Diversity &

Inclusion
Dr. Tanuja Sharma, PhD-FMS (Delhi University)
Professor
Human Resource Management
Management Development Institute (MDI) (
http://www.mdi.ac.in)
Mehrauli Road, Sukhrali,  Gurgaon 122001, INDIA
Fax: +91-124-2341147
Phone: +91-124-4560304
Mobile: 9910841987
Email: tanujasharma@mdi.ac.in
 
Questions for Diversity & inclusion in India
• For class discussion:
We need Critical and Creative Thinking on;
• Diversity-is India ready for these initiatives???
• A gendered and Caste based, Patriarchy
• Inclusive policies are many, inclusive actions???
• Diversity-issues and concerns
• Gender-What is personal power? How to develop and use it?
• “Diversity doesn’t compromise excellence. It enhances
excellence.”
• Diversity Matters, examined proprietary data sets for 366
public companies across a range of industries in Canada,
Latin America, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In this research they looked at metrics such as financial
results and the composition of top management and
boards.1The findings were clear:
• Diversity has been shown to impact every facet of an
organization.
 Diversity-a noun- a range of different
things
• Workplace diversity refers to the variety of differences between
people in an organization. Diversity encompasses race, gender, ethnic
group, age, personality, cognitive style, tenure, organizational
function, education, background and more.
• A Forbes study attributes workforce diversity and inclusion as a key
driver of business growth and internal innovation.
• A diversity index is a quantitative measure that reflects how many
different types there are in a dataset and that can simultaneously take
into account the phylogenetic relations among the individuals
distributed among those types, such as richness, divergence or
evenness. 
Mckinsey report of January 2015
New research makes it increasingly clear that companies with more diverse workforces perform better
financially.
• Deloitte study reports how diverse companies had 2.3 times higher
cash flow per employee compared to non-diverse companies over a
three year period.
• Deloitte takes diversity to task. The firm realized they had an issue
with the ratio of female to male partners.11 Rather than compulsory
diversity training, they instead created a task force. By monitoring the
careers of women at the company, they were able to address areas
for improvement and presented a business case that made smart
business sense without pointing fingers.
• Diversity is on every recruiter’s mind. 82% of talent acquisition
leaders believe diversity will be the top trend to shape recruiting.8
Companies recognize the social and financial benefits of attracting a
diverse workforce to be a competitive advantage
Achieving greater diversity is not easy.
Women—accounting for an average of just 16 percent of the members
of executive teams in the United States, 12 percent in the United
Kingdom, and 6 percent in Brazil—remain underrepresented at the top
of corporations globally.
The United Kingdom does comparatively better in racial diversity, albeit
at a low level: some 78 percent of UK companies have senior-leadership
teams that fail to reflect the demographic composition of the country’s
labor force and population, compared with 91 percent for Brazil and 97
percent for the United States.
On metrics such as financial results and the
composition of top management and boards.
• Companies across a range of industries in Canada, Latin America, the
United Kingdom, and the United States
• Companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35
percent more likely to have financial returns above their respective
national industry medians.
• Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are 15 percent more
likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry
medians.
• Companies in the bottom quartile both for gender and for ethnicity and
race are statistically less likely to achieve above-average financial returns
than the average companies in the data set (that is, bottom-quartile
companies are lagging rather than merely not leading).
Continued:

• In the United States, there is a linear relationship between

racial and ethnic diversity and better financial performance:
for every 10 percent increase in racial and ethnic diversity on
the senior-executive team, earnings before interest and taxes
(EBIT) rise 0.8 percent.
• Racial and ethnic diversity has a stronger impact on financial
performance in the United States than gender diversity,
perhaps because earlier efforts to increase women’s
representation in the top levels of business have already
yielded positive results.
Continued:
• In the United Kingdom, greater gender diversity on the senior-
executive team corresponded to the highest performance uplift in our
data set: for every 10 percent increase in gender diversity, EBIT rose
by 3.5 percent.
• While certain industries perform better on gender diversity and other
industries on ethnic and racial diversity, no industry or company is in
the top quartile on both dimensions.
• The unequal performance of companies in the same industry and the
same country implies that diversity is a competitive differentiator
shifting market share toward more diverse companies.
 Gender Diversity
Sheryl Sandberg: Book Lean in
• Why we have too few women leaders
• Two contextual issues;
• Organizational space is predominantly masculine.
• Late entry of women, Glass ceiling, disruptions due to child bearing
role.
• Way forward: Only a rigorously enforced quota system would
facilitate the number of women in top jobs breaking the glass
ceiling.
• Mid career support required.
• Women in top Jobs-Debra W Stewart, North Carolina State
University, 1976
• The political thesis
• The biological thesis - Biology is destiny
• The sociological thesis
• The sociological thesis in particular having pronounced political and
biological dimensions.
• In the most extreme form, it posits that men constitute the ruling
class world and are determined to stay in power
• “The oldest and the more rigid class/ class system in existence leads
to years of consolidation leading to archetypal male and female roles
an undeserved legitimacy and seeming permanence” (Stewart),
What is Inclusion?
“Extent to which individuals are allowed to participate and are
enabled to contribute fully”
- Miller, F. A. (1998). Strategic culture change

