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

Listen to the podcast here.

Here is an introduction from the Catch Your Limit web site:

“Turn up the volume, sit back and listen as this month’s CODcast (Creativity On Demand) features Jennifer Brown, CEO of Jennifer Brown Consulting.

Jennifer Brown, CEO of Jennifer Brown Consulting , One of the most sought-after experts in business and workplace dynamics. After many years of providing her services independently to Fortune 1000 clients and across a pantheon of vertical industries, she founded Jennifer Brown Consulting to help businesses everywhere achieve peak performance.

Ms. Brown is widely acclaimed for both her use of existing, proven models, metrics, and training and assessment tools as well as her work on the cutting edge of diversity training and talent management. Just a few of the industries that have benefited from her bold, energetic, savvy style include retail, nonprofits, media, finance, and industrial manufacturing.

Ms. Brown’s methods and thought- leadership are derived from rich real-world experience. She was Tommy Hilfiger´s first-ever Director of Training & Development, responsible for a wholesale invention of new mechanisms and processes for harnessing, advancing, and retaining the company´s talent. Her credentials also include various roles within Global Learning & Development at The Willis Group, fundamentally transforming the company´s perspective on sales and client service.”

You can subscribe to the CODcast feed by clicking here.  Don’t have speakers or a pair of headphones handy?  Click here to download a transcript of the interview now:  catchyourlimitinterview.

Jennifer’s keynote titled, “Goal Setting – Why are you here?” begins at 10:30 am on February 28th at the 2009 Greater New York Institute for Social Innovation.  This is an Introduction to StartingBloc and Corporate Social Innovation with the Yale School of Management.

Through their renowned Institute for Social Innovation, continuing education programs and networking opportunities, StartingBloc brings the latest innovations in corporate social responsibility and social entrepreneurship to emerging leaders.

Access the agenda for this event by clicking here:  2009_startingbloc_agenda