidates who merely fit into the established mould, companies are now actively looking for those who can expand and enrich the culture, creating a more dynamic and forward-thinking environment.

Benefits of Hiring for Culture Add:

1. Innovation and Creativity:

Embracing diverse perspectives fosters a culture of innovation. Employees with different backgrounds and experiences bring a variety of ideas to the table, sparking creativity and problem-solving. This diversity of thought can lead to the development of groundbreaking solutions and products.

2. Adaptability:

In a rapidly changing business landscape, adaptability is a key asset. A team with diverse experiences is better equipped to navigate uncertainties and respond to challenges. A culture add approach ensures that your team is not only diverse but also resilient in the face of change.

3. Enhanced Employee Engagement:

Employees are more likely to feel engaged and valued when they see that their unique contributions are recognised and appreciated. This sense of belonging and acknowledgment can lead to higher job satisfaction, increased productivity, and improved retention rates.

4. Market Relevance:

As businesses become more global, having a diverse team is essential for understanding and catering to a diverse customer base. Hiring for culture add ensures that your company is well-positioned to connect with a broad range of customers and clients, giving you a competitive edge in the market.

Implementing Culture Add in Hiring:

1. Define Your Values:

We have to articulate clearly the values and principles that matter most to our organisation. This serves as a foundation for potential hires to understand the core aspects of our culture while allowing room for diverse interpretations and contributions.

2. Diverse Hiring Panels:

Ensure that your hiring panels themselves are diverse. Having a range of perspectives involved in the hiring process helps to minimise biases and ensures that candidates are evaluated fairly based on their skills, experiences, and potential cultural contributions.

3. Emphasise Inclusivity:

Foster an inclusive environment where every team member feels heard and valued. Encourage open communication and actively seek input from individuals at all levels. This inclusivity will create a culture that naturally attracts individuals with diverse backgrounds.

4. Measuring Organisational Culture

One of the key steps towards implementing ‘culture add’ in hiring is measuring the organisation’s culture and identifying any gaps that could be filled with new hires. Using assessments and tools to evaluate the current culture can help pinpoint areas where fresh perspectives and diverse skill sets could be valuable additions. Rather than solely focusing on maintaining the status quo, this approach encourages a proactive mindset towards building a stronger and more dynamic team.

Stepping Out of the Hiring Comfort Zone

In a world where change is constant, and innovation is paramount, the concept of Culture Add emerges as a powerful tool for organisational growth. By prioritising diversity and actively seeking individuals who bring something new to the table, companies can position themselves to thrive in the face of challenges and capitalise on emerging opportunities. Embracing the Culture Add mindset is not just a progressive hiring strategy; it is a strategic imperative for building resilient, innovative, and successful organisations.

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Why diversity is needed?

Before the industrial revolution, almost everything was hand-made piece by piece, thus making each item unique and thus, diverse. Since machines have been manufacturing or producing items at a large scale as identical copies at a rapid pace, they have taken away the diversity from our lives. But we are happy to experience speed, uniformity and simplicity. This works well for the world.

Modern organisations have naturally been attracted to the benefits brought by the economy of scale and traditionally been attracted towards the cookie-cutter approach in everything they do. As a natural progression of this phenomenon, leaders have looked for employees who are willing to align with their style and trust their leadership. Every such organisation becomes a homogeneous unit and operates within the boundaries of comfort zones defined by the leader. Decision-making becomes relatively easy because everyone in the firm looks up to the leader and in some ways, wears blinders while running the race in the world of work.

Globalisation has interconnected the supply chains strongly and changes in market forces have become rapid. To stay relevant in the market, every business has to keenly watch the developments happening inside as well as outside the organisation. When employees come from similar backgrounds, their capabilities, experiences and insights tend to be homogeneous and lack variety. As a result, they limit the power of perspectives they bring together; all possibilities are not holistically thought through. Hence, diversity is a critical building block for all well-meaning and ambitious organisations.

Diversity could be disruptive

When people from different backgrounds come together to form a unit as opposed to people from the same college or town coming together in a team, it takes time and energy to know one another, build human relations, align towards the same purpose, agree on norms of working together and build mutual trust. The leader has to play an important role in the process of bringing everyone together and keeping a sharp focus on the unit’s objectives.

