Diversity and inclusive corporate models can boost financial development, stimulate social development and launch more stable and objective societies. Additionally, companies that invest in inclusion in the workplace, marketplace and community have reported momentous business benefits. In a Forbes study, senior executives of top-earning companies reported that workplace diversity and inclusion drive innovation and business growth. While diversity and inclusion are significant measurements of social sustainability, some companies still observe these as independent from their corporate sustainability strategies.
This Roundtable Discussion will discover the relationships between diversity and inclusion and corporate sustainability. The goal is to examine how companies can coordinate and communicate across functions, and make diversity and inclusion a strategic urgency both as a culmination and as a crucial means to attaining further corporate sustainability goals.
After this roundtable session, participants will:
• Discover methods for creating a welcoming environment that embraces all difference and equality in hiring policies.
• Examine actions that companies can take to incorporate diversity and inclusion into corporate sustainability policies and practices.
• Explore methods that corporations can use to safeguard that their diversity and inclusion commitment is implemented throughout their value chain.
• Ascertain procedures for developing leadership at multiple levels that is diverse, regularly communicates the value of diversity, and builds the capacity for open and candid diversity conversation.
2. Roundtable Objectives
1. Discover methods for creating a welcoming
environment that embraces all difference and
equality in hiring policies.
2. Examine actions that companies can take to
incorporate diversity and inclusion into corporate
sustainability policies and practices.
3. Explore methods that corporations can use to
safeguard that their diversity and inclusion
commitment is implemented throughout their value
chain.
4. Ascertain procedures for developing leadership at
multiple levels that is diverse, regularly
communicates the value of diversity, and builds the
capacity for open and candid diversity
conversation
3. Panelists
1. Steve Isakowitz, CEO The Aerospace
Corporation
2. Tony Moraco, CEO SAIC
3. General Gustave Perna, Commanding General
of the U.S. Army Materiel Command
4. Christopher Jones, Northrop Grumman
Corporation Corporate Vice President, President
Technical Services Sector
a. (2016 Black Engineer of the Year recipient)
4. Pronouncements & Accolades
“We believe that creating a work force and a workplace that values diversity and fosters
inclusion is pivotal to promoting innovation and increasing productivity and profitability”. Northrop
Grumman
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a merger of business and community that works to
improve the society that both share. The Aerospace Corporation’s leadership and employees have
been committed to CSR since the company’s founding in 1960, with employees consistently
contributing time and money to diversity, social, and environmental programs.
"Diversity is an integral component of business success that embraces all-inclusive teams bringing
together a wide range of perspectives, skills, and experiences to develop the most innovative solutions
for our customers."
Tony Moraco, SAIC Chief Executive Officer
"The Army’s diversity vision is to be the national leader in embracing the strengths of diverse
people in an inclusive environment. This includes investing in and managing talent, valuing individuals
and developing culturally astute Soldiers and Civilians who enhance our communities and are prepared
for the human dimension of leadership and global engagements” ARMY Diversity Office
5. Why are we still having this
conversation about diversity &
inclusion?
6. Not Easy, But Necessary
• What measures are your organizations taking to encourage
behaviors that promote comfort among diverse groups to
leverage the benefits of a diverse workforce?
• What internal actions does the Army take to ensure
workforce inclusion
Researchers largely agree that “A diverse mix of people can generate
innovations in products, services, processes, or other solutions that
might not be apparent to individuals enmeshed in the status quo or to
more homogenous groups.” Yet research also confirms that there are a
number of factors which make harnessing diversity’s potential for
innovation challenging. Teams with diverse members might have more
difficulty forming a cohesive group as they can lack the degree of
comfort, common ground and shared history that a homogeneous group
might share.
7. Goals, Quotas, Targets, Balance,
Representation???
• What are your thoughts on setting diversity goals, what does
that mean, what does it look like? How does the Army achieve
its civilian hiring diversity goals?
• What are your thoughts on linking those goals to executive
compensation?
• Where compensation is not an option, like in the case of the
military, what other options are there? How do Army senior
leaders provide oversight and accountability for the Army’s
Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan?
In 2014 Healthcare Executive published an article entitled “Diversity in the C-
Suite.” In that article it was noted that one organizations tied executive
compensation to diversity targets for the systems top 200 senior leadership
positions. They called it a matter of accountability. They set goals for diversity the
same way they set goals for quality, safety and other important aspect of their
business.
8. How is it going?
• What challenges do members of
underrepresented groups face when
aspiring to higher levels of management
and leadership?
• What have your companies done well that
has moved the needle against your goals?
• Where have your organizations missed the
mark if at all, and why is it challenging?
• At what organizational layer do the
impediments reside?
9. It’s all About Leadership
• Given that each of you has grown as
leaders in promoting D&I, what do you
share with your most senior leaders about
your expectations on their growth relative to
D&I?
• The first part of this workshop objective is
about developing leadership at multiple
levels that is diverse. Share with us the
types of programs and other strategies you
are pursuing to grow a more diverse
leadership pool
10. Your Commitment to STEM
• What else must be done to ensure the
adequacy of the STEM pipeline and
• b. What specific actions are you
holding yourselves accountable with
regard to STEM education and the
growing STEM pipeline?
11. Intersectionality, bias, the
generational divide, privilege, and
political polarization are also
matters that leaders are coming to
terms with.
• How have these organizational and societal
realities impacted your decision making
relative to the sustainability of your
enterprises?
• How have you responded to incidents of
bias or other counterproductive behaviors
and what instructions have you given your
senior leaders regarding the same?
12. …and What About Training
• Has D&I focused training impacted
overall employee engagement and
the hiring and promotion of
underrepresented in management
and leadership ranks?
• Has this training made a difference in
innovation, productivity, sustainability,
etc.?
13. Each of your organizations with the exception of
the Army, promote some type of affinity group
program (ERGs, BRGs). How are these groups
helping to fulfill the D&I targets and other
sustainability efforts across your enterprises?
• Are these groups impacting the business and
promoting the value chain?
• Why is it a good idea to participate in these groups?
• The military doesn’t formally promote affinity groups
yet the army’s workforce is among the most diverse
organizations in the world. How is the Army able to
achieve its diversity roadmap goals and objectives
without promoting affinity groups – not a judgment
call but curious inquiry?
14. 2017 - 2027
If we gathered here 10 years from now
for a CEO panel on D&I …
• What will we be talking about?
• What will this panel look like?
• What will have changed?
15. Questions and Answers
• Approach the
microphone
• State your name
organization and
role/function
• Ask questions related
to each of the
responses given or
that are relevant to
the workshop
objectives
• Question should be
succinct with only the
necessary contextual
content to make it
relevant
Workshop Objectives
1. Discover methods for creating a
welcoming environment that embraces
all difference and equality in hiring
policies.
2. Examine actions that companies can
take to incorporate diversity and
inclusion into corporate sustainability
policies and practices.
3. Explore methods that corporations can
use to safeguard that their diversity and
inclusion commitment is implemented
throughout their value chain.
4. Ascertain procedures for developing
leadership at multiple levels that is
diverse, regularly communicates the
value of diversity, and builds the
capacity for open and candid diversity
conversation