51643 Seventh Edition - June 15, 2009 ISG: Diversity, Q & A with Fayez Choudhury One Step at a Time Vice President, Corporate Finance and Risk Management T he World Bank women staff, and staff who Fayez Choudhury recently Group's Informa- hail from Sub-Saharan transitioned from his post as tion Solutions Africa and the Caribbean. VP of CSR, where he served Group is making solid "We've tried to combine for nine years, to the newly- progress on diversity a couple of things," said created CFRVP position. and inclusion (D&I). Lee Grassley, HR Client "Especially in the past Liaison. "First, we needed Q: Describe your VPU's three years, there has been to gain some new skills experience with Diversity a strong management into the VPU, but we also and Inclusion (D&I) issues. commitment," said Elisa wanted to achieve diversity A: Over the last decade, Liberatori-Prati, the World in the process." the awareness of and Bank Group's Chief Archi- Traditionally, ISG was response to D&I have vist, and ISG's co-D&I Co- limited to local appoint- been marked. We initially ordinator. "Our efforts are ment hires. Recently, ISG focused on D&I in its most yielding some progress." management took the basic form--racial, ethnic, First, the statistics. ISG's significant step of opening and gender--then we wanted to look at the issues more overall diversity index up new opportunities for broadly. Our program has evolved to a "Building a Respectful saw a 10% improvement international recruitment. Workplace" theme. The root of issues of diversity and inclusion during the past two years, And it doesn't look as is really respect. Respect for other cultures, traditions, religions, double Bank-wide figures. if they're going to let the and diverse human value systems certainly, but moving Its share of women manag- opportunity get away. "We beyond that to respecting diverse opinions. The focus now is ers is now on par with the hired a French firm that is on tapping these diverse opinions to add value to the business institution as a whole. known for filling positions process. How do we ensure that we are equipped to listen to However, it still lags with qualified Sub-Saharan diverse opinions and not just give lip service? behind in the percentage of continued on page 3 continued on page 2 IBRD Diversity Indicators - Country Directors & Country Managers Data represent staff with the official titles of Country Director or Country Manager only (status as of April 30, 2009). Female % Part II % SSA/CR % NOF % 80 60 60 100 70 50 50 80 60 40 40 50 60 40 30 30 40 30 20 20 20 20 10 10 10 0 0 0 0 AFR EAP ECA LCR MNA SAR AFR EAP ECA LCR MNA SAR AFR EAP ECA LCR MNA SAR AFR EAP ECA LCR MNA SAR Country Director Country Manager Country Director Country Manager Country Director Country Manager Country Director Country Manager RECREATED LOGO thE-Junction June 15, 2009 | page 2 External Good Practice Corner Q&A with Tiane Mitchel-Gordon, AOL Tiane Mitchel-Gordon is the Senior Vice inclusive and ultimately reaching It's an environment where people President and Officer of Diversity and more people. bring the totality of who they are Inclusion at AOL. The Dulles, Virginia- Q: How does this inform AOL's to bear on problems that the com- based company is a leading global approach to D&I? pany needs solved. ad-supported Web company and social A: We feel there are three legs. Q: What have been your main media network. It has about 7,000 em- It's about workforce, workplace, and challenges? ployees in the US, the UK, and India. marketplace. The latter is a largely un- A: It's a process. Anytime you ask for tapped opportunity to engage with our change of mindset, you encounter resis- Q: How does a focus on diversity consumers better. If you don't create tance. We've seen both personal and or- and inclusion (D&I) help AOL's content that your consumers can con- ganizational resistance, but we're willing bottom line? nect with, then they go elsewhere. So to have this dialogue on how difference A: There is an urban vibe to a lot it's a challenge and an opportunity. is important. And we're seeing progress. of marketing in the US--a cool factor Q: Tell me about the first two But culture change takes time. that resonates across demographic legs: workforce and workplace. Q: Do you have any personal groups. Influencers from a niche A: We're asking different ques- thoughts that guide your work? market may have applications for tions to come up with different A: Never underestimate the power the mainstream. So our discussion of solutions. It's a new cognitive of the individual to make a differ- D&I is not just about doing the right diversity. When we have a fully ence. That's why modeling inclusion thing, but we also think there is a inclusive workforce, we are more is so important--both from leadership