See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/301754788

Workforce Diversity at Accenture: A key to Corporate Success

Chapter · January 2013

CITATION READS
1 5,233

2 authors:

Selvam Jesiah Uma Lakshmi Kalakada

Sri Ramachandra University Alliance University
30 PUBLICATIONS   21 CITATIONS    13 PUBLICATIONS   4 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Corporate Governance in SMEs and Environmental Concerns View project

Public Policy View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Selvam Jesiah on 16 September 2020.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

1. Author Name: Dr. Jesiah Selvam

Affiliation: Professor and Dean

Department of Management Studies
Francis Xavier Engineering College
(Affiliated to Anna University & Approved by AICTE)
Vannarpettai, Tirunelveli-627 003
Tamil Nadu, India
Phone: 0462 2502283, 2502157(Ext.219)
Mobile: +91 09443677931
email: sjesiah@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.francisxavier.ac.in
2. Co-author Name: Mrs.Uma Lakshmi.K*
Affiliation: Assistant Professor
Indian Academy school of Management Studies
(Affiliated to Bangalore University & Approved by AICTE)
Hennur Cross, Kalyan Nagar
Bangalore – 560043, Karnataka, India
Phone: +91 80 22022943
Mobile: +91 09945060192
Email: umalakshmi.k@gmail.com
Website: http://iasms.in
*Research Scholar pursuing Ph.D.(Management) in Rayalaseema University, Kurnool,
Andhra Pradesh, India

Page 1
 Workforce Diversity at Accenture: A key to Corporate Success

Executive Summary:

The case examines the adjustment of organizational composition by forming heterogeneous groups

leading to better organizational performance as in the case of Accenture. Accenture is a global

management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, maintaining facilities in

fifty two countries with a strength of 2,23,000 employees. They have clients in 120 countries with

broad spectrum of services and are striving to serve the clients become or remain high-performance

businesses and governments. Diverse employees are appreciated by diverse clients, among others

and Accenture considers diversity as a key element in the economically challenging environment

for corporate success. Diversity operates in an organization with individuals bringing in their

distinct features and having diverse interactions with colleagues resulting in individual career

outcome and organizational effectiveness. The challenge lies in bringing out synergy by dealing

with both differences and similarities of the workforce simultaneously. The diversity management

practices at Accenture include a comprehensive orientation programme to promote diversity

awareness, Accenture Diversity Council, diversity advisory forum for next generation leaders to

drive the initiatives forward, employee resource groups etc. which unite them with common values

and commitment. Accenture’s success in diversity comes from deliberate, long-term planning with

an integrated approach, and commitment both from the top and from within the organization.

Keywords: Workforce Diversity, Accenture, Heterogeneous, Innovation, High Performance

Page 2
 Workforce Diversity at Accenture: A Key to Corporate
Success
Introduction

“In this challenging economic environment we realize that the war for talent continues,” says

LaMae Allen deJongh, managing director of U.S. human capital and diversity for Accenture.

Diverse employees are appreciated by diverse clients, among others, and “These assets have legs

and can walk out the door anytime!” That’s one reason why the company wants to attract and

retain diversity, and give high priority to its employees, and their work-life environments.

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has been named to the DiversityInc list of Top 50 Companies for

Diversity for the fifth consecutive year, appearing at No. 23 on the ranking.(source: Justmeans.com

/ CSR News - NEW YORK; March 18, 2011 ). DiversityInc, the leading publication on diversity

and business, annually recognizes companies that exemplify meaningful diversity management

through their corporate practice. To qualify for the DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity

list, participating companies must have more than 1,000 employees and must fill out a detailed

questionnaire. Instrumental factors include companies’ policies, diversity programs and initiatives

and workforce demographics. According to DiversityInc, Accenture has demonstrated strength in

the four areas measured: CEO Commitment, Human Capital, Corporate and Organizational

Communications and Supplier Diversity.

