Sunday, 08 July 2007Diversity Conference urged to move beyond RhetoricGIFT at Work, diversity and inclusion
Business leaders have been challenged to “move beyond the rhetoric” at Asia’s largest conference on workplace diversity and inclusion by GIFT founder and chief executive Chandran Nair in his role as chairman of the opening session.Chandran Nair
The second annual conference, run under the theme “Move Beyond the Rhetoric”, drew more than 200 business delegates and international speakers from fifteen countries, reflecting growing interest in Asia in this area. It ran on June 26 and 27 at the Hong Kong Cyberport.
Mr Nair was moderator of the first plenary session of the conference organised by Community Business, a leading corporate social responsibility organisation in Hong Kong. Its founder and chief executive, Shalini Mahtani, said: “In tight labour markets, particularly in Mainland China and India, diversity and inclusion is a key tool to attract and retain staff.”
Ms Mahtani said there had been a “dramatic and encouraging shift” in companies’ commitment and approach to diversity over the past two years in Asia.
But while Ms Mahtani pointed out that multinational corporations were “seeking to engage local leadership, assign significant funding and have full-time paid staff dedicated to addressing diversity”, the conference theme suggested there was more to do.
In his role as moderator of a plenary entitled, “The Leadership Challenge”, Mr Nair sought to provoke debate amongst a panel consisting of top management from some of the world’s largest companies: Dr Gary Dirks, group vice president and Asia regional president of BP; Karen McFadzen, Asia Pacific vice president of APAC Technical Services, Cisco; JoAnn Heffernan Heisen, corporate vice president and chief global diversity officer of Johnson & Johnson; Paul Masi, country head and chief executive of Merrill Lynch; and Tim Minges, business unit general manager, Asia Pacific, of PepsiCo Asia.
Probing
One of several probing questions he posed: “Why is it, do you think, that I am the only Asian national on this panel on diversity?”The panellists set the tone for the conference, engaging on key issues in the diversity debate: gender, culture, and generational concerns. In particular they discussed issues surrounding “Generation Y” as well as the need to recognise other talent pools, such as people with disabilities.
It was suggested that diversity is still yet to be a business imperative in Asia, that there is “still a preponderance of white faces in management positions in Asia”, especially with multinationals. But the panel disagreed, pointing out that progress is being made with gender and culturally: more companies are creating women’s groups to promote women within their management structure; and businesses are more alert to local cultures.
Nevertheless, there is still much to be achieved in other areas: both the panel and the floor recognised corporations’ challenge in Asia, where the demand for people of managerial level with a global outlook far outstrips the supply. But while these Generation Y people are chased and feted far beyond their value – and at the same time are demanding and increasingly impatient with traditional corporate structures – many other pools of talent seem forgotten. Mr Nair pressed the panel to reflect on the gap between talk and reality with people with disabilities in the workplace.
Not everything involving Generation Y was negative, and the discussion touched on how such qualities as technological savvy and a global outlook might be harnessed to companies’ advantage.
Mr Nair prompted the panel to consider how the English language blocked many Asians from advancing. He found support for his assertion among the panel members, who said they recognised the growing importance of putonghua, and are looking for leaders who are multilingual.
The session discussion involved other issues, among them work-life balance and whether managers understand what this entails, the need to shake stereotypes in the diversity discourse, and whether business leaders truly understand what it means to address diversity in Asia.
Taboo
Mr Nair’s closing remarks were characteristically challenging. He pushed people to think about the mainstreaming of thought, in particular how differing political positions in larger corporations in particular are taboo, and how this – at best – appeared to be at odds with the philosophy behind diversity.Mr Nair’s role at the conference is one of many speaking engagements that continue to take him all over the world. He also advises corporations and governments on doing business in Asia and on leadership development, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility.
Chandran Nair appeared at the Diversity & Inclusion in Asia Conference on Tuesday 26 June 2007.
Diversity & Inclusion in Asia Conference press release
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