What is Inclusion?1 “The extent to which employees believe their organizations engage in
efforts to involve all employees in the mission and operation of the
Inclusion means creating an organization with respect to their individual talents”
- Op. cit., Roberson (2006)
environment where everyone feels
welcome and valued. An inclusive “Equality, justice, and full participation at both the group and individual
environment can only be created levels, so that members of different groups not only have equal access
once we are more aware of our to opportunities, decision-making, and positions of power, but they are
actively sought out because of their differences”
unconscious biases, and have
- Holvino, E., Ferdman & Merrill (2004)
learned how to manage them.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion ensures fair treatment and
opportunity for all. It aims to eradicate prejudice and
discrimination on the basis of an individual or group of
individual's protected characteristics1

Source: 1 https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/equality-diversity-and-inclusion/about-edi/what-does-equality-diversity-and-inclusion-mean

Dr. Tanuja Sharma | International Research Symposium, JGBS 14

An Inclusive Workplace

1. Workplaces are in many ways a microcosm of a nation, representing multiple kinds of

people based on race, gender, ethnicity, culture, religion, sexual orientation -- all under one
banner, working towards the same goal.2
2. While demographic diversity may be a visible lead indicator, diversity of thought is seen
as the end game.3
3. A diverse workplace also creates a more agile and resilient workforce. It can offer valuable
perspectives on important issues and can better appeal to a consumer base with a high
number of minorities (Sweeney, 2009).

Source:
2
https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/featurephilia/story/workplace-diversity-and-challenges-in-india-342395-2016-09-21
3
https://web.iima.ac.in/assets/snippets/workingpaperpdf/8631467072015-03-34.pdf 

Dr. Tanuja Sharma | International Research Symposium, JGBS 15

Workplace Inclusion

CREATING INCLUSIVE WORKPLACES Outcomes of Inclusion

Values/Knowledge/Skills Necessary for

Attempts to create inclusive workplaces must Creating Inclusion
consider individual differences, needs, and
perceptions as well as focus on creating
structures, systems, and processes that make
people feel valued and treated equitably.

DRIVERS OF INCLUSION

Merit-based practices and policies, senior

leader behaviors, managers’ behaviors and
work-life balance
- Deloitte Report

Dr. Tanuja Sharma | International Research Symposium, JGBS 16

 01 02 03
Future Research

Themes for Future Research

Leadership style as a driver for inclusion at Organizational strategies to promote diversity

workplace and inclusion

Role of Culture in determining level of inclusion

Driving Inclusion through Communication and
and Cultural challenges in creating inclusive
Addressing Exclusion
workplaces

Identifying collaborators and opportunities in the

How to create a sense of belonging is by
larger ecosystem to promote diversity and
celebrating the uniqueness among individuals
inclusion

How to make inclusive organizations become Gender diversity, Glass ceiling in top leadership,
sustainable ventures Generational diversity

Dr. Tanuja Sharma | International Research Symposium, JGBS 17

 01 02 03
Future Research

Themes for Future Research

Rural integration – Inclusion of rural population Determining values of inclusion and Diversity

What influences diversity and inclusion? What Developing capabilities of persons with
are the fault lines in managing issues around disabilities to better negotiate for their rights,
them? themselves and

Identifying ways to empower PwD to work How to promote inclusiveness when there is a
better crisis in the organization

Ways of acknowledging and benefiting

In what ways could we move beyond the
from our intrinsic ability as Indians to live,
obvious labels such as gender and ability to
interact, and prosper in a diverse
some of the more invisible differences?
community

