We had a very rich discussion around these issues. Here are just a few key learnings:

In a Swedish context, “Gender Equality” and “Diversity” can be two very different discussions, and, in turn, two different movements within an organization.

Gender Equality looks to diminish the power difference between men and women – and create a more equitable society and business culture for all. Typically, in the Nordic region, a “diversity initiative” (as an American might reference) would start with a focus on Gender.

Diversity, on the other hand, often refers to race, ethnicity and nationality differences. These would often be addressed as a second step in Swedish corporate “diversity” initiatives.

Additional diversity dimensions, such as age, sexual orientation, etc. have been more widely addressed in the public sector (with many inclusive laws both nationally in Sweden and across the EU), but they have not been explored as deeply in the Swedish private sector.

Secondly, the concept of public recognition is often culturally bound. In a US context, calling out differences is often a celebrated act, and instrumental in career development as differentiating yourself from competitors is key to success. On the other hand, in a Swedish context, calling oneself out as different is not as culturally appropriate. Swedish culture encourages people to remain similar to others, and not “hog the spotlight” (so to speak). This is closely linked to the Swedish word “Lagom” – meaning “Just Enough” or “Just the Right Amount.” This sentiment is seen in concrete ways, such as decoration (think about the last time you were in IKEA; rooms are decorated well and with “just the right amount” of accessories); a dinner (it would traditionally be inappropriate to have an excessive amount of food – you should have just the right amount); or even the amount you work and the recognition you receive from your work (work just enough – not 24/7; and receive an appropriate amount of recognition). Excess in each of these contexts would create imbalance.

Therefore, when rolling out diversity initiatives and praising work, external rankings for diversity initiatives, internal recognition and awards can often have a US flavor. It is true that people like to be praised for a job well done, but be careful as to how public this praise might be because cultural context can affect this.

Stay tuned for more insights into European Diversity from JBC!

David Megathlin, Senior Director of Research for JBC

Employee engagement, social connections, networking and leadership development … all of these critical benefits are occurring at the heart of most large companies, in their Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). How can these groups not only continue to serve as all?important “connective tissue”, but start to find new, even more business aligned ways to add value?

You can, and should, know a lot of best practices. Competitors are rich with these (or maybe your own company is even richer), but how do you find them?
Organizations don’t do a good job of sharing the best practices going on right in their own backyards, either with themselves internally, or certainly externally.  People, however, are the best mechanism for best practices.  If you are hunting for them, all it takes is putting your radar up, putting yourself in the right place, and with the right company (I mean people), and following the principles of change management to draw the best practices out of your own organization, or bring a new one in.

Two main things you need to know:  what’s normal/average vs. “best” (synonym for “innovative”), and the importance of asking the right questions when you suspect that you’ve found a best practices.  Your goal is to harvest the information you need to take back to your organization and (hopefully) implement, as well as gain a “coach” or supporter in the  original best practice team or company whom you can tap as you try to implement and avoid land mines.  Finally, you want to “pay it forward” by sharing your successful implementation to others, through sharing internally, offering to assist, serving on external panels, writing articles, blogs, reports, and generally marketing your success and learning opportunities.  It will make your company, and you, look good, as you’ll be the originator, or at least implementer, of a new best practice yourself!

Here is an elaboration on these principles:

1.     Best practices are exactly that – you are looking for the “best”, the most innovative, the most unusual or leading-edge.  In order to find these, you need to know what the “usual” is – i.e. the norm – so you can compare.  This means staying current  and doing your research on the internet, publications, webinars, etc.  You have to know what you’re looking for, and need to have your finger on the pulse of your market or specialty enough that you can make a case for the practice.  See questions in #3 that can help you ferret out the good stuff.

2.     Go to conferences that are specific to your industry, trade, or professional title, and seek to attend panels that feature companies (like or different industries) speaking about their internal practices.  Connect with them afterwards, introduce yourself and ask if they wouldn’t mind serving as a resource, and set up a follow-up meeting to delve deeper into their experience.  Suggest that they bring anyone to the meeting from their side who can elaborate/fill in the blanks or provide texture, and think about who you might include from your organization, so that you have a second pair of ears, or a second interpretation of what you learn.

3. These are some questions to ask your contacts to discover these unique stories and drill down into why they’ve been so successful:

• What original problem were you trying to solve?
• What made your approach unique?  What’s so impressive about it, in the marketplace?
• What results have you created, and how?
• Where did you start?  With what actions?  What was the order you tackled things in?
• What were challenges, and how did you overcome them?
• How would you suggest adopting this best practice in my organization?

4.     Application:  as with any change, you’ll need to ensure that whatever “best practice” you introduce to your organization is set up for success.  Consider the following change management best practices:

• Start small and announce “quick wins”
• Ensure management support; share the potential impact (cost savings, greater efficiency, more marketplace visibility – whatever is meaningful to them)
• Outline the vision of what you are trying to achieve, and keep repeating it so it gets ingrained with key stakeholders

Remember that executives are very competitive, peer to peer, about their companies and their companies’ practices.   If you can put your company “on the map” with a best practice (even if you got it from somewhere else!), you’re not only ensuring your company’s success, but your own.

To share a best practice with us, click here.