More than two-thirds (69%) of executives rate diversity and inclusion as an important issue according to Deloitte’s 2017 Global Human Capital Trends survey. Moreover, the proportion of executives who cited inclusion as a top priority rose by 32% compared to their 2014 survey.  

Clearly, diversity and inclusion have become increasingly important to the C-suite. And while political and social reasons often dominate the conversation, 78% of respondents to the Deloitte survey indicated they believe gains in diversity and inclusion lead to competitive advantage.

Despite the level of interest, the gap between diversity and inclusion remains. Again, pointing to Deloitte’s research, while 71 percent of organizations aspire to be inclusive, only 12 percent have reached a high maturity level by their rating scale.

Why is it such a daunting challenge for most organizations to put diversity into action and become more inclusive? The Harvard Business Review sums it up with the title of an article on the matter, “Diversity Doesn’t Stick Without Inclusion”.

To help make diversity stick in our organization and yours, we have launched Intentionally Inclusive™ – a corporate initiative and business imperative for social good, complete with innovative solutions to help our customers put diversity into action through our Talent Digitalization™ Practice.