Many businesses acknowledge the importance of building a diverse team. But if employees of different backgrounds don’t feel like they belong, diversity doesn’t mean much. A new Deloitte study shows that, although 71% of organizations aspire to have inclusive cultures, only 12% meet that goal.
“Inclusion is taking people with diverse backgrounds and saying, ‘We’re going to create an environment where people feel valued and connected, so that they can bring their authentic selves to work,’” says Stacia Sherman Garr, a vice president at Bersin by Deloitte, a division of the professional services giant that consults on talent management. Diversity consultant Verna Myers has eloquently described inclusion by saying, “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.”
Deloitte surveyed 245 global organizations for the research, two-thirds of which had more than 5,000 employees. It asked questions to understand if employees felt valued, empowered, that they belonged, and that they could express themselves openly.
Read the full article in forbes.com