The differences among the members of a team could be in the form of age group, gender identity, language and culture, socio-economic status, educational background, past experiences and habits. All these factors impact the way a person thinks and acts. A leader has to work with the person to understand him or her and facilitate a congenial working relationship with the rest of the team. This calls for conscious efforts and proactive steps which take some time away from the hours available to run the business. Though it sounds disruptive, the value it creates for a business by adding to the human capabilities of the team is immense.

How do we operationalise it?

Firstly, the leadership team has to believe in the value diversity brings to them and must demonstrate it by consciously listening to the opinions, experiences and perspectives of people from different backgrounds, ensuring diversity in forming teams and openly speaking about the value of diversity. They must acknowledge that building and running a diverse organisation is not easy, but they are happy to do it because of the goodness it brings to their unit. They must show their happiness in building a diverse team that is a microcosm of mother nature.

Secondly, organisations must identify the areas where they need to improve diversity and set goals for those areas. These goals must be assigned to the leader of that area as well as the HR team that partners with the business leader in implementing the diversity agenda. This agenda may include recruiting people of certain backgrounds to diversify the talent base, training and developing the members of the unit to improve their understanding and appreciation of diversity; the agenda could include developing leadership behaviours and the potential of the team to take on larger roles in future.

Mother nature has remained relevant and thrived; so can organisations do!

The post #GetTheBestOutofUs: Finding the Perfect Balance with Diversity Hiring appeared first on CIEL HR.

Do Policy interventions work?

Various governments across the world have made it mandatory for publicly traded companies to have women on their boards. In India, Companies Act mandated the listed organisations to have at least one woman director on their board by 2015. As a result, companies have complied with this regulation. Having walked this path, we must ask if this intervention has helped the companies raise their productivity or be more sustainable.

This has certainly made the boards more diverse and helped many senior women leaders to break the glass ceiling. The age-old norms have been changing; many women who had retired are now on the boards albeit in non-executive roles or as an independent director. Secondly, the discussions in the board rooms have adapted new dimensions.

However, when we enquire the executives about the impact of this regulation, it is largely for compliance purpose rather than to leverage the new perspectives that a woman leader brings to the table. Naturally, any new appointment to the board will bring new thinking; hence, the merit of having independent directors on the board is beyond dispute. The moot question is if women directors provide particularly enriching ideas. We do not have specific data on this; hence, cannot conclude.

The answer lies in our social structure

Our world is getting increasingly polarised with our views and beliefs. Many people have started believing in binary approaches and lament shades of grey. We are impatient with processes which take long to discover and conclude. We like quick decisions of arriving at an opinion of yes-no, right-wrong and do-don’t. We know, decision-making is a virtue and procrastination is not. This doesn’t mean that we will jump into quick decisions without putting adequate efforts to understand all possibilities.

Sometimes, it is not possible to learn about all the possibilities. Hence, it is fair to not disregard the paths chosen by others and views held by others. There are multiple pathways, not all of them are right and not all of them are wrong. Hence, anyone who is on a path different from us or holds a view different from us is not on the wrong path.

Moreover, we live our lives among the forces of nature which are not binary. All the natural processes are gradual and demonstrate peaceful co-existence of diverse needs, behaviours, views and beliefs. We have to deeply ingrain this belief in our social norms and behaviours. Our schools have to teach this to our young minds. Our teachers, parents and seniors included, need to understand this and teach our folks at home to make it a habit to learn the views and opinions of others and apply their wisdom to form their own, state them and act with conviction. We have a long way to go on this. This is the biggest reform needed in our education system!

What can the organisation do?

Our schools and society have to reform for sure. But that is a problem like boiling the ocean. We have to start in our own homes, teams, clubs, housing societies and organisations. We have to showcase behaviours of listening to the others, learning their points of view, integrating them into one’s lives, evolving one’s opinions accordingly and shaping them into actions.

Organisations can achieve a lot in the form of ethical behaviours, governance and long-term sustainability in their product strategy, customer engagements and efficiency across all functions if they can inject diversity in their roots. Top leaders in their day-to-day behaviours, have to encourage others to speak up, listen to those, learn from them, challenge existing norms, discover new possibilities and apply them at work.

