How project management training can sustain diversity in global businesses

Summary

The key to ensuring sustainability in your business’ diversity strategies is in your framework. Your framework must be sustainable enough to develop the way that it approaches the core values of diversity and inclusion. 

Diversity is not an overnight goal that can be ticked off a checklist. It requires a concerted effort from all key stakeholders of a business to make these values a central part of business activity. 

Training is one way through which diversity can not only be upheld but developed into inclusion, innovation, and a celebration of your unique team.

Providing training for key, value-added business functions such as project management unlocks a host of opportunities. Project management drives a majority of higher value-added activities in any business. Training ensures that your diverse teams are in sync, respectful, and supportive of the different insights and perspectives that are brought forward.

This will, in turn, drive your business forward in diversity and inclusion goals, innovation, sustainability, transparency, and your ability to respond to the demands of the global business landscape. 

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There is no doubt that the world has changed dramatically in recent years in a host of different ways. 

Technology is one thing that has altered our lives and provided us with a platform and voice in almost every corner of the world. This means that we know and understand more about the world, and each other, no matter where or who we are. It has also accelerated globalisation at an unprecedented rate. 

A culmination of all these things, alongside a rising awareness among younger generations, has led to the careful dissection of a business’ priorities. This is not just on a corporate, environmental, or even a broader ethical frame. It extends to the core of what a business stands for in terms of who is in their team and who they want on their team.

The terms that are used in these conversations range from a global mindset, diversity, equity, inclusion, to multiculturalism and innovation.

It has come to represent more than simply what a business claims are its priorities, values, and outward-facing persona. It now has more to do with what decisions are being made, who is considered in these decisions, the people who are present in the room in which these decisions were made, and the investments a business is making to follow through on their promises. 

While diversity and inclusion have been rising priorities for many years now, it has reached a fever pitch in the post-COVID-19 world, when the inequity that was rife within many business structures came to light as a result of the crisis.

Sustaining diversity in global business

With many business ventures and CSR initiatives, concerns arise over how genuine a business is with its motivations. 

In order for a business to be diverse in the most transparent way possible, it must be about more than just meeting a quota or saying the right thing. 

It must acknowledge the fact that diversity and inclusion are not overnight priorities but something that must seep into every part of a business.

Diversity is easy to sustain as long as it is implemented with genuine and strategic care. Diversity aims to reflect the real world inside a business structure. Although in a globalised world this may include a learning curve to ensure cultural sensitivity, it prepares a business for a future that is already underway. 

This means that the key priority, when it comes to diversity and inclusion strategies, is forming a sustainable business framework that places these values at its core. 

The significance of project management training for diversity 

Project management is one key function in which team members from all over your organisation come together. 

It is already the perfect platform through which collaboration is encouraged and higher value is driven across the board.

Once diversity and inclusion have become a cornerstone of your business and your hiring process, operations must be underway to ensure that your business is carrying through on this commitment. This involves implementing the right processes to make sure diversity goes beyond meeting quotas and checking boxes. 

Training drives up the value of the function and the skills of your team members, and it is a key way through which a business can prioritise sustainable growth and consistent values. It is also a method through which a business that has already ensured diversity, can also develop inclusion.  

This is an ongoing problem that has come to light through recent surveys. 1,725 employees across a number of multinational companies participated in a survey that revealed that while nine out of ten employees believed their company was diverse, three out of ten said they lack a sense of belonging and inclusion. 

High-quality project management training can combat this. 

Research has found that more diverse project teams are more creative, innovative, have more insight, meet higher quality standards, and support more competitive businesses. If project management training is diverse and inclusive in the values it brings to your teams, you will not only benefit from a more skilled workforce but a workforce that can tap into their diverse skills to drive further innovation for a global marketplace. 

If your project management teams are more diverse, the value of your projects will be driven up. 

Another key role project management training plays in maintaining diversity is ensuring that each of your employees has an equal opportunity for growth and development. 

It also makes sure that older team members are still updated with the rest of your processes and the wave of technology that has swept across every industry. 

Invest in project management training today and prepare for the future of business

Whether your company is currently leveraging project management consulting to achieve diversity or have set its sights on training to develop your diverse workforce, there is no doubt that we must all be moving towards these values. 

Ensure that your business is ready to meet the demands of the contemporary landscape by investing in a sustainable business model that places diversity and inclusion at its core.