DEI Is Not Dead - Janice Ellig
DEI Is Not Dead, It Has Just Gone Underground; Ignore It at Your Peril
The diversification of the population and the global workforce has neither stopped nor slowed down. In fact, it has accelerated appreciably and corporate outperformance has been strongly linked to having more diverse voices and teams in the room.
As a result, the far-sighted leaders we work with are actively looking to reflect diverse constituencies throughout their ranks. We see this continuously — in the boardroom, C-Suite, middle leadership ranks, and among high-potentials and front-line workers — and have seen no diminution of the trend. Top leaders know that to be an employer of choice, and to attract and retain the best and brightest employees, they must ramp up their diversity efforts, not tamp them down.
And, specifically with respect to the impact of women, for over two decades, multiple research studies have shown that more women in the C-Suite and boardroom result in significantly greater financial and reputational performance. McKinsey, The Peterson Institute, Catalyst, Credit Suisse Research Institute and others all document this correlation. Again, top leaders are embracing the business case, not dismissing it.
While various ideas go in and out of favor, there are some truths that stay true regardless. Winning companies are successful because they represent all their constituents. We believe that the wisdom of offering our clients an exceptional and broad range of candidates not only strengthens their organizations, but that of our social fabric as well.
Without excluding any groups, we at Ellig Group salute, support and promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and excellence. We are proud to say DEI is our DNA.
Despite a rapidly changing business landscape, the business case for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) not only holds, but grows even stronger. In our research, we continue to explore the link between diversity and holistic impact.
There have been far-reaching changes in the business environment over the past few years, yet, companies with diverse leadership teams continue to be associated with higher financial returns. Our expanded dataset shows this is true across industries and regions, despite differing challenges, stakeholder expectations, and ambitions.