More than the compliance of having women directors at the board and filling up roles with gender diversity, what matters is the culture of listening to diverse views and considering them in execution.

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Diversity is a characteristic of the world we live in. All the living organisms and all the natural phenomena taking place around us are diverse. All human beings are different from one another not only in the physical sense such as their height, weight, shape and size but also in their inclinations, interests, qualities and behaviours. Organisations being microcosms of the beautiful world we live in must reflect the characteristics that nature endows us with.

Sometimes we ignore this behaviour of nature and try to build a monolithic structure in terms of the kind of people we bring together. In doing so, we believe, it is easier to align the thoughts of the people and drive actions in a uniform and consistent manner giving rise to a productive work environment. How far can we go with this approach?

Challenges galore

True, a homogeneous congregation works well for a leader to drive action and deliver results. When people from a similar kind of culture, education and upbringing come together, their beliefs and values tend to be harmonious. It becomes a cherry on the cake if the beliefs and values of the organisation are in an alignment with what the group believes in.

For example, each one of us has a belief around growth – its meaning and significance, the path one should take to achieve it and a visualisation of the milestones around growth. Imagine that an organisation values growth and has defined a vision of the growth it wants to reach and outlined a set of predefined paths and milestones to reach them. It would be great to put together a team of people who believe in growth and their ideas around growth are the same as what the organisation holds.

People would be able to relate with the charted paths and demonstrate the behaviours the organisation wants from them. It comes to them naturally like a match made in heaven. It is not possible to get a large bunch of employees whose thoughts are in alignment with what the organisation is looking for. Let’s assume for a moment that we can have such a situation. Even then, does it sound exciting?

Organisations do not thrive just because their values and beliefs are well-aligned with those of their employees. They need to fulfil the expectations of all their stakeholders like customers, suppliers, government bodies, shareholders, business partners and the community in which they operate. It is impossible for an organisation to find perfect alignment of its purpose, values and beliefs with the preferences of all its stakeholders. So, one has to embrace diversity in its way of being.

There is no short-cut to success

This natural characteristic of all living organisms can be a challenge before the progenitor because it has to adapt appropriately while developing and growing them. No less is the challenge for a leader to bring talent into an organisation, nurture and grow them towards the fulfilment of its purpose and sustainability of its journey. For all great civilisations and communities, we notice their leaders have held a deep belief in something, influenced people from various walks in life to believe in it and made progress towards milestones and goals. And all of them faced challenges along the way and struggled through them to stay undeterred.

Like all of us learn how to survive and grow in this world, leaders have to learn how to adapt and grow their tribe. They have to keep their flock together, keep them away from the predators, empower and enable them to fend for themselves and at the same time, nurture them to grow stronger and transition into making a mark for themselves. Rather than looking for people with similar thinking and beliefs, leaders need to learn how to work with a diverse set of people who broadly fall into a cohort so that they can co-exist and co-travel the journey together. They drive unity of purpose and promote diversity in execution.

Diversity is a productivity tool

It is not uncommon to face challenges on the way each day of our journey. Teams who can win over the challenges consistently are the ones who build and live in an environment that is transparent, collaborative and action-oriented. They recognise the challenges, learn from the perspectives of one another, respect the expertise of every team member, contribute together to the success of the team’s goal, get on with the action and continuously adapt. We notice, even in individual sports like tennis, chess and badminton, the sportspersons are openly acknowledging the contribution of their team behind their success.

As we are building the organisation for the future, we must recognise that the times are changing fast and hence, the socio-economic changes are evolving quicker than ever before. It will be foolhardy to build teams comprising people from homogeneous backgrounds, rather we need to build teams comprising people who come from various backgrounds and are drawn towards our purpose and way of life. We must be able to leverage the unique perspectives everyone brings to the table and make ourselves a colourful mosaic that looks beautiful and purposeful.

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We must be a true reflection of the society

A look at the variety of plants, vegetables, animals and all other natural creations tells us, diversity is fundamental to our mother nature. We must reflect that in all our actions. We see this working well in our families where men and women, boys and girls, young and old play equally significant roles.

