Engaging Employers: Improving Integration

Outcomes by Partnering with Canadian Business

Wendy Cukier, MA, MBA, PhD, DU (hon), LLD (hon), M.S.C.Vice President, Research and InnovationFounder/Director, Diversity InstituteRyerson University

16th National Metropolis ConferenceMarch 14th, 2014

Outline

• Ryerson’s Diversity Institute• Advantages and disadvantages of partnering with the private sector

• Our experience: leveraging the business case

• Conclusions

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RYERSON’S DIVERSITY INSTITUTE

• research on diversity and inclusion in the workplace to improve practices

• collaborates with public, private, non-profit and government

• evidence-based and customized approaches• focus on EE + 1 but immigration intersects• provide a diversity lens to job creation and employment initiatives at Ryerson (eg. DMZ)

• most important lessons: inter-sectionality and social capital

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Our Experience• Training and Education – advisory councils, instructors, internships,

• Large projects: RBC Immigrant, Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity Institute current partnerships– SSHRC DiversityLeads – 30+ community partners– TD Bank Rethinking Financial Literacy– Black Experience Project– UARR – Somali Community

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WHY PARTNER WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR?

• Where the jobs are• Access to funding• Access to resources and expertise• Access to internships and training• Access to sites for research• New approaches• Improved effectiveness • Role models, mentors and coaches: help build social capital

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Success Stories; Roles Models, Allies

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CHALLENGES OF PARTNERING• What’s in it for them? Understanding

THEIR goals and objectives • Diversity fatigue; multiple demands• Shared outcomes and building trust• Bridging cultures - language, values, pace• Managing competing messages• Priorities change – “diversity happy talk”• Differences within the corporate sector: Financial Institutions versus SMEs

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OversimplificationsCorporate NGO

Goals Shareholder valueProfit/market shareReputationTalent , employee engagement

Economic, social, environmental well-being of communityOrganizational survival

Time frame Short LongValues Competitiveness

EfficiencyEntrepreneurialismPragmaticCSR

FairnessValues driven, idealisticOffer services at all costsOvertly political (sometimes)

People CareerIdentity

Passion and purposeIdentity

Focus Outcome; hierarchical Process; consultative23-04-19Slide 8

OUR APPROACH ECOLOGICAL MODEL

Individual Group Organizational Sector Social Environment

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Moving up the diversity curve

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Deg

ree

of

Fo

rmal

izat

ion

SME Manufacturing- Little recognition of problem- No policies- No metrics

Hi-tech and Federally-regulated - Recognize overt and

systemic - Integrated policies - Metrics - Work environment is

competitive advantage

% of Senior Executives

Focus on the Business Case

1. Overcome the skills shortage: TALENT, TALENT, TALENT• Two-thirds of workforce growth fuelled by

immigration (2011)• By 2031, 25%-28% of Canada’s population

could be foreign-born (vs. 20% in 2006) (Stats Canada)

• Under-employment of immigrants costs between $4.1 and 5.9 billion dollars annually (Conference Board of Canada, 2010)

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2. Respond to increasingly diverse global markets •consumer power in certain markets (e.g. 50% of GTA residents)• leverage their international connections and

improve relationships with their diverse customer base (Gandz, 2001).

3. Increase innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship•Multiple perspectives provide better solutions •Access to knowledge, suppliers, capital, and labour needed to serve ethnic enclaves and global markets (Hiebert, 2006)•Immigrants are more likely to be entrepreneurs – key to economic development – but many leave

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4. Increase employee satisfaction, reduce turnover , improve performance•Career satisfaction is linked to retention, loyalty, and productivity•Diversity and inclusion practices have a significant impact on workplace•Engagement of employees in CSR, mentoring, support adds value

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Perceptions of Workplace (DI and Catalyst, 2007)

5. Reputational benefits versus costs•Pay equity decisions•Negative effects on reputation

6. Benefits outweigh the costs (there are some costs) – and we can help

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Practical strategies through the value chain• Societal level – policies, values, media, culture, addressing stereotypes of leaders and experts

• Organizational level – human resources but also procurement, product development, services, marketing, philanthropy, building the pipeline; overcoming unconscious bias

• Individual level – building capacity for success

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CONCLUSIONS• Strategy is about choices• Mutual goals as well as differences in values• Language : Messages and messengers• Make it easy to do the right thing – coordinated, efficient, tools, consistency

• Build trust and reliability• Respect for timelines and process• Outcomes: “Just because you are on the side of the angels does not mean you will win”

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Thanks!

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CONTACTDiversity Institute Ryerson University

http://www.ryerson.ca/diversitydiversityinstitute@ryerson.ca416-979-5000 ext. 7268

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