It’s an interesting activity:

Ask a diverse group of people if they remember their first day at work…you probably get a mix of reactions right? Some people are able to recall the experience quite vividly (particularly if it wasn’t that long ago) and are able to give you precise details -- their start date, their first task, perhaps even what they wore. Others may only be able to recall a vague memory…

Then ask the same group of people if they remember how they felt after week 1 and I bet most, if not all of them, will be able to give you a definite answer: “I knew I had made the right choice”; “I felt overwhelmed”; “I was excited at the opportunities that lay ahead”. Read More »

Tags: Bedfont, coffee morning, customers, Early in Career Network, ECN, Emerging, Emerging Markets, Employee Resource Group, environment, Europe, European Markets, Inclusion and Diversity

When I think of “Inclusion and Diversity”, I automatically think about creating a diverse and inclusive workforce environment: providing all employees with learning and development opportunities, ensuring employees with disabilities have the right tools and resources and educating all employees on how to work with people with disabilities, sending out regular communications on techniques for how to strengthen inclusion and diversity in the workplace and so forth.

Reading this article from UTalkMarketing.com this morning over a cup of coffee made me question my own definition of “Inclusion and Diversity.” I came to the conclusion that my view on this subject was far too narrow – I was focussing on it from a purely internal perspective and needed to think outside of the box and include an external perspective too. Inclusion and Diversity isn’t just about making your diverse workforce feel included; it’s also about ensuring that your customers feel included AND that their voices and their business needs lie at the heart of your business.

The author of this article, Chris Beswick, argues that businesses need to develop a relationship with their customers, look at the world from their perspective and appreciate the problems they face and the things they aspire to. Instead of focussing on their own products and services, businesses need to put greater focus on their customers’ problems and tensions – it’s not “what you do”, i.e. what you sell; what you provide, but rather “how you do it”, i.e. how you fuel innovation and differentiation.

Yet Beswick argues that true customer-centricity is only possible if you first become people-centric. In his words the only way you can provide an exceptional end-to-end customer experience is to ensure that everyone in your organisation understands how to collaborate on solving your customers’ problems.

How do you extend Inclusion and Diversity to your customers? Share your thoughts below.

Do you have an Inclusion and Diversity story to share? Please send it to idblog@cisco.com.

To read the full article click here

Tags: business, business problems, Chris Beswick, Customer-centric, customers, employees, environment, Inclusion and Diversity, innovation, people-centric, Utalk Marketing, Voice, workforce

“I can’t emphasise enough just how important – and real – diversity is at Bank of America. Everything we do in the company supports one of our core values: inclusive meritocracy. For us, diversity is all about inclusion. It is not just about gender. It’s not just about ethnicity. Here, diversity and inclusion mean respecting and valuing all nationalities, cultures, religions, sexual orientation, economic and social backgrounds and disabilities. By working with our differences, we can develop innovative products for our customers and a unique environment for our associates.” Geri Thomas, global diversity and inclusion executive from the Bank of America Read More »

Tags: Bank of America, culture, customers, diversity, ethnicity, Geri Thomas, immigration, Inclusion and Diversity, migrants, minorities, products, values, women, workforce

Anthropologist Grant McCracken, author of Chief Culture Officer, stresses the importance of cultural expertise and how it can be used to create advantages and build successful business and marketing strategies. Read More »

Tags: business, consumers, Cultural awareness, Cultural expertise, customers, marketing

A (U.S.*) Thanksgiving tradition in many households is to go around the dinner table and have everyone state what they are thankful for.  As we enter the twilight of 2010, I thought that it is a good time to reflect on what I am thankful for at Cisco.

Here is my (decidedly) Cisco-centric list…in reverse order (David Letterman “Top 10 List” style):

#10 – Quality of Life.  We have the technology to make it easy and productive to work from anywhere at any time.  Broadband was the first step.  Collaborative technology is the second.  And, now, pervasive video makes it quite seamless indeed.  This could also easily be the #1 reason I am thankful to be at Cisco.

#9 – Teamwork.  Two heads are better than one.  We have a collaborative culture and that makes success much sweeter.

#8 – Fun.  We have fun at Cisco.  While it may sound trite: if you aren’t having fun, why are you doing it?

#7 – Diversity.  Diversity makes us stronger.  Diversity of thinking, background, geography, products and more

#6 – Empowerment.  Cisco was just recognized as the best employer in all of Canada.  One of the reasons stated was because we empower employees to do their job.  It may be tough to get into Cisco (I, for instance, interviewed with 11 different people), but once you are hired, we trust you as a professional to do your job.

Read More »

Tags: customers, employees, partners, shareholders, thanksgiving