Organisations are microcosms of the society we live in. Why don’t they have men and women in equal numbers at all levels? It is simple to say that they do not get the talent with the desired capabilities and hence, there is a lack of diversity in the board room.

Devil’s advocate will argue if we searched enough. However, we need to think about how deep-seated the belief or lack thereof about the criticality of diversity in the room is. Rather than arguing about the pros and cons, why don’t we simply accept diversity as a fundamental principle of nature and apply it in our organisations?

Many a times, managers tend to push women out of the class of high-potentials or deny them the opportunity to belong to this exclusive club. They believe, women cannot persevere through the supposedly arduous path to the top and will eventually drop off the journey. They would rather give the spot to a man in the limited club of high-potentials. Though this idea has been waning, yet it is seen in large to a significant number of instances in talent review discussions. Organisations would have to be watchful of diversity in their club of high-potentials and take affirmative actions to improve it.

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Holistic or Atomistic

Each individual is unique in his or her capabilities, experiences and beliefs. Organisations run a huge set of connected activities in order to either solve the problems of a large group of customers or bring them something that makes their lives better. To excel in this activity, the leaders need to see an integrated view of the challenges and opportunities. Normally these are not visible easily; some of these have to be deciphered intuitively and perceptually understood.

Undoubtedly we need the combined abilities of people who can look at performance, market developments, customer engagements and stakeholder behaviours from varied perspectives. Some are naturally inclined to view these through the lenses of data and information while some look at these through their intuition, spot the patterns and watch the changes in behaviours.

What a better way than taking a holistic view? Women and men, young and old, home-grown talent and lateral hires, people from multiple ethnicities and different routes in their education to ascend to the top bring a variety of experiences. The leader has the unique advantage of integrating all the views of the leadership team and taking a well-informed decision.

Read also: What is your mindset?

Investors must care!

Investors care about the progress the company makes; the time horizon of their investment may vary and hence, their priorities. However, the bottom line is about the returns it earns them, short-term, medium or long.

There is no doubt that the long term prospects of a company are better than their counterparts who take an atomistic view of events and take decisions related to their products, services, distribution, people and customers.

A possible argument against the practice of diversity could be that leading a diverse team is tougher because it takes time and efforts for the management team to take a view, listen to one another and hence, build consensus. In the short-term, it is expensive for the company to be managed this way. For a short-term focused strategic investor, the company is a mere instrument for the returns on the equity invested. However, companies must resist any pressures to take short-cuts because they are in the game for the long term and hence, must make progress in the right direction rather than following expeditious ways of doing things and then trying to amend practices as an organisational development initiative.

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The management team needs to have the culture of evoking viewpoints of multiple stakeholders, listening to them and taking decisions based on the combined wisdom rather than one or two people making the decisions. Diversity practices make the organisation succeed in the long term and hence, investors care!

Ref: https://www.morningstar.com/blog/2018/12/18/diversity-inclusion.html

http://www.forbesindia.com/article/stanford/do-investors-really-care-about-gender-diversity/57411/1

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Workplaces have people in their 20’s and 30’s who are led by managers in their late 30’s to 50’s. Given the economic and social changes in the 1990’s, people born in that period grew up in the digital era. Using technology and internet is their second nature. The way they interact among themselves and their seniors is very different from those who were born a decade before. They have grown up with smartphones and social media unlike their older counterparts who learnt it well later in life. They relate to quick responses, snappy chats, upvotes and downvotes, emojis, transparency and a deep sense of privacy.

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These behaviours are in a realm which is very different from the older social norms of demonstrating respect while interacting with elders, taking initiatives when asked, operating within set boundaries, fearful consciousness about hierarchy and authority. Our workplace today has people who have grown up in two distinctive realms which are way apart. How can the people born in 1960’s and 70’s and in senior leadership roles align with the thoughts and actions of their direct reports who are in  the crucial mid-level leadership roles having grown up in a different era? Similarly how can these mid-level managers lead the millennials who have a very different way of life? In a way, it’s the clash of three distinct ways of doing things. Can we convert clashing ways to a positive confluence?

