Awareness of the critical importance of diversity and inclusion (D&I) is moving higher in people’s values and expectations of the workplace in a range of cultures and countries worldwide.
Lenovo recently conducted a global survey of 5 000 people in five countries – China, the US, the UK, Germany and Brazil – of varied age, race and cultural backgrounds.
Globally, respondents said that technology positively advances D&I and brings the world closer together.
They placed D&I just below issues such as employment, healthcare and education, indicating a major shift in values: D&I is seen more as an opportunity to build community and less the achieving of metrics alone.
“This escalating appreciation of D&I demonstrates a fundamental shift in people’s values, and it’s even more important to consider now with the pursuit of new, emerging technologies like augmented reality/virtual reality, 5G, and artificial intelligence, which demands diverse, creative, and inclusive mindsets,” says Yang Yuanqing, CEO of Lenovo.
“The imperative for diversity in our business and all businesses has never been clearer.”
Respondents to Lenovo’s global survey report that the technology sector can do better for advancing D&I when compared with others. They believe that, with technology’s ability to encourage diverse opinions and participation from all segments of the world’s citizens, tremendous opportunity exists to make a difference in all aspects of D&I.