The Sustainability Committee\'s first meeting was scheduled for Thursday afterno

Question

The Sustainability Committee's first meeting was scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Although it was only Tuesday, several people had already dropped by committee members' offices to express their opinions and concerns about the company's new focus on sustainability. Some colleagues had trouble with the broad definition of sustainability—"to balance the economic, environmental, and social needs of today's world while planning for future generations." Others worried the sustainability project was just another passing fad. A small group of colleagues believed the company should be most concerned with performance and should forget about trying to become a leader in the social responsibility movement. In general, however. most employees were either supportive or neutral on the initiative.

As the committee's meeting started, the committee chair reminded the group that the company's CEO was very committed to sustainability for several reasons. First, the company was engaged in product development and manufacturing processes that had environmental effects. Second, most companies in the industry were starting initiatives on sustainable development. Third, recent scandals had negatively affected public opinion about business in general. Finally, the company was exploring markets in Europe where environmental activism and rules are often more stringent. With these reasons in mind, the committee set out to develop plans for the next year.

For an hour, the committee discussed the general scope of sustainability in the company. They agreed that sustainability was concerned with increasing positive results while reducing negative effects on a variety of stakeholders. They also agreed that sustainability focused on the "triple bottom line" of financial, social, and environmental performance. For example, a company dedicated to sustainability could design and build a new facility that used alternative energy sources, minimized impact on environmentally sensitive surrounding areas, and encouraged recycling and composting. Another firm might implement its sustainability objectives by requiring suppliers to meet certain standards for environmental impact, business ethics, economic efficiency, community involvement, and others.

After this discussion, the committee made a list of current and potential projects that were likely to be affected by the company's new sustainability focus.  

These projects included

Energy consumption Philanthropy

Manufacturing Product emissions and waste development

Employee diversity Technology

Community Supplier selection relations

Corporate Employee health and governance safety

Regulations and Volunteerism compliance

After much discussion, the committee agreed that each member would take one of these twelve projects and prepare a brief report on its link to the environmental component of sustainability. This report should review the ways environmental issues can be discussed, changed, improved, or implemented within that area to demonstrate a commitment to sustainability.

Choose one of the projects listed and prepare a brief report on its link to the environmental component of sustainability. The report should review the ways environmental issues can be discussed, changed, improved, or implemented within that area to demonstrate a commitment to sustainability.

Explanation / Answer

Project Report on "Employee Diversity Technology"

Diversity is a key driver of innovation and is a critical component of being successful on a global scale.

Senior executives are recognizing that a diverse set of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds is crucial to

innovation and the development of new ideas. When asked about the relationship between diversity and innovation,

a majority of respondents agreed that diversity is crucial to encouraging different perspectives and ideas that

foster innovation.

• A diverse and inclusive workforce is crucial for companies that want to attract and retain top talent.

Competition for talent is fierce in today’s global economy, so companies need to have plans in place to recruit, develop,

and retain a diverse workforce.

• Nearly all respondents reported that their companies have diversity and inclusion strategies in place.

However,not all of the plans are identical. About a third said their companies have global strategies that allow for minimal regionaldeviation, while half said that their organizations have a global plan that also allows for different strategies and programs

in order to address regional needs or cultural differences.

• Organization’s diversity goals and priorities won’t change significantly over the next three years. When asked about their company’s current diversity and inclusion priorities, 43% cited retention and development of talent, followed

by ensuring diversity in the workplace in general (35%), developing a robust pipeline of diverse talent (29%), and managing

cross-generational issues (28%).

• Responsibility for the success of company’s diversity/inclusion efforts lies with senior management.

In orderfor a diversity/inclusion plan to have real meaning, there needs to be accountability and oversight. Seven out of tencompanies reported that the buck stops at the C-level and their board of directors.

• Significant progress has been made to build and retain diverse workforces, but there are still some

impediments to companies’ efforts.

Respondents feel they’ve made progress in gender diversity, but they feel they’ve fallen short in areas such as disability and age.

A Diverse Workforce Attracts Top Talent

“We are in 75 countries and we want to hire the best talent in each locale. Diverse teams and

companies make better decisions.”