The senior leaders have to adapt and drive adaptability throughout the organization. The unspoken and unwritten value for all companies must be adaptability, mutual respect, openness to change and humility to learn. These do not need to be specified. These are the basics of workplace etiquette. Our colleges and families have to teach these to our children.

Diversity at work

Understanding one another and learning from one another are key to building harmony. Simple things such as using chats, videos, abbreviations, quick comments are a way of life for the young. Seniors have to learn and adapt their content, frequency and style while communicating to the others. Similarly, the traditional approach of face to face meetings, discussions and presentations are to be done for specific occasions and events. Everyone in the workplace should learn multiple methods and tools to get things done.

This is easier said than done unless there is mutual respect and flexibility. We have to discover the goodness in traditional methods and the value of grey hair; similarly we have to appreciate the value of new methods and learn how to deploy them to raise efficiency and speed. We have to value the energy and enthusiasm of our younger colleagues and leverage them appropriately. Leaders have to compose diverse teams to carry out various tasks and activities of a business so that there are enough opportunities to appreciate one another and the confluence starts delivering positive outcomes.

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Respect is earned

There are cases where someone in his or her 20’s leads a team having many elder people in there. While the organization and senior leaders have to position the young leader well in the team and clearly vest the authority in the person, this does not ensure that everyone in the team accepts him or her as the boss.

Foundational principles of humanity have not changed. Our workplaces are not led by autocrats and hence, we cannot force others to respect their boss. Respect has to be earned by the person by his or her contribution to the success of others. Our younger generation is more comfortable than the older colleagues to recognize the boss for his or her competence and contribution. They do not worry much about the seniority, age, power and authority of the person. However, the older colleagues are habituated with reporting to someone who is senior by age and bestowed with power.

As more and more millennials are entering the workforce, it is likely that the boss is younger than many in the team. In such situations, the manager needs to be sensitive towards the mindset of the older colleagues while directing them and earn their respect.

We live in exciting times – we have to work overtime to build a confluence of ideas and positive energy, deploy diversity in work situations and demonstrate sensitivity towards the diverse norms at play.

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Earlier this month, James Damore, a Software Engineer in Google’s Mountain View Headquarters wrote a soul-stirring piece on the topic and was fired soon for having crossed the line on stereotyping genders. I believe, Google mishandled the issue badly. But, that’s not the point. The question it raises, “Is gender diversity significant in an enterprise? Is it being practiced well in India?”

Obsessed about Diversity Quotient:

One thing is for sure: honest discussions on this topic have not taken place in India yet. Everyone would like to side the story that sounds good on a global stage. Many enterprises including our own proudly value diversity. The dimension of diversity that everyone refers to is gender diversity. Some Leaders flaunt Diversity quotient of their organization. They reward Talent Acquisition teams if they are able to onboard and retain female candidates. There are Diversity programs which play out akin to reservation policies practiced in some economies in the world. These programs aim at promoting the women to leadership roles and functions which historically have a low representation of womenfolk. Often there are deadlines to achieve a certain score on the diversity quotient and it is a KPI for hiring managers. One wonders if such a frenzied approach augurs well for the organization’s success and sustainability. Is this really an issue of such a strategic importance? May be, it alienates and discriminates the men folk?

More often than not, this frenzy dilutes the standards one adopts in the selection of employees and promotion to roles of greater responsibility. This is not worth a risk.

Let’s challenge our biases.

Many believe that the women are deprived and given fewer opportunities in societies; hence, they need to be compassioned. Culturally and societally, they are prevented to unleash their potential; boys are prioritized over girls in families; women are victimized in various situations; hence, we must create opportunities for women. These beliefs hold ground for certain parts of the society, but in the context of Leadership roles, Engineering, Technology, Finance, Legal, HR and other such white collar jobs, these beliefs about deprivation are simply baseless. This is not a real issue. We are barking up the wrong tree.

Men and women are biologically different. They inherit a set of diverse traits (they also inherit a set of similar traits). And at the same time, the traits of men are diverse too! Why should we worry so much about gender then? Let’s just create opportunities which are equal for men and women, allow a person to be oneself and leave one to pursue the dream that appeals the most to the person. All you know, women might not want to dream roles in technology, politics and engineering; they might want roles in designing bikes, driving cars, sports, pharmaceuticals and wealth management. Men might be interested in teaching, accounting, treating the sick, government programs, customer service and banking.

