Article 3
Diversity & Inclusion: Beyond the Glass Ceiling
HR practices and policies that aim for inclusion of minorities in businesses are as necessary as ever, but risk favoring some types of discrimination at the expense of others. The current economic situation, that sees very strong inflation eroding the purchasing power of workers, can stimulate a new vision of the theme of inclusion in the labor market. When speaking of Diversity & Inclusion, still today the discussion implicitly and prevalently addresses the development of workers who represent minorities in businesses. Implicitly means that all of those who are interested in and lend their voices ...
When a Woman is in Power
The debate that has followed the election of Giorgia Meloni as prime minister – the first woman to hold this position in the history of the Italian Republic – has shown that women’s access to power and public spaces is still marked by negative comments that do not regard a person’s actions but her identity. This dynamic is widespread in other countries as well: some studies have in fact stressed that women candidates in politics, more than men, are involved in discussions that regard their character and personality rather than their political programs, and are attacked more frequently ...
Persons with Disabilities and Work: Beyond Barriers
The process of placing persons with disabilities into three very different organizations – e-work, Google Italia, and Banca Intesa Sanpaolo – was at the center of a broader study sponsored by Accenture and conducted by the Diversity, Inclusion & Smart Working Observatory of SDA Bocconi. The cases analyzed show that the organizational effort made by the three companies was very variable, and depended on various organizational factors, including the capital of experience accumulated on the subject of “diversity and inclusion,” the type of person with disability included, and the role played ...
When the Context Changes
In a general context that is closed or hostile to the theme of diversity and inclusion, organizations could face an uphill climb, and it could become treacherous and counterproductive to point out progress in this field, especially if the organizations operate locally. At the same time, the history of diversity management reminds us that there have been organizations that have given benefits and opportunities to their employees, going beyond the context in which they operated. The most virtuous organizations could thus use their freedom of action to construct an open and inclusive work environment, ...
South Working: The New Frontier of Smart Working in Italy
South working represents a new way of thinking about work beyond the health emergency. This model, in addition to guaranteeing workers an adequate balance between private and professional life, has the merit of restoring social and economic value to local areas that are very often marginalized. Finding a job consistent with one’s academic degree and building a career by working in the South seemed to be a remote and unlikely possibility until just a few years ago. The health emergency and the recourse to smart working have offered many workers the opportunity to leave the large cities of ...
LGBTQI+ Pride Month: The Importance of Words, Identification, and Inclusion
Historically, LGBTQI+ pride month is dedicated to remembering the people who launched the battle for the right to be recognized as “subjects.” However, the road to equality is still very long. This is demonstrated by the inappropriate use, including in important media outlets, of terms such as “sexual choices” and “marriage,” but also the reticence to use the words “homosexual” and/or “gay.” On the occasion of LGBTQI+ pride month, we want to stress the importance of certain themes: the use of words, identification, and inclusion. The Stonewall revolt in New York in June ...
Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities: Yes, There are Inefficiencies, but the First Obstacle Is Cultural
The Court of Auditors recently exposed inefficiencies in the management of the Fund for the right to work of disabled persons, an instrument established more than twenty years ago to favor their employment. While it is true that inefficiencies emerge on the part of the state, on the other hand, organizations that want to include people with disabilities can already do so, addressing first of all stereotypes and prejudices, the first true obstacles to inclusion. In a resolution of May 11, 2022,[1] the Italian Court of Auditors provided a detailed picture of the management of the Fund for the right ...
The Contradictions of Inclusive Leadership: The Case of Elisabetta Franchi
In addition to reaching business goals, leaders should have a moral obligation toward the community they serve. Thus their words can never be spoken by chance, nor can they be considered a gaffe to be corrected the next day. Emblematic from this standpoint is the speech given on May 4 by Elisabetta Franchi, a successful entrepreneur and Knight of the Republic. In the collective imagination, women are expected to play a “feminine” role, based on values and conduct of listening, empathy, and inclusion, and thus consistent with the category to which they belong. This viewpoint is reflected ...
Workplace Discrimination Is Still in Fashion
According to the latest survey by ISTAT on LGBT+ individuals in work environments, almost 3 out of 10 state that being homosexual or bisexual has represented a disadvantage during the course of their work career. The report also indicates that phenomena such as discrimination are underestimated in work environments, where the issue of inclusion is secondary, where attitudes and behavior of aggression or micro-aggression are not socially punished, and where a culture open to diversity is lacking. The Italian statistics agency Istat recently published a document that presents the results of a ...
Is Women’s Leadership Only Inclusive?
When we speak of women leaders, the collective portrayal refers to a style of management that is collaborative, empathetic, sensitive, gentle, inclined to listen to their associates; thus women are able to make correct and fair choices. Yet what to say about those women who have used power coercively and without taking responsibility for the community they have served? Achieving power and being a leader in current society thus implies a path of awareness that allows for interiorizing an identity of leadership that is authentic, responsible, and respectful of those values, styles, and models ...