Our latest research improves our understanding of the correlation between diversity and company financial performance, and of the action’s companies can take to develop a robust I&D strategy, in five ways:
- Expanded, updated data set.
We nearly tripled the number of countries and companies researched to 12 countries and more than 1,000 companies globally. - Exploring diversity at different levels of the organization.
We correlated financial performance with the diversity of a company’s total workforce, executive team, and board of directors, and within executive teams, we contrasted diverse representation in line versus staff roles. - Additional lens on financial performance.
We measured profitability, using EBIT margin, and longer-term value creation, using economic profit margin. - Broader, more holistic understanding of diversity.
We considered through qualitative research how both inherent (e.g., gender, ethnicity and, where possible, sexual orientation) and acquired (e.g., international work experience, education and training, socioeconomic background) forms of diversity relate to financial performance. - Insight into company best practices.
We developed in-depth profiles of 17 leading companies, articulating how they use diversity and inclusion to create value in their specific industry and geographic contexts.
This research extends and deepens the quantitative correlation analysis approach taken by Why Diversity Matters, and complements it with qualitative company research, with the practical aim of sharing insights from the experiences of companies effectively engaging with I&D.