Dr. Tanuja Sharma | International Research Symposium, JGBS 18

Caste Discrimination
is a Global issue

19
 01 02 03
Caste Discrimination

Discrimination
Conceptual categories in International Human Rights Law

Descent based Discrimination and

Racial Discrimination
Caste discrimination
... any distinction, exclusion, restriction or inability or restricted ability to alter inherited
preference based on race, colour, descent, or status; socially enforced restrictions on marriage
national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or outside the community; private and public
effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, segregation, including in housing and education,
enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of access to public spaces and places of worship,
human rights and fundamental freedoms in the
and public sources of food and water; limitation
political, economic, social, cultural or any other
field of public life.4 of freedom to renounce inherited occupations or
degrading and hazardous work; subjection to
dehumanising discourses of pollution or
- "International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination untouchability; and generalised lack of
(ICERD)". Office of The High Commissioner for Human Rights. Article 1.1 1965 respect for their human dignity and
equality.4
Source: 4 A Global Study for Asian Dalit Research Forum (Avinash Kumar)

Dr. Tanuja Sharma | International Research Symposium, JGBS 20

 01 02 03
Caste Discrimination

UN Sub-Commission Working Papers from 2001 to 2009

Evidence of descent-based discrimination in Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, Pakistan,
besides South Asia and diasporic communities

Africa Affected Communities

• West Africa: Mali; Mauritania; Senegal; Gambia;
Guinea; Guinea Bissau; Ivory Coast; Niger;
Burkina Faso; Cameroon; Ghana; Liberia; Sierra
Leone; Algeria; Nigeria and Chad
• East Africa: Somalia, Ethiopia
• Descent based Slavery: Mali, Niger, Algeria,
Libya, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Yemen4
Source: 4 A Global Study for Asian Dalit Research Forum (Avinash Kumar)
Dr. Tanuja Sharma | International Research Symposium, JGBS
• Wolof, Tukulor, Senufo, Minianka, Dogon,
Songhay, Fulani, Moorish, Tuareg, Bobo, Bwa,
Dan, Serer and most of the Mande-speaking
populations (including the Bambara, Malinke
and Khassonke)
• Midigan, Tumal and Yibir, Chinasha, Hawda,
the Kejo (smiths), the Mano (tanners-potters),
and the Manjo (hunters)
• Sinangouya, Akhdam
Hereditary, endogamous groups that are
assigned specific occupations and governed
by strict hierarchical relationships, purity
and pollution4
21
 01 02 03
Caste Discrimination

UN Sub-Commission Working Papers from 2001 to 2009

Evidence of descent-based discrimination in Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, Pakistan,
Burkina Faso and Micronesia, besides South Asia and diasporic communities

Asia South America, Europe

• Japan: Burakumin (In a high profile case in 1998, • Brazil: Quilombo, presumed black ancestry
according to Buraku civil rights groups, over seven • Europe: Roma (mostly in Eastern Europe but
hundred companies were discovered to have hired
private investigators to unearth job applicants’ Buraku now also in much of the Europe)4
origins, ethnic background, nationality, ideology,
religion, and political affiliation. After factoring in each
characteristic, an applicant was ranked from
“excellent” to “advisable not to hire.” However, a
person discovered to be of Buraku origin was not rated
and consequently not hired)
• Korea: Baekjeong4

Source: 4 A Global Study for Asian Dalit Research Forum (Avinash Kumar)

Dr. Tanuja Sharma | International Research Symposium, JGBS 22

Indian workforce,
Challenges and Examples

23
 01 02 03
Indian Workforce

What’s the situation in India?

India’s Population: ~1.37 Billion Unemployment Rate (June’21): 12.66%6

Impact of Covid-19
wave 1
Impact of
% Share of Population5 Covid-19 wave 2
April’20: 23.5%

June’21: 12.7%
Rest
34%
OBC
41% Overall Unemployment Rate in FY 2011-12: 5.6% 7

Unemployment Rate7
8.00% 7.30%
6.00% 5.30% 5.60%
4.80%
4.00%
ST
9%
2.00%
SC 0.00%
17% OBC SC ST Rest
As per 2011 census Figures for FY 2011-12
Source:
5
NSSO, NIC, Gov Data 24
6
CMIE
7
Hindustan Times
Dr. Tanuja Sharma | International Research Symposium, JGBS
 01 02 03
Indian Workforce

What’s the situation in India?

