The (Not So) Secret Sauce of Inclusion
We pass on more than we realise, and in a future world of Artificial Intelligence, we risk building our biases, probably indelibly, into the systems of tomorrow
- Feb 4, 2020,
- Updated Feb 7, 2020 1:38 PM IST
It is rather ironic that I am writing about inclusion being the future of work. This shouldn't have to be the future; it must be our present. Not just at our workplaces, but in the communities we build, relationships we foster, and people we choose to become.
Godrej was founded during India's Swadeshi movement. Back in 1897 it was freedom and the original 'Make In India'. Ardeshir Godrej, our founder and an ardent nationalist, donated a significant share of our profits to the Tilak Swaraj Fund, making it the single largest contribution back then. We believed - and continue to believe - strongly in the values of trust, integrity and importantly, equality. This was a core idea for me, along with what my father emphasised - trusteeship of wealth; that we don't actually own anything; our job is to make Godrej stronger and better during our years serving it. For me, this translates into continuing to build Godrej as a 'good company, alongside strong value creation and innovative, much-loved products.
Companies like ours can make real change possible. We have the resources and reach, through our people, partners and communities. There are many powerful examples. Take IBM. They have passionately driven their inclusivity agenda since the early twentieth century, from civil rights to inclusion of women, LGBT+ and the disabled, long before it was fashionable to do so. In the early nineties, automaker Subaru chanced upon the insight that it was the preferred brand for lesbian consumers in the US. They acted on it despite the controversy around the gay liberation movement and became synonymous with the community, years before marketers highlighted the benefits of targeting LGBT+ consumers.
As a multinational conglomerate, delighting over a billion consumers, becoming more inclusive isn't just about DNA or the right thing to do; it makes excellent business sense. There's enough research to show that companies with greater diversity in leadership roles are more innovative, customer-centric and profitable. At Godrej too, companies with greater diversity in senior management, showed more positive shifts in work cultures. Research shows that people like to work at inclusive companies. So, it helps us attract and retain talent.
This then is our (not so) secret sauce - making Godrej representative of our diverse, global consumers. We are building diversity in different ways - through businesses in new geographies, inclusive stances on gender and LGBT+ rights, and hiring for future-ready skills. Rather than narrowing the definition of inclusion, we are broadening it. Our message to the world is that we want to hire all kinds of people and we want to enable them to bring their 'whole selves' to Godrej.
It is rather ironic that I am writing about inclusion being the future of work. This shouldn't have to be the future; it must be our present. Not just at our workplaces, but in the communities we build, relationships we foster, and people we choose to become.
Godrej was founded during India's Swadeshi movement. Back in 1897 it was freedom and the original 'Make In India'. Ardeshir Godrej, our founder and an ardent nationalist, donated a significant share of our profits to the Tilak Swaraj Fund, making it the single largest contribution back then. We believed - and continue to believe - strongly in the values of trust, integrity and importantly, equality. This was a core idea for me, along with what my father emphasised - trusteeship of wealth; that we don't actually own anything; our job is to make Godrej stronger and better during our years serving it. For me, this translates into continuing to build Godrej as a 'good company, alongside strong value creation and innovative, much-loved products.
Companies like ours can make real change possible. We have the resources and reach, through our people, partners and communities. There are many powerful examples. Take IBM. They have passionately driven their inclusivity agenda since the early twentieth century, from civil rights to inclusion of women, LGBT+ and the disabled, long before it was fashionable to do so. In the early nineties, automaker Subaru chanced upon the insight that it was the preferred brand for lesbian consumers in the US. They acted on it despite the controversy around the gay liberation movement and became synonymous with the community, years before marketers highlighted the benefits of targeting LGBT+ consumers.
As a multinational conglomerate, delighting over a billion consumers, becoming more inclusive isn't just about DNA or the right thing to do; it makes excellent business sense. There's enough research to show that companies with greater diversity in leadership roles are more innovative, customer-centric and profitable. At Godrej too, companies with greater diversity in senior management, showed more positive shifts in work cultures. Research shows that people like to work at inclusive companies. So, it helps us attract and retain talent.
This then is our (not so) secret sauce - making Godrej representative of our diverse, global consumers. We are building diversity in different ways - through businesses in new geographies, inclusive stances on gender and LGBT+ rights, and hiring for future-ready skills. Rather than narrowing the definition of inclusion, we are broadening it. Our message to the world is that we want to hire all kinds of people and we want to enable them to bring their 'whole selves' to Godrej.