Diversity and Inclusion—Why Now? The Key to Successful D&I

Table of Contents

1. D&I—Why Now? Four Effects of Diversity Management
2. Starting D&I Activities at Ridgelinez and Formulation of a Credo (Action Guidelines)
3. Five WGs that Volunteers Work on with Ownership Lead to Motivation and Employee Skill Improvement
4. Dedicated D&I Organization Established to Support the WGs. Key to Success is the Bridge Between Management and Employees and Measures to Generate Empathy
5. No Correct Answer for Promoting D&I. As a Leader of the Promotion Office, I want to Continue to “Be a Person who Listens”

D&I—Why Now? Four Effects of Diversity Management

In 2017, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced the action guidelines for diversity management, “Diversity 2.0, one step ahead of competitive strategy.” Among them, there are four effects of companies promoting diversity.

First,is to strengthen the ability of attracting global human resources. I am in a position to speak with a variety of people, and I have heard many people who are thinking about proceeding in their careers, such as getting hired as new graduates or changing jobs mid-career, asking, “What kind of diversity management should companies take on, and what kind of measures should they be taking?” I always feel how strongly they place importance on these issues. Depending on whether or not a company is properly working on diversity management, it may or may not lead to being selected by future talent with excellent capabilities. In order to be a company of choice, it is important to work on diversity management.

The second is the improvement of risk management capabilities. With companies, certain products, services, commercials, and the like can stir up a storm of controversy online after they are announced. These kinds of controversies can be prevented if the company were to have had multifaceted discussions with people with diverse attributes at the decision-making stage. Placing diverse human resources in the decision-making process is thought to lead to improved risk management capabilities.

The third is improving the supervisory function of the Board of Directors. It is important to reflect diverse viewpoints in the Board of Directors, in addition to improving its supervisory functions. The revision of the Corporate Governance Code announced in 2021 includes diversity as well as sustainability, which urges corporations to correspond.

Last but not least, the fourth is the promotion of innovation and creation. Diverse human resources give birth to various ideas, which leads to activation of imagination and improvement of organizational capabilities. The most important thing is to create an environment where people can speak freely. By working to create an inclusive environment, we can expect to promote the creation of innovation.

From now on, D&I will be positioned as the foundation of management, and guidelines for its realization have been presented. Nowadays, diversity management is simply a requirement to have in every company.

Starting D&I Activities at Ridgelinez and Formulation of a Credo (Action Guidelines)

Ridgelinez was launched in April 2020.
D&I activities began in August 2020 with a one-on-one session for all female employees. We asked them to share how they have felt on a daily basis and hear their opinions on what kind of company they should create in the future and how to create a corporate culture rich in diversity. Taking this occasion as an opportunity, 25 peers with a sense of challenge got together and decided to promote D&I.

We created a Credo in March 2021. We use is as an action guideline or slogan for our D&I activities. After the employees submitted their ideas, a company-wide vote was held, which ultimately led to establishing our Credo:“Accept and Respect for Synergy.”
By accepting differences and diversity, we foster a sense of security, and by recognizing and respecting each other, we connect learning to the future. Ultimately, our desire to provide value to our future customers is embedded at the heart of this Credo.

Five WGs that Volunteers Work on with Ownership Lead to Motivation and Employee Skill Improvement

At present, five working groups (WGs) consisting of more than 60 volunteers are at the core of D&I activities at Ridgelinez.

The first WG is the Networking Team, which creates a place where peers can connect. This year, we are working on putting together little communities for pregnant mothers, childbirth, and childcare. For example, talks between moms and dads who have elementary school students and dads who have taken childcare leave are held in the form of dialogues and roundtables, and are published as articles within the company.