Total Working Population8 Total Female Workforce9 Total Disabled Workforce10

~630 Mn ~130 Mn ~3.4 Mn

46.3% 20.3% 0.5%

Of total population Of working population Of working population
CEIC Data as of 2020 World Bank Data as of 2019 Gov Data as of 2019
Source:
8
CEIC Data
9
World Bank Data
10
Economic Times
Dr. Tanuja Sharma | International Research Symposium, JGBS 25
 01 02 03
Challenges in India

Challenges in Inclusion in India

Hiring solely “for the The term ‘diversity’ Firmly deep-rooted Difficulty in Skewed gender mix
numbers” may itself is often taken stereotypes and communication can starts much earlier.
engender tokenism to mean ‘other’, and beliefs that impact pose a challenge In certain streams
and alienate leads to technical the perceptions and owing to the in the graduate and
marginalized groups solutions for cultural acceptance of the presence of myriad post-graduate
problems other group cultures and programmes,
languages spoken women enrolment is
still low

Dr. Tanuja Sharma | International Research Symposium, JGBS 26

 01 02 03
Indian Scenario

MNC’s in India
Large multinational companies with expanding operations in India have been keen to explore how to apply and adapt their global
diversity principles to their local businesses and teams in India. Large Indian companies are turning their attention to this topic too.
Keen to compete on the global stage, and exposed to global practices, leading local organizations are being forced to up their game when it
comes to embracing different perspectives and harnessing the contribution of all to drive business success. At the same time, complex and
changing dynamics in India itself, such as large rural to urban migration and the growth and influence of the younger generation
(India has the largest Gen Y population in the world), are providing impetus for Indian companies to put diversity and inclusion on the
corporate agenda.11

RIDE at Accenture helps in creating a safe workplace where professional conduct and respect for our LGBT employees is the norm and is a
key part of their I&D agenda. Professional development programs including LGBT Leaders Learning, Hues of the Rainbow and mentorship
keeping in mind the Indian cultural and work context. Inclusive policies and equal benefits, including up to 100% coverage for gender
reassignment surgery under the Accenture Mediclaim benefits. Providing all gender restrooms across all facilities. LGBT inclusion awareness
through our LGBT Ally Network Council India, and a global Ally program with more than 118,000 members and growing. 12

Unconscious Bias Training is one of the ways. Through leadership connect with real life scenario and people
managers being continually coached and trained on how to lead and manage a diverse team. 12

Source:
11
https://www.ripublication.com/ijhrdm17/ijhrdmv7n1_03.pdf
12
Deloitte Report
Dr. Tanuja Sharma | International Research Symposium, JGBS 27
 VIDEO TI
ME
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDgLQN2bdtw
 01 02 03
Indian Scenario

Some more examples (indicative only)

ICICI Bank has set up the ICICI Manipal Probationary Officer Programme. This provides such students training in the
soft skills necessary to better assimilate into a workforce that also contains employees from more privileged
backgrounds. These kinds of training initiatives aim to build confidence and fill the lacuna created by an imperfect
education system.

Tata Group and its subsidiaries have also taken many strides in this space. Their Tata Affirmative Action Program (TAAP)
focuses on practices like positive discrimination (preference being given to minority candidates over regular candidates
when their qualifications and performance in the selection process are on par), awarding scholarships for meritorious
students, as well as partnering with vendors from marginalized communities.

One of the winners of their TAAP Jury award, TRL Krosaki, has also promoted entrepreneurial initiatives within the
community through vocational skill development in skills like sewing. Such know-how encourages disadvantaged
individuals to earn their own livelihood.13

Source:
13
https://indiversecompany.com/diversity-and-inclusion-in-action-an-indian-perspective/

Dr. Tanuja Sharma | International Research Symposium, JGBS 29

Education needs a relook
The big reason for this under-representation is that the education system is biased against Dalits. “Evidence of caste-
based discrimination in institutions of higher learning is quite rampant and shows the depth of anti-Dalit sentiment in
education,” says Surinder Singh Jodhka, professor of social sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University.

“Restricted access to education means that there is less opportunity for individuals from backward castes to develop the
skills needed in many private sector jobs.

