Equity, Inclusion and Diversity

We help leaders and organizations to invest in inclusive leadership, equity, and fairness.

Equity, Inclusion and Diversity

We help leaders and organizations to invest in inclusive leadership, equity, and fairness.

Mobile Menu
Investing in inclusive leadership

Inclusion is central to unleashing the true potential of diversity – be it visible, like gender, race, ethnicity, and age, or invisible, like social background, education, and sexual orientation. While creating an inclusive culture is easier said than done, many organizations are making visible and sustainable progress in diversity and inclusion.

The value of cultivating a diverse and inclusive workforce in organizations has been proven many times over. However, it isn’t only about the business case. It is also about doing the right thing.

Here are the facts:

1- Closing the gender gap in the workplace could add $28 trillion, or 26%, to the value of the global economy by 2025. 

Gender diversity increases an organization’s value and profitability.

2- Companies in the top-quartile for ethnic and cultural diversity on executive teams are 33% more likely to have industry-leading profitability.

Racially and culturally diverse executive teams increase profitability.

3- By the year 2025, 75% of the global workforce will be made up of millennials. A majority of these future leaders actively seek out a diverse and inclusive workplace.

EI&D must be central to the company culture for a millennial workforce.

4- Listed European companies with a relatively large percentage of women at senior levels show a relatively strong share price performance.

Organizations with more women in senior positions show better outcomes for investors and for society.

Doing the right thing

We believe that a sense of shared responsibility – along with a genuine commitment to long-term, meaningful action – is vitally important if society is to confront and resolve issues that continue to affect, in disproportionate ways, the most vulnerable and disadvantaged among us. We believe we all have a role to play to ensure more equality and fairness.

In our work with more than 11,000 senior executives each year, we actively challenge the biases – conscious or subconscious – that we encounter. We encourage business leaders to consider the impact of their decisions, and encourage them to reduce deeply ingrained inequalities and contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable future.

Most importantly, we ask leaders and organizations this fundamental question: What do you stand for?

Did you know…

 •  Emerging data on the workforce impact of the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that women are more adversely affected than men, impacting talent pools and gender distribution in organizations.

 •  Black, Asian, and other ethnic communities have been disproportionally affected by the pandemic, from mortality rates to unemployment and bankruptcy.

 •  Many LGBTQ+ executives still find it difficult to bring their full selves to work. Research indicates that 46% of LGBTQ+ individuals are closeted at work.

How can you create a more inclusive organization?

In the past, leaders worked in mostly homogenous teams, operating from a single, shared perspective, very often applying a Western lens. In today’s globalized world, many organizations and businesses face a complex reality: a changing workplace, digital exposure, an intensified war of talents, reputational management, and a consumer expectation of them to take a stand and act. To continue to grow, organizations must visibly mirror their stakeholders, partners, and clients, and represent their expectations.

More than ever, leaders must to be able to recognize, attract, develop, and retain all talents, model inclusive leadership in all circumstances, and recognize and address micro-inequities to cultivate high-performing teams to promote business growth, for adaptivity in turbulent times, and to strive for a more diverse, inclusive, and fair future.

Today, knowing how to grow diversity and implement inclusive leadership has become a ‘must have’ management skill.

Knowing how to translate good intentions into real and sustained behavioral change is the largest hurdle most of our clients currently face.

Companies with women in senior managerial roles tend to have better returns on equity and assets. There is a clear business case for hiring and promoting women for more senior roles.

Ginka Toegel Professor of Leadership IMD

Inclusive Future: IMD Research on Equity, Inclusion & Diversity

How to measure inclusion and inclusive leadership to create inclusive pluralistic organizational cultures that are resilient to navigate turbulent times? The independent academic research Inclusive Future delivered by IMD and sponsored by Philip Morris International (PMI) answers this question and provides state-of-the-art definitions of inclusion and inclusive leadership and best practices to measure them for accelerated impact. Divided into three parts, we scrutinize the concept of inclusion, how it is measured, and how inclusive leadership can help in creating sustainable inclusive work cultures.