No stereotyping please!

Researchers have established that there are activities which are done better by men and some others by women. (also, there are many activities which are done equally well by either). This is the science or the pattern in the creation of our universe. For example, research has shown that women are typically more open towards feelings, emotions and aesthetics than the men. Hence, activities which leverage one’s sense of emotions and aesthetics are likely to be aspired more by women. This is not to say that all men are bad on this aspect and no man will aspire to be a chef, a singer, a writer, a designer. All great designers, film producers, singers, dancers, artists are men as well as women. The professions of engineers, architects, doctors and lawyers have seen men and women in equal numbers excelling in them. The traditional beliefs such as household work is done better by women have been busted long ago. It may just happen that the number of men attracted to a certain kind of activities could be more than the number of women for it and vice versa. We must not stereotype an activity, function or a role with a particular gender.

For a society and hence, an enterprise to work well, we have to make it holistic and inclusive. We must create opportunities for our folks (men and women alike) to explore what appeals to them and help them pursue it. Aggressive attempts to bring in participation of various sections of population to an enterprise risk the integrity of the selection process and on-boarding people who might just fall prey to the attractive packaging than to commit to it with their hearts. We must stay away from the overzealous drive of diversity!

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Why do organizations value diversity so much?

Undoubtedly, the first step is to recruit a mix of talent in terms of gender, academics, culture, ethnicity and physical abilities. The second and the most crucial step is to include all of them and engage all their hearts on the same set of goals and drive a common sense of purpose. All of us know that leading a diverse team is not an easy task, yet most forward-looking organizations call upon their employees in managerial roles to see the bright side of the coin.

We grow up with a set of social beliefs, norms and practices. We operate with a set of do’s and don’ts by the time we join the labour pool. We behave in certain ways without knowing why we do as such. In an organization, an employee deals with stakeholders who is not necessarily having the same perspective as the employee has. If the organization lacks diversity, the mismatch between viewpoint of the employee with that of the external stakeholder starts manifesting as customer complaints, employee grievances, lack of motivation to achieve the goals and so on. The stress starts showing up in the results of the firm.

To solve this undesired situation, organizations assemble a team which brings to the table a variety of experiences, views and beliefs. This team starts viewing a challenge from multiple angles and develops a solution which is more holistic than that can be delivered by a homogeneous team.

Inclusion is much beyond the diversity index.

Organizations want diversity and the index must look good. Hence, they want to hire women leaders, ex-servicemen, people from cities other than the home city, people with different abilities, young mothers returning back to work, older folks and so on. What do they get other than a healthy number meeting the target of diversity index?

One must not lose the sight of the wood for the trees. Organizations want diversity because they believe that they would be able to respond to external and internal situations holistically. The leader has to be build the environment where all the viewpoints are generated, heard and worked upon. Diversity plays its role only when the power of this characteristic is leveraged.

Organizations have to build platforms to bring together all groups of people to analyze a situation and come up with alternates. Every view must reach the ears and minds of people who are supposed to act on them.

Do not compromise the pace!

A leader in the armed forces has to direct the troops rather than engage in a dialogue and debate. This is because of the fact that a battlefield does not allow the luxury of time for a discussion, debate and consensus. Organizations who want to leverage on the power of diversity might get caught in the trap of slow pace. In today’s world, businesses need to be extremely agile. How can one be agile, yet at the same time engage all its rank and file in conversations?

In fact, organizations who value the talent of their employees, provide them with adequate freedom and independence to act. This empowerment creates a sense of responsibility and ownership in the minds of the employees, in turn creating a greater organizational momentum. A homogeneous workforce, on the other hand, might just fall into a zone of comfort, take things for granted and not challenge each other enough. It is not necessary that a lack of variety makes decision making easy and quickens the pace of execution. And at the same time, diversity does not slow things down.

The leader has to truly believe in the fact that a cross-cultural team can potentially deliver holistic and complete solutions. He has to build the right platforms in the organization to facilitate the integration of ideas.

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