In addition, interviews are used as the main selection method, which requires the candidate to have excellent
communication skills and a good level of confidence. I feel that this type of selection method advantages those with
higher education levels,” says Martha Desmond, chief human resources officer, Apollo Tyres. 14

Source:
14
https://www.fortuneindia.com/ideas/caste-why-its-still-an-issue-for-india-inc-/100264

Dr. Tanuja Sharma | International Research Symposium, JGBS 30

In conclusion
As documented in the book, ’The crises within’, by GN Devy, Padmashree, a scholar of
repute and a doyen of indigenous culture and knowledge and a linguist who has chronicled a
comprehensive documentation of all living Indian languages , “ In 2017, nearly one in every
six human beings are a young Indian for whom meaningful education is of critical
importance. In addition to the employability, it will also lead to the widening of our
collective imagination and shaping of the way we think-so an important concern of
our times. For inclusive organization.”15
If knowledge is the core of education and if education lays the very foundation of a nation, the
nation needs to reflect on the plight to which these have been reduced.
We need to address it without any delay. Especially in the age of technology, rapidly sinking
fortunes of Natural memory and knowledge effected through 3 fold exclusions – Linguistic,
Ethnic and Epistemic.

Source:
15
The Crisis Within: On Knowledge and Education in India (Book by G N Devy)

Dr. Tanuja Sharma | International Research Symposium, JGBS 31

Diversity & inclusion
• Way Forward; “A shift in mindset”
• Reorganization of Roles and Responsibility needs a shift in the way
‘Patriarchal Society’ functions-needs decision making powers to be
shared equally by both women and men, at work place and at
home.
 In Broken Images - Robert Graves

He is quick, thinking in clear images; 

I am slow, thinking in broken images.

He becomes dull, trusting to his clear images; 

I become sharp, mistrusting my broken images,

Trusting his images, he assumes their relevance; 

Mistrusting my images, I question their relevance.

Assuming their relevance, he assumes the fact, 

Questioning their relevance, I question the fact.

When the fact fails him, he questions his senses; 

When the fact fails me, I approve my senses.

He continues quick and dull in his clear images; 

I continue slow and sharp in my broken images.

He in a new confusion of his understanding; 

I in a new understanding of my confusion.

33
 ‘Change is Pain’--A poem by Hermann Hesse

Pain is a humbling master,

a wild fire burning through our life which we no longer recognize as ours,

a wall of flames surrounding and separating us.  

Wisdom and love become shrunken,

solace and hope grow thin and vanish.

But pain embraces us with passion.  

We waste away to become essence.

Our earthly form withers and twists, our ego flusters and fights the flames

then sinks still into ashes and surrenders to its master.

Resources
1. https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/equality-diversity-and-inclusion/about-edi/what-does-equality-diversity-and-inclusion-mean
2. https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/featurephilia/story/workplace-diversity-and-challenges-in-india-342395-2016-09-21
3. https://web.iima.ac.in/assets/snippets/workingpaperpdf/8631467072015-03-34.pdf 
4. Avinash Kumar, Ph.D. (Modern Indian History from JNU). Charles Wallace Post-doctoral Fellow at School of Oriental and African Studies,
London University. Ex RD Amnesty International, India
5. Data from National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), NIC, Indian Government
6. https://unemploymentinindia.cmie.com/
7. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/scheduled-castes-among-worst-sufferers-of-india-s-job-problem/story-
Qh0hyHy9UUTg1cIOpi5l2K.html
8. https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/india/labour-force-participation-rate
9. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS?locations=IN
10. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/jobs/india-inc-has-long-way-to-go-in-employing-disabled-people/articleshow/72449585.cms?
from=mdr
11. https://www.ripublication.com/ijhrdm17/ijhrdmv7n1_03.pdf
12. Deloitte Report
13. https://indiversecompany.com/diversity-and-inclusion-in-action-an-indian-perspective/
14. https://www.fortuneindia.com/ideas/caste-why-its-still-an-issue-for-india-inc-/100264
15. The Crisis Within: On Knowledge and Education in India (Book by G N Devy)
16. Inclusive Workplaces: Lessons from Theory and Practice (Vikalpa)
17. The Case for an Inclusive Workplace: Beyond Rhetoric and Rote Policy (Jacqueline A. Gilbert, Jacqueline N. Hood)

Dr. Tanuja Sharma | International Research Symposium, JGBS 35