Four levers to make the company more inclusive

The results of the academic study we conducted in 2019 with a number of experts (CSR directors, HR directors, senior consultants) in major companies (BRL, Dell, Eminence, Sanofi, Sodexo...) underline that the concept of inclusive enterprise is making its way into the corporate world.

In fact, two-thirds of them refer to it, with practices essentially linked to diversity and commitment to targeted audiences in the concrete actions implemented. Employees who saw their company commit to serving society during the Covid-19 health crisis mobilized in all their diversity to help develop particularly innovative solutions. Decathlon, for example, reconfigured diving masks into medical equipment.

Walid A. Nakara, Montpellier Business School - UGEI and Anne-Valérie Crespo-Febvay, University of Montpellier

Since the 2000s, companies have been committed to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiatives, including quality of working life for their employees and recognition of their diversity policy.

To date, however, these actions are not enough to attract and retain not only customers, but also the talent the company needs to grow. For example, according to Anne Revillard in her book Handicap et Travail en 2019, the employment rate for people with disabilities is just 3.6%.

Another example is the report Vers l'égalité réelle entre les femmes et les hommes published in 2019 by the Secretary of State for Equality between Women and Men. This report reveals that the wage gap between women and men in 2015 stagnated at 24%, barely a point less than its 2002 level.

To move towards a more inclusive company, our study identifies several levers.

The key role of management

First of all, as with any change process in an organization, the commitment of top managers is essential.

For example, BRL's governance and general management, through the policies it implements, voluntarily place the environment and people at the heart of the company. The entire strategy, set out in the "BRL Horizon 2020" roadmap, defines orientations, values, objectives, priorities and assessment tools (certifications, KPIs, etc.) that enable us to manage and monitor the progress and deployment of this policy. The impetus provided by general management enables managers to apply work practices that respect strategic choices.

Promoting HR/CSR interaction

But another important lever emerges from our study: the porosity between HR and CSR. In line with the recent white paper HR and CSR at the crossroads (ANDRH, Association nationale des directeurs de ressources humaines, 2019), which analyzes the interactions between HR and CSR departments in large companies, we also note that the articulation between HR and CSR policies is unavoidable in taking into account each individual in his or her singularity in the service of the collective.

The Sodexo Group, which is deeply committed to the issue of diversity in its various segments, is aware of the need to move "away from the segmentation of the diversity approach, which compartmentalizes". The CSR and HR Departments work closely together, with the impetus coming from the World Division and then being rolled out throughout the Group, so as to combine actions in favor of employees. This policy enables us to meet our commitments in terms of diversity and CSR, as well as HR issues such as gender equality, disability, skills management, management and occupational health.

This human resources management, at the crossroads between diversity/quality of working life and the meaning of work, aims to create the conditions for individual and collective motivation based on a shared project. Developing an inclusive policy is essential if employees are to feel recognized for their individuality, in a safe environment and in an activity in which they feel useful. The challenge, therefore, is to deploy approaches designed to reconcile the well-being of each employee and the company's performance, while avoiding segmentation by group of individuals, as is the case with policies that limit themselves to taking diversity into account.

A cross-functional approach

For this is the third lever that emerges from our analysis: a truly transversal approach to difference, as consultant Pete Stone also states in an article published on The Conversation France about the sailing association Team Jolokia. The aim is not to focus on diversity as such, but rather on how to get different employees to work together for the organization's performance.

A silo approach, which excludes those not concerned, creates dissatisfaction and hinders collective mobilization. The example of the Team Jolokia association illustrates the benefits of this cross-disciplinary approach. This association promotes diversity and inclusion by, among other things, taking part in an ocean race, with a crew that values difference.

The specificity of our approach lies, for example, in our recruitment procedures: crew members are selected on a 360-degree, collegial basis, and it's not the skipper (the corporate equivalent of a manager or n+1) who has the final say. People are not recruited on the basis of any particular difference they may have, but on the basis of a set of nautical, sporting and interpersonal skills required for the project. This contributes to inclusive recruitment, enabling candidates to be chosen on the basis of their skills.

Building a joint project

The fourth lever we have identified through this study confirms that local managers are key players in inclusion, through their own actions and in particular with regard to their employees, to co-construct with them actions that serve the organization's common project and strategy.

Naturally, inclusive management is based first and foremost on recognition of each manager's individuality, so that he or she can then recognize and value individualities within the team. Inclusive management is based on two key individual skills - openness and team spirit - but also on a CSR framework that is well integrated into the HR practices of these local managers.

Indeed, their role is fundamental. They are an essential cog in the wheel. Companies have understood the importance of relying on managers. We need to raise their awareness and train them so that they can pass on and explain the approach to their employees.

The majority of large companies, such as Dell and BRL for example, have set up training programs to reinforce managerial practices and skills; the BRL group has created the "manager course" training program, as well as awareness-raising programs on stereotypes such as the way certain populations are viewed. Dell is also very committed to diversity, training and involving managers and encouraging them to participate actively in the various groups created for visible minorities.

However, we can see that at present, these training courses have a diversity and inclusion focus, and the challenge is to develop training courses on inclusive business, strictly speaking.

Paradigm shift

It is clearly in the company's interest to reflect on the conditions of induction, skills development, working conditions and, in particular, societal commitment, since they can foster the deployment of each employee's individual potential to the benefit of the organization as a whole. But this new awareness also goes hand in hand with the evolution of society towards greater inclusion for all.

Whatever the case, an inclusive company is one that creates the conditions, within its own organization, for everyone to develop their full potential by drawing on the difference they bring. This definition is inspired by the work of Jean-Yves Le Capitaine, in his 2013 article L'inclusion n'est pas un plus d'intégration: l'exemple des jeunes sourds. Whereas the formerly inclusive school asked children to adapt to the school institution, the inclusive school asks the school institution to adapt to each child's differences: every child has a place in an ordinary school.

This represents a significant paradigm shift, as it is based on a global approach to the human element as a whole, encompassing the self, others, work and health. This understanding opens up a new dimension to inclusion through its central role in human relations: it is through the human relations fostered by inclusion that employees will be able to develop a sense of belonging to a collective and also a feeling of confidence in their organization. These principles are the mainsprings of true resilience, if we want a more inclusive economic world.

Caroline Dufoix, MBA student at Montpellier Business School, contributed to this article..

Walid A. Nakara, Professor, Director of the Social Entrepreneurship and Inclusion Chair, Montpellier Business School - UGEI and Anne-Valérie Crespo-Febvay, Doctoral student, University of Montpellier

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read theoriginal article.