tremendous upside to being open and vibrant, innovative, and engaged. and from everybody in the team. Q & A with Fayez Choudhury (continued from page 1) Q: How has your VPU progressed? to transform hearing into listening. If changed their nationality. Many people A: To the extent that the Staff Sur- views are being expressed that don't have dual nationality. And so when vey gives us feedback, it has functioned fit the conventional template, how do you look at the statistics, it's often not pretty well. We have good indicators. I you make sure those views get a real at all reflective of the genuine diversity think more importantly, people do have hearing? The challenge is doing that that we have. It's ironic that we get a deeper understanding of the issue. appropriately. And the starting point trapped by hard indicators that don't Q: What's the business case for D&I? is respect. Another challenge is that, reveal the full breadth of our diversity. A: We are the World Bank, and we at the end of the day, we are still run- Q: Any thoughts about this issue operate across the world. We should be ning a business. One wants to encour- from a long-term perspective? a reflection of that. That's the reality. age people to consider diverse ways A: We should be optimistic about We do things that not many people do: of thinking, but not all diverse views our ability to face the challenges of we work in countries across the world, contain good insights--sometimes achieving a truly D&I environment and and we bring global knowledge to bear they are just wrong. Drawing the line acknowledge the good things about who in local situations. You have to find a between being respectful of diverse we are. I'm reminded of this when some- way of harnessing the incredibly rich opinions but at the same time needing one from outside the Bank comes here. store of experiences and perspectives to make a decision and move on is The palpable discovery of such a diver- for effective interventions in those sometimes difficult to balance. sity of languages, dress, nationalities, diverse and complex environments. Q: Is there anything related to accents, etc. makes a deep impression on If you can't do that, then you're not D&I that you would improve? those visiting. We have something very meeting your business objectives. A: I think on the nationality is- different and special. Let's pause and feel Q: What are some of the chal- sue, we need to fine tune our metrics. good about that but let's not become lenges to operationalizing D&I? There, we are at risk of becoming complacent because there are always A: One challenge is getting people slaves of statistics. Many people have more challenges to overcome. thE-Junction June 15, 2009 | page 3 ISG: Diversity, One Step at a Time (continued from page 1) Africans," Grassley said. "Also, we've advertised in targeted international publications, where we emphasized our desire for female and diverse candidates." The business rationale for these extra steps is well established across the Bank Group. "It is more than just the right thing to do," said Libera- tori-Prati. "We need to absolutely interact well with all of our clients within the Bank. We can achieve that best by mirroring the diversity we see around us." And there are other forces at play: "It goes beyond management," stressed Jasmine Mason-Anderson, HR Officer for ISG. "You see it bub- bling up from staff. Normally, we put the onus all on management, but ISG Diversity Coordinators Ryan Jones and Elisa Liberatore-Prati now staff are taking accountability to make sure our environment is condu- Manager for Sourcing and Program Indian vendors. "Once you build this cive to respect. It's a very good thing." Management. "First is simply the in to the communication, there's Information Officer and D&I issue of raising awareness. Second, an awareness," said Kaveeshwar, Coordinator Ryan Jones said its just we're explicitly ensuring that recruit- who cited the inclusion of diversity about keeping it simple: "Now, staff ing works aggressively with HR to provisions in recent RFPs. "And now are more empowered to contribute to target NOF or SSA/CR. Third, in our that it has become part of the con- tract management discussion, we're seeing progress." It goes beyond management. Since Diversity Month last March, ISG held itself to a number You see it bubbling up from staff. of 100-day commitments, including Normally, we put the onus all on fast-tracking three developmental assignments (DAIS) for SSA/CR management, but now staff are taking staff. "We brought IT officers from country offices to learn how HQ accountability to make sure our operates," said Mason-Anderson. environment is conducive to respect... "It's all about knowledge sharing and career development." -- Jasmine Mason-Anderson Anybody