Employee Resource Groups Maximize Talent, Create New Revenue Streams

NEW YORK January 19, 2011 – Jennifer Brown Consulting (JBC), a leader in the field of workplace diversity, has published an influential report on Employee Resource Groups (ERG’s) and their ability to catalyze corporate growth in virtually any industry.

Traditionally, ERG’s are defined as social affinity groups for race and gender-based communities and their allies, or co-workers who share a common purpose. However, in the unprecedented new study Employee Resource Groups that Drive Business, JBC investigates a new generation of powerful ERG’s which drive professional development, corporate recruitment and retention and even marketing and product development.

“Employee Resource Groups offer a great opportunity to foster both individual growth and corporate innovation—mirroring JBC’s own commitment to transform human potential into business results,” said Jennifer Brown, CEO and Founder of Jennifer Brown Consulting. “This report can help companies of all sizes build powerful new ERG’s, or increase the impact of existing groups.”

In a challenging and rapidly changing marketplace, ERG’s are often underutilized. These groups can support staff members and train new leaders while also bringing measurable results to their parent companies. They may provide cultural competency to reach new markets, discover the most relevant aspects of a new product or service or even help identify a company’s next big idea. ERG’s also help companies identify and retain a diverse staff, forge connections with a broad base of consumers, and create fresh approaches to the needs of a new generation.

As the report explains, successful ERG’s encourage employees to tap into their personal networks to contribute to organizational goals, drawing simultaneously from their individual experience and professional training and frequently producing a remarkable return on investment. Drawing from a collaboration with Cisco and case studies from other major corporations including Ford and General Electric, JBC examines ERG’s in a variety of contexts.

A sampling of the study’s findings reveal a wide spectrum of impact:

• ERG’s at General Electric played a key role in lobbying the Federal Government to preserve a contract worth $465 million in revenue
• Engine manufacturer Cummins partnered with its Hispanic ERG to develop a new market in Mexico, gaining more than $2 million in revenue
• Intuit’s Pride Network ERG ensured that the company supported Federal legislation prohibiting discrimination against LGBT employees

About Jennifer Brown Consulting
Jennifer Brown Consulting (JBC) is a workplace consulting firm committed to helping talent at all levels redefine leadership. The company’s expert facilitation, coaching, workshops, and seminars are designed to turn talent networks into business pipelines and innovation engines, as well as help individuals at all levels transform their environments to appeal to employees, clients and customers. JBC is a preferred consulting partner with the creators of Diversity Best Practices’ Network and Affinity Group Leadership Congress (NALC), the leading forum for ERGs in existence today. JBC is proud to be certified as a diverse supplier by both the WBE and the NGLCC.

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Jennifer Brown Consulting
20 E 9th St, Suite 4U | New York, NY 10003
JBC Phone + Fax Number: 1-888-522-1599

For Media Inquiries, Please Contact: media@jenniferbrownconsulting.com

Download a copy of this Press Release here

Are you attending or did you meet one of our consultants at a NALC event?  Send us an email:  info@jenniferbrownconsulting.com.

Jennifer Brown at NALC

Here are the details:

Wednesday Tim is speaking on the Specialty Issues Track
Innovating in a Downturn: Using AGs and ERGs as Business Partners and Communications Networks

Thursday Jennifer is speaking on the Experienced Leaders Track
Increasing Multi-Generational Representation and Collaboration in Affinity Groups: Seizing the Opportunity

From the NALC web site:

New York City, Sheraton Hotel and Towers

In corporate America’s war to attract and retain top talent, diversity is front and center. People of color, women, the LGBT and disabled communities have made huge strides in advancement by forming thousands of groups inside corporate America to work together for culture change and address the way companies do business with diverse markets. On February 25-26, in New York City, Diversity Best Practices and Working Mother Media are hosting the third annual Network and Affinity Leadership Congress (NALC). This congress brings together network and affinity group leaders from America’s top companies for leadership training, networking and to share best practices.

This is the ONLY event of its kind bringing together leaders from all types of network and affinity groups from all industry sectors to examine ways to increase their groups’ value to business.