Ep 99: Why Diversity And Inclusion Are Crucial for The Success of Organizations Today

Anka Wittenberg is the SVP and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at SAP, a software firm based in Walldorf, Germany. She holds master's degrees in economics and international business and is a mother of three. That last note is what helped launch her career since holding two master's degrees was not enough to get her an interview with the larger firms in Germany just because she also had small children. This one difference between Anka and the rest of the workforce is what opened her eyes and showed her the need for more diversity and inclusion in the workforce. This observation has helped Anka become a guest lecturer, author and advocate for true diversity and inclusion in the workforce.

Being the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for SAP means that Anka oversees the sustainability of people and the diversity and inclusion of everyone. What exactly does that mean? That it does not matter the sex, culture, ethnicity, age, or physical ability of a person but ALL types of people need to be included within the workforce. The uniqueness of your workforce begins to emerge when you include people from all walks of life you begin to see the diversity. SAP has a goal of having 25% of their leadership roles to be filled by females by the year 2017 and by the year 2020 their goal is to have 1% of their workforce positions filled by autistic people. Along with this diversity and inclusion you must work on the sustainability of the people within your organization.

One of the biggest changes that is happening today is the change within the corporate culture and thinking with regards to diversity & inclusion. Organizations are beginning to change their thinking on how they are training and sustaining their employees by focusing more on the holistic picture. Due to these changes organizations are beginning to see the business impact within employee engagement, improved customer satisfaction and innovation.

What you will learn in this episode:

• What diversity & inclusion Means.
• The four subcategories of diversity & inclusion.
• What the is the business impact of diversity & inclusion.
• How organizations are changing their corporate culture.
• How SAP is implementing various programs to be a completely diversified & inclusive organization.
• What the key points are in an employee's experience.
• What is unconscious bias?
• How can organizations can focus more on diversity & inclusion.

Link From The Episode:

Diversity And Inclusion At SAP

Anka Wittenberg on LinkedIn

(Music by Ronald Jenkees)