How our EI&D Advisory team can help you on your journey

We can influence current and future leaders to help their organizations work toward a more diverse, inclusive, and fair future.

Are you at the beginning of your EI&D journey?

If you are at the beginning of your equity, inclusion, and diversity journey, you might ask yourself: What do we want diversity for? How can we select areas of focus? How can we design an impactful plan with measurable and tangible steps? How can we define and explain inclusion?

Have you been working on EI&D for some and have stalled?

If you have been working on EI&D for some time but have stalled, you might ask yourself: How can we get ‘in-group’ members more proactively involved? How can we translate inclusion into tangible steps? How can we see inclusive behaviors take hold during pivotal moments – for example during the hiring process, talent recognition, promotion, and performance?

Have been working on EI&D for decades?

If you have been working on EI&D for decades, developed thought leadership and shaped the conversation in this field, you might wonder: Who can challenge us further? Who can help us grow in our approach and thinking?

Using a collaborative approach, we engage with organizations at all levels, from the c-suite to individual contributors, to work together to create a strategic, personal, or operational level and support your EI&D ambitions.

Would you like to discuss your EI&D needs and ambitions? Get in touch with our Senior Advisor for Equity, Inclusion & Diversity Josefine van Zanten by filling in the form at the bottom of the page.

OUR JOURNEY

IMD’s own equity, inclusion, and diversity journey: taking conscious action

We strive to ensure that IMD is free from discrimination based on race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic. Our goal is that IMD will be a safe and welcoming place for all people – a place that encourages open debate with compassion, respect, and support. This will make the world of work – the part of the world we can influence most – more diverse, inclusive, and fair. We know that reaching this goal requires more effort on our part. We take our mission and responsibility to heart, and are committed to intensifying our efforts in four key areas:

  • Ensuring that IMD’s stance against any form of discrimination and injustice continues to be enshrined in our values and beliefs and is applied in our daily interactions
  • Overseeing broader diversity in our workforce and creating an inclusive environment for all our constituents, led by our Senior Advisor, Equity, Inclusion & Diversity and supported by our Executive Committee, faculty and staff
  • Intensifying our research in the areas of diversity, inclusion and fairness
  • Including these topics in all our leadership development programs

IMD Position

Global anti-racism protests and the havoc wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic on many communities and countries have exposed social inequalities in a very bright light – and provided all of us with the impetus for renewed action.

As a global, independent academic institute, we are guided by a strong sense of purpose: Challenging what is and inspiring what could be, we develop leaders who transform organizations and contribute to society in a positive and sustainable way. This purpose anchors our sphere of influence to the world of business and learning while also compelling us to lead by example.

Focusing on the role of business in society, we believe that a sense of shared responsibility along with a genuine commitment to long-term, meaningful action is vitally important if society is to confront and resolve the issues that continue to affect in disproportionate ways the most vulnerable and disadvantaged among us. In our work with executives and organizations, we actively challenge the conscious and unconscious biases of our community and audiences, including the more than 11,000 senior executives with whom we work annually. We encourage business leaders to consider the impacts of their decisions, to reduce deeply engrained inequalities and to contribute to an inclusive and sustainable future.

Closer to home, we strive to ensure that IMD is free from discrimination based on race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic. Our goal is that IMD will be an even safer and welcoming place for all people – a place that encourages open debate with compassion, respect, and support.

Making the world of work – the part of the world we can influence most – more diverse, inclusive, and fair is an ambitious pursuit. We know that reaching this goal requires more effort on our part. We take our mission and responsibility to heart, and are committed to intensifying our efforts in four key areas:

  • Ensuring that IMD’s stance against any form of discrimination and injustice continues to be enshrined in our values and beliefs and is applied in our daily interactions
  • Overseeing broader diversity in our workforce and creating an even more inclusive environment for all our constituents, led by our Head of Diversity & Inclusion supported by our Executive Committee, Faculty, and Staff
  • Intensifying our research efforts in the areas of diversity, inclusion and fairness
  • Ensuring that we include these topics in all our leadership development programs

These commitments will contribute to advancing the journey ahead of us. We, as academic institutions, do not change the world by ourselves, although we can influence current and future leaders in positive directions.

