A Case for Diversity
In The Project Economy, organizations recognize they need teams with a full breadth of perspectives and skills. And that requires true diversity—be it of gender, age, race, experience, sexual orientation, thought, nationality or culture. According to Pulse of the Profession® research conducted for this report, 88 percent of project professionals say having diverse project teams increases value.
Yet large gaps remain between organizations’ stated interest in advancing diversity and the extent to which they’re actually achieving it: Just 33 percent of respondents say their organization has a culturally diverse senior leadership team. And nearly 60 percent are in organizations without a single female in the C-suite.
Companies that do commit—and invest in—diversity and inclusion see better project outcomes. Organizations that offer or sponsor gender-based programming are more often associated with high performance (63 percent versus 36 percent). And culturally diverse leadership is also associated with higher organizational performance (85 percent versus 61 percent).
Almost three-quarters of respondents say they believe their organization will make diversity more of a priority over the next 10 years. The ROI? Truly innovative, collaborative and future-ready project teams that deliver powerful outcomes.