Diversity and Inclusion in the Asia-Pacific – How?

Speaker(s): Duncan Smith

Description: Monday November 18 Content will include: · Deeper dive into solutions · Resources to help understand and position your work · Use the Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks as a framework · Activities o Approaches to D&I – yours and your organisation’s o Organisational Assessment – where are you in relation to best practice, and where do you most need to focus · Present trends in the region; solutions and benchmarks as well as data · Broader topic: Global approaches to Diversity · Show data and share resources Description Working successfully with Diversity & Inclusion today means navigating complex dynamics between national cultures and between those cultures and our organisation’s culture, all while taking into account the impacts of our own personal culture and values. The good news is that there are ways to approach D&I that work across all cultures and sectors – methods that allow us to understand the impacts of our own approaches on ourselves and others and increases our ability to work effectively in this space. Over two sessions, we will address the three essential question of doing D&I work around the Asia-Pacific region and around the world: Why do it? What is the work? And How to be effective in practice. In this second session, we will use the Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks: Standards for Organizations Around the World (GDIB) as a tool to help you both assess and plan for effective D&I work in your organisation. The GDIB is research-based and practical; it tells us what works. Agreed upon by 95 experts from around the world and 2 authors, the GDIB’s 266 benchmarks encompass fourteen categories. Offered by the non-profit Centre for Global Inclusion at no cost to the user, the practical steps and incremental nature of the GDIB provides a clear sense of where you are and where you want to be. During the session participants will identify their own and their organisation’s approach to D&I, and assess both where their organisation is in relation to best practice, and where they most need to focus. The GDIB assessment will be augmented and enhanced by examples from Duncan Smith’s thirty year Global career in D&I.

Bio of Speaker: Bio: Duncan Smith is regarded internationally as one of the Asia-Pacific region’s most experienced Diversity and Inclusion practitioners. With thirty years of experience with corporations and governments in Australia, the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region, Duncan is known for his ability to work with individuals, groups, and organizations to link D&I initiatives with core performance issues: developing more effective leaders, responding to globalization, increasing team performance and productivity, attracting and retaining top talent, enhancing creativity, innovation, and problem solving capabilities, and improving service delivery. As a consultant, manager, and executive educator, Duncan has worked with numerous multi-national companies, national and state governments, and universities. He is a member of the Expert Panel for the Global Inclusion and Diversity Benchmarks, a mentor for the Inclusion Allies Coalition, and in 2018 released the book Foundations of Diversity.