who attended the ISN Forum in May--which assembled finding solutions. There's this sense reviews and promotions, we are very the entire network from around the that ideas can come from new places, conscious of where we fall short and world--could not help but notice from different thought processes. what progress we need to make." the diversity of staff and rich cul- That really opens up the door for Because ISG works so heavily tural exchange. diverse ideas." with contractors--about 50% percent It was a vivid reminder that the There are a number of clear pri- of all staff--it has taken the push for Bank's IT staff may be among the orities said Sudhakar Kaveeshwar, more diversity to both its US and most diverse in the world. thE-Junction June 15, 2009 | page 4 Beyond Diversity to Inclusion and Human Equity D iversity speaker Trevor Wil- In the past, as- son animated a thought-pro- similation meant voking session during the ISN that differences Forum last month that challenged were ignored, participants to value individual dif- and organizations ferences in their day-to-day work. tended to treat Why would the Information Solu- employees the tions Network (ISN) host a session on same. The focus diversity and inclusion (D&I)? After was on fitting in: all, this cluster of about 1,000 staff "Equality means across the Bank Group is tasked with sameness. When managing the institution's informa- we treat people tion and technology--no small task. equally, we ignore "IT at its best is a business en- differences," em- abler, not a commodity," said Elisa phasized Wilson. Liberatori-Prati, the Bank Group's "On the other hand, equity is fair- pletely leverages the full talents of Chief Archivist, and along with Ryan ness. When we treat people equitably, every employee. Jones, ISN's D&I coordinator. "Along we recognize differences." Are any organizations there yet? these lines, D&I has this same po- These days, organizations tend to "Well, there might be a few one- tential to breathe life into our opera- require that staff tolerate diversity. person companies that are doing the tions in a way that vastly improves The focus is likely to be on righting job," he joked. what we do." historical wrongs, but the approach Wilson recounted personal Just like a fickle network connec- is still group-focused. vignettes that were both insightful tion or ineffective firewall, a poor In the future, Wilson suggested, and comic. Born in England to a approach to D&I issues can leave reaching human equity--in which Jamaican father and Indian mother, staff stymied and compromise an organizations value the breadth of he became a Canadian citizen as a organization's capacity to achieve talents of all staff--will require true schoolboy. As a result, negotiating its goals. inclusion. Individual differences are the precarious fault lines of identity "You can have tolerance without not only recognized, but also system- and belonging has proved a lifelong respect," said Wilson, who has been atically valued, and therefore become challenge--and opportunity. a professional diversity consultant fundamentally important. The session turned interactive for more than 20 years and worked Wilson outlined an "equity con- as Wilson opened up the floor: "Do with thousands of companies. "We tinuum," which provided historical we create a climate of inclusiveness need to value people because of perspective: "Affirmative action within ISN? Is ISN a place where tal- their differences, and move way moved organizations from denial ented people choose to work because beyond mere tolerance." to compliance. And corporate they feel they have `a place at the Likewise, an organization can social responsibility has moved us organizational table' that matters?" have diversity without inclusion. beyond compliance." The packed Preston Auditorium Inclusion is about creating a cli- "More recently, a focus on di- hummed with the distinctive din mate where diversity is valued. In an versity has moved us to acknowl- of a hundred vigorous, hushed inclusive environment each person is edge the business case. And as we conversations. Here, the keepers recognized and developed, and their continue to integrate diversity and of World Bank IT were reflecting, talents are routinely tapped into. make it part of our DNA, we make evaluating, reinventing. The World Bank Group is poised valuable progress." "I don't care if diversity, inclu- at a threshold. Will the institu- The end goal is to become an sion, respect, and dignity are on tion continue to make progress "inclusive and equitable organiza- every wall of this place," concluded integrating D&I issues, or revert to tion," which hires the right person Wilson, slowly gesturing to the four past practices? for the job every time, and com- winds. "I want you to live it."