We at IMD are committed to encourage and help leaders to strive for a more diverse, inclusive, and fair future. Self-reflection is a first step to achieve this because it all starts with the person in the mirror. We encourage you to join us on this meaningful journey.

IMD – The Institute for Management Development

IMD’s EI&D change model

Our EI&D approach is based on a change model that has been tested in many organizations – for example HP, Royal Dutch Shell, Royal DSM – and has resulted in tangible and sustained results. The IMD EI&D Council plays the role of a sounding board, where opportunities and hurdles are identified, addressed and acted upon. Members act as role models, allies and visible advocates, and oversee areas for change. At IMD, staff, faculty, students and alumni are represented on our EI&D Council, ensuring a well-rounded source of voices. The EI&D Council is headed by our Senior Advisor, Equity, Inclusion & Diversity, who reports directly to our Executive Committee and our President. We encourage you to join us on this journey.

IMD Insights
Video
Crash course on equity, diversity and inclusion strategies
Topics: Leadership, Human Resources
By Robert Hooijberg, 24 November 2021
Equity is about fairness. Being aware of what exists can help executives come up with mitigating practices to make sure people are included.
Learn more
Article
Designing hybrid models that boost company performance
Topics: Leadership, Human Resources

By Jennifer Jordan, Michael Watkins, Robert Hooijberg, Silke Mischke, 21 January 2023
Like it or not, the revolution in home working is here to stay. To reap benefits, managers must harmonize collaboration, foster inclusivity, and beat staff burnout.

Learn more
Article
The convergence of executive pay and corporate social responsibility
Topics: Corporate Governance, Leadership, Human Resources

By Robert Hooijberg and Ric Roi, 30 September 2021
CEOs pledged to take COVID pay cuts, but many didn’t go through with it. Now their investors are rebelling, and amplifying calls to reform executive compensation.

Learn more
Article
How can you build an inclusive workplace?
Topics: Leadership, Equity and Inclusion and Diversity

By David Bach and Marion Mulder, 3 June 2021
Equity, Inclusion & Diversity is a space in a constant state of evolution, says co-founder of Workplace Pride, the international platform for LGBTQ+ inclusion at work. Networks and resources are places to focus.

Learn more
Article
How to contextualize the impostor syndrome and minimize its impact
Topics: Diversity and Equity and Inclusion, Psychology
By Jennifer Jordan, Sanne Feenstra, Christopher T Begeny, Michelle K Ryan, Floor A Rink, and Janka I Stoker – 8 March 2021

Impostor syndrome refers to the notion that some individuals feel as if they ended up in esteemed roles and positions not because of their competencies, but because of some oversight or stroke of luck.

Learn more
Article
Getting diversity & inclusion right
Topics: Diversity and Equity and Inclusion
By Josefine van Zanten and Alyson Meister, 29 August 2019
A good number of Fortune 500’s have been setting best practices and leading the way in the complicated field of Diversity and Inclusion, yet others are still questioning the why and how of D&I.
Learn more
Article
Diversity & Inclusion: a case of targets, quotas, or freewheeling?
Topics: Diversity and Equity and Inclusion

By Josefine van Zanten and Alyson Meister, 27 May 2020

The topic of setting Diversity & Inclusion targets may never have been more timely: emerging data on the workforce impact of the pandemic has indicated that women are more adversely affected than men.

Learn more
Article
Mind the micro-inequity: Fostering inclusion in teams and organizations
Topics: Diversity and Equity and Inclusion
By Josefine van Zanten and Alyson Meister, 5 February 2020
Rooting out micro-inequities is key to creating an inclusive culture in teams or organizations. Here are three main ways to do it.
Learn more
Article
Diversity matters: the power of female leadership in impact investment
Topics: Leadership, Investment
By Vanina Farber, 18 August 2020

Can we make generalizations about women in impact investment?

Women are under-represented in the impact investment sector, and women sometimes shy away from finance. However, we cannot blame everything on women themselves.

Learn more