GSMA launches project to map people and culture experiences across the mobile industry<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Lara Dewar, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) has recently become politicised and disconnected from its intent; to provide equality of opportunity and to create an inclusive environment where people can thrive. Unfortunately, politicising it acts as a sort of smokescreen moving the conversation from substance to rhetoric. In my view, it means we miss the point. Inclusive business is not simply a moral imperative, it\u2019s a business imperative, with meaningful benefits to the bottom line \u2013 at least if you believe the business consultancies who are lauded and paid big bucks for their business intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Multinational business consultancy McKinsey – famous for having competitive hiring practices – released analysis in 2023, that states there is significant opportunity to drive economic growth through increasing gender diversity. It showed that narrowing the gender gap by 2025 could have added $12 trillion to the global GDP[1]<\/sup><\/a> – now a missed opportunity. Further, gender diverse companies are 25% more likely to financially outperform competitors, and this goes up to 36% for ethnically diverse companies.[2]<\/sup><\/a> The impact on individual motivation is also clear – people on diverse teams who feel a sense of belonging are 50% more productive, according to Boston Consulting Group \u2013 another of the \u2018big 3\u2019. [3]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Promoting a diverse culture helps companies attract, and retain, the best talent, because that talent is (self-evidently) spread across all demographic groups. According to the BCG survey, 74% of respondents stated that they factor an organisation\u2019s DE&I approach into their choice to join or stay working within it. For our industry, at this critical moment; why would we want to limit our resource selection to only \u2018parts\u2019 of the population?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Put simply, more representative businesses are more successful businesses. That\u2019s why our industry must stand by the principles that underpin our people and culture programmes and continue to pursue best practice on representation and inclusivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the GSMA, we have a unique perspective to lend to this; at the centre of the mobile industry, and with unmatched convening power, we bring hundreds of thousands of technology leaders together every year. Through our Diversity4Tech programme, and across our global events series, we demonstrate the value that diversity brings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Embedding the right principles matters more now than ever. It is clear that AI is set to drive enormous change in business and society. That is hugely exciting, but we need to make sure that AI is built on the right foundation. I believe it is our responsibility to ensure that existing biases \u2013 the same ones that ensure the tech sector still has only a 22% female workforce – are not carried over into this new era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why we have kicked off the GSMA Voice Initiative, a survey we’re running throughout the year, in partnership with inclusio<\/a>, to capture people and culture insights from among GSMA members. This will allow us to paint a full picture of the state of diversity, equity and inclusion within our rapidly evolving industry and inform our action plan. I would encourage you all to look out for our survey kiosks, on the GSMA Pavilion at MWC25 Barcelona and elsewhere, and be open with your experiences. Together, I\u2019m convinced we can forge an industry that represents the best of human potential, for the benefit of individuals, industry and society. And importantly, for the bottom line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n [1]<\/a> https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/featured-insights\/diversity-and-inclusion\/women-in-the-workplace-2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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