The second WG is the Training Team, which arranges training that deepens our understanding of D&I. We take on planning basic courses for D&I, create teaching materials, and even hold lectures on the subject. In January 2022, we implemented a project called the “Declaration of D&I Action.” I will be asking management, “What kind of D&I actions can you commit to by the end of December?” and have them make a declaration. By sharing this declaration with the entire company, it will be an opportunity to think about what management can do, and it will convey to employees that management has made D&I their own business. As a result of this, behavioral changes have also occurred, such as the management themselves actively participating in D&I activities and taking the podium as speakers.

The third WG is the Personnel System Team, which aims to create a comfortable working environment. At Ridgelinez, in addition to programs for the Fujitsu Group, we also operate our own programs, and have put in place a variety of programs that enable flexible working styles. We collect this information, summarize it in an easy-to-understand manner, and share it within the company. For example, based on feedback from those who wanted to take maternity leave that it was difficult to understand what kind of programs were available, we compiled information about these programs and published them on our intranet as part of a campaign to raise awareness of childbirth and childcare programs.

The fourth WG is the Promotion Team, which promotes Ridgelinez’ efforts in D&I within and outside the company. The team has taken it upon themselves to create communication guidance. This helps promote inclusive communication by providing concrete examples of words that are often thought to be used with inadequate consideration.

While we launched with these four teams, this year, the Workstyle Design Team was born. Based on the idea that work styles are included in the diversity that companies should emphasize, we are working under the mission of realizing a diverse and selectable work style.
In addition to general employees, three Principals among our management ranks are participating as sponsors. They give advice to the WGs from a management perspective and provide feedback to spread D&I activities to management.

The members from these WGs have something to say:
“I’m happy to get to know people I don’t get to interact with on a regular basis.”
“It’s fun to be able to think and act on your own, rather than having to do the work assigned to us.”
As can be seen from these voices, D&I activities have led to increased motivation for working at Ridgelinez. Our program that allows employees to plan and execute their own plans beyond the scope of their assigned duties has led to improved skills through D&I activities.

Dedicated D&I Organization Established to Support the WGs. Key to Success is the Bridge Between Management and Employees and Measures to Generate Empathy

In October 2021, the D&I Promotion Office, a dedicated organization established to promote D&I, was newly established. It is under the direct control of the CEO and is currently operating with four members.
The main players in the promotion of D&I are the volunteer WGs. The D&I Promotion Office supports WG members in planning and taking action and are engaged in unique activities in four areas of External Engagement(external communication),Employee Engagement(company-wide involvement measures),Strategic Program(Equity: Activities to correct imbalances),and Operations (hosting award ceremonies and reporting to management).

We believe that there are two “keys to success” in promoting D&I.
The first is commitment of the executives and employees. The D&I Promotion Office is neither on the management side nor on the employee side, but it is necessary to have both perspectives and act as a bridge between them.
The second is listening to voices from the perspective of employees. While the company needs to create a good working environment and put together good programs, it is the employees on the front lines who make D&I their own and create an environment that is easy to work in. And empathy is born precisely because it is employee-driven. When employees take ownership and lead, other employees can empathize.
We feel that the key to success in promoting D&I is to listen carefully to what employees have to say and to reflect management perspectives in their activities.

No Correct Answer for Promoting D&I. As a Leader of the Promotion Office, I want to Continue to “Be a Person who Listens”

What we value most in D&I promotion is to “keep on being the person that listens.” In my role as a mediator between management and employees, I want to continue to be someone that people talk to and consult with.
However, people aren’t suddenly ready to share their stories just by asking them to do so. The important thing is to create an environment where people feel free to share on their own. I think that creating a place where conversation flows, where the leader takes it upon themselves to make an easy-to-chat atmosphere, will lead to a relationship where people talk.

There is no correct answer for promoting D&I. I believe that each organization has a different ideal, and effective measures will also differ. With this understanding, I want to strive to accumulate small successes and turn these successes into something positive for the organization. In aiming to do so, I feel that it is extremely important to be a promotion office open to feedback—and of course, to be a leader that can take feedback.

Related Information

• Ridgelinez Inc. | Diversity & Inclusion (in Japanese)
• FUJITSU Family Association (in Japanese)