Inclusive business
The report on DE&I provides a snapshot of an industrial system attentive to diversity, albeit with a long way still to go
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) is another important front in growing a truly all-round business culture. Recognising and valuing the many qualities and characteristics that make up the unique identity of each person in the workplace – that’s what DE&I means – constitutes an area of activity and commitment for companies which is complex to address and certainly difficult, but which must be explored and pursued to the fullest extent. It’s important to understand ‘where you are’ on this path, because it helps you understand how far you still have to go. This is what the“Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Stato dell’arte nelle aziende italiane” (DE&I: state of progress in Italian companies) report is for: it reconstructs the commitment of Italian companies in this area.
The study (provided as open access) is based on comparison with the results of similar research carried out in 2010; on this statistical basis, the study allows measurement of development in companies’ commitment to DE&I over time. The analysis was carried out by the 2022-2024 Employee Communication Working Group at the Centre for Employee Relations and Communication (CERC) and reaches a conclusion: ten years later, companies’ approach to DE&I has changed and evolved, although there is still a long way to go. In any case, 56% of companies adopt DE&I “practices consistent with the goal stated as predominant”. Even when presented with the topic, not all companies can say that they have a “consolidated approach” and thus a truly concrete one, but that they can only “aspire” to a real application of DE&I principles. The general indications must be broken down in each individual case of a company, even if they indicate a path that has begun. Looking at the main goal as a fundamental indicator of the type of DE&I approach, the research underlines the presence of “valuing variety” rather than the one of ten years earlier: “meeting internal expectations”.
It is therefore – as already mentioned – a varied, tortuous and complex path which is taking Italian companies step by step towards the target of fully achieving the DE&I goals. This path must be continued and constitutes not only a way towards better inclusion in business life, but also an additional element of competitiveness. The report succeeds in summarising this journey in a limited number of pages.
Diversity, equity & inclusion stato dell’arte nelle aziende italiane
Silvia Ravazzani Alessandra Mazzei Alfonsa Butera Chiara Fisichella
Franco Angeli open acces, 2023
The report on DE&I provides a snapshot of an industrial system attentive to diversity, albeit with a long way still to go
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) is another important front in growing a truly all-round business culture. Recognising and valuing the many qualities and characteristics that make up the unique identity of each person in the workplace – that’s what DE&I means – constitutes an area of activity and commitment for companies which is complex to address and certainly difficult, but which must be explored and pursued to the fullest extent. It’s important to understand ‘where you are’ on this path, because it helps you understand how far you still have to go. This is what the“Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Stato dell’arte nelle aziende italiane” (DE&I: state of progress in Italian companies) report is for: it reconstructs the commitment of Italian companies in this area.
The study (provided as open access) is based on comparison with the results of similar research carried out in 2010; on this statistical basis, the study allows measurement of development in companies’ commitment to DE&I over time. The analysis was carried out by the 2022-2024 Employee Communication Working Group at the Centre for Employee Relations and Communication (CERC) and reaches a conclusion: ten years later, companies’ approach to DE&I has changed and evolved, although there is still a long way to go. In any case, 56% of companies adopt DE&I “practices consistent with the goal stated as predominant”. Even when presented with the topic, not all companies can say that they have a “consolidated approach” and thus a truly concrete one, but that they can only “aspire” to a real application of DE&I principles. The general indications must be broken down in each individual case of a company, even if they indicate a path that has begun. Looking at the main goal as a fundamental indicator of the type of DE&I approach, the research underlines the presence of “valuing variety” rather than the one of ten years earlier: “meeting internal expectations”.
It is therefore – as already mentioned – a varied, tortuous and complex path which is taking Italian companies step by step towards the target of fully achieving the DE&I goals. This path must be continued and constitutes not only a way towards better inclusion in business life, but also an additional element of competitiveness. The report succeeds in summarising this journey in a limited number of pages.
Diversity, equity & inclusion stato dell’arte nelle aziende italiane
Silvia Ravazzani Alessandra Mazzei Alfonsa Butera Chiara Fisichella
Franco Angeli open acces, 2023