–Eileen Taylor ,

global head of diversity, Deutsche Bank

FIGURE 3:

Do you have any official programs in place specifically to recruit,

develop, or retain a diverse or inclusive workforce?

0% 50% 100%

Yes, recruitment

53

44

12

2

Yes, development

Yes, retention

No. We have general programs in place, but not specifically focused

on diversity/inclusion

No, we do not have any programs in place

65

FIGURE 4:

When it comes to recruitment of a diverse workforce, where do

you go to find your talent?

0% 50% 100%

L’Oréal USA

Harness ing Emplo yee’s Diverse Perspectives for Innovation

At cosmetics giant L’Oréal USA, the importance of diversity and inclusion is expressed by its formula for diversity management:

DIVERSITY + INCLUSION = INNOVATION & SUCCESS

®. This formula permeates many functions of the company from recruitment to

sales to community outreach.

“The recruitment of diverse talent for our organization is critical to our ability to build our business and drive future growth,”

said Sumita Banerjee, vice president, talent recruitment at L’Oréal USA. To that end, company executives connect with more than

3,000 students on campus each year via business games, professor partnerships, student organizations, and campus presentations.

Additionally, executives maintain a network of strategic partnerships to connect with “experienced” talent. These relationships

include Junior Military Officers, outstanding women in science, National Diversity recruitment fairs, and others. “The diversity of

thought, industry, and multi-market backgrounds of the candidates that we recruit directly impact our ability to innovate and give us

a foundation upon which we are able to help to achieve our business goal of reaching a billion new consumers in the next 10 years,”

added Banerjee.

But it’s not enough to build a diverse and inclusive workforce if you don’t put that talent to use. L’Oréal USA executives understand

the value and insight the company’s diverse workforce can provide in building consumer brands and offerings that cater to

specific ethnic groups. One case in point is a research project focused on foundation for women of color. Balanda Atis, group leader,

research and innovation at L’Oréal USA, worked on a project designed to shed light on the problem that non-Caucasian women face.

“As a woman with darker skin, I have always had a difficult time in trying to find a shade of foundation that was appropriate for my

skin tone. Furthermore, I know that this is a concern for consumers.” Through a series of studies conducted nationally that interviewed

women and measured skintones, Atis and a team of scientists were able to demonstrate scientifically that women of color

have specific needs.

“Diversity gives us a competitive advantage,” added Howard Lewis, vice President of sales and education for Mizani, a L’Oréal

brand that targets women of color. “In order to create a sustainable business model, we have to include as many consumers as

possible and provide the best products.” One such product is Mizani’s True Texture line. Scientists at L’Oréal spent two years studying

1,000 heads of hair and came up with a “curl key” that defines eight types of hair and how to treat each specific hair type.

The True Texture line, for women of color who want to wear their hair naturally curly, was one of the products that arose from the

research project.

The company is also always looking for new and innovative ways to engage its customers. Recently, executives at L’Oréal USA and

Telemundo developed an innovative program that touches on a passionate point of one its core customer groups—telenovelas for the

Hispanic community. This program, “Club de Noveleras” (CDN), is a “community” that lives on Telemundo.com that gives consumers

more behind the scenes telenovela content that ranges from videos to pictures as well as an exclusive beauty blog written in Spanish.

Not only is the “community” aspect of CDN a first for the Hispanic market, but so is the Spanish-language beauty blogger. Club de

Noveleras also has experiential touch-points for all the L’Oréal brands, explained Daniel Villarroel, assistant vice president, Maybelline

New York*Garnier. “For example, Maybelline New York and Garnier can touch the consumer and sample in large market tours where

Telemundo brings the novela talent as the draw.” In addition to being able to meet Telemundo talent and being able to access exclusive

content, CDN members can earn loyalty points by engaging with the online and mobile content that they can then redeem for

virtual or physical prizes.

By building a diverse and inclusive workforce and then harnessing the ideas and perspectives of its pool of talent, L’Oréal USA continues

to create products that address a multitude of consumer concerns while also building communities within diverse populations.

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