Learning Objectives:

 Why Workforce Diversity is critical to the survival and success of Multi National

Corporations?

 How the challenges arising out of Workforce Diversity are managed so as to generate Synergy?

Page 3
Criticality of Workforce Diversity in an MNC

The rise of multinational companies and increased global diversification have resulted in people

of diverse backgrounds and cultures working together for the same organization. Workforce

diversity (both men and women, people of many generations, people from ethnically and racially

diverse backgrounds etc.) in a global marketplace helps a company to understand better the

demographics of the marketplace it serves and is thus better equipped to thrive in that marketplace

than a company that has a more limited range of employee demographics and also can improve

employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention. Diversity brings substantial potential benefits

such as better decision making and improved problem solving, greater creativity and innovation,

which leads to enhanced product development, and more successful marketing to different types

of customers. The act of recognizing diversity allows for those employees with talents to feel

needed and have a sense of belonging, which in turn increases their commitment to the company

and allows each of them to contribute in a unique way.

Managing Challenges in Workforce Diversity

In the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, C.L. Walck defines managing diversity in the

workplace as "Negotiating interaction across culturally diverse groups, and contriving to get along

in an environment characterized by cultural diversity". Diversity is not only about preventing

unfair discrimination and improving equality, but also about valuing differences and inclusion,

spanning such areas as ethnicity, age, race, culture, sexual orientation, physical disability, and

religious belief. Scott Page’s (2007) mathematical modeling research of team work reflects that

heterogeneous teams consistently out-performed homogeneous teams on a variety of tasks. Page

points out that diversity in teamwork is not so simple. Conflict in such situations is inevitable, but

Page 4
can be kept at a minimum to take full advantage of the many benefits which such diversity brings

to an organization. Diverse organizations will be successful as long as there is a sufficient amount

of communication within them. Managing diversity is more than simply acknowledging

differences in people. The dangers of discrimination because of cultural bias and the threat of

assimilation into the dominant organizational culture have serious negative consequences for

individuals in organizations and the organizations themselves. Those who assimilate are denied

the ability to express their genuine selves and they spend significant amounts of energy coping

with an alien environment have less energy left to do their job which decreases the productivity of

organizations.

Managing diversity goes far beyond the limits of equal employment opportunity and affirmative

action. The key to managing a diverse workforce is increasing individual awareness of and

sensitivity to differences of race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, physical ability, and age.

Organizations must acknowledge specialized skills necessary for creating a productive, diverse

workforce, facilitate diversity education and provide leadership support so as to sustain the

corporate culture of diversity and inclusion.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with

more than 223,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled

experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive

research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help

them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net

revenues of US$21.6 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2010.

Page 5
History

Continuous innovation and rapid transformation have been themes throughout Accenture's history,

which the company traces to the 1950s with the installation of the first computer system for

commercial use in the United States at General Electric’s Appliance Park facility. The company’s

history has been more than 60 years in the making—as a pioneer in the new world of information

technology in the 1950s to its position today as a Fortune Global 500 industry leader. The company

led the deployment of enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management and

electronic services; and has established itself as a leader in today's global marketplace. Initially

called Andersen Consulting, Accenture was formally established in 1989 when a group of partners

from the Consulting division of the various Arthur Andersen firms formed a new organization

focused on consulting and technology services related to managing large-scale systems integration

and enhancing business processes. That same year Accenture formalized Business Integration, its

framework for aligning a client’s people, processes and technology in support of its overall strategy

to enable all components of the client organization to work to enhance business performance.

Accenture has evolved from a systems integrator to a global management consulting and

technology services company, providing the full range of consulting, outsourcing and related

technology services. In April 2001, Accenture’s partners voted overwhelmingly to pursue an initial

public offering, and became a public company on July 19, 2001, when it listed on the New York

Stock Exchange under the symbol ACN.

Mission:

Accenture's mission is to become one of the world's leading companies, bringing innovations to

improve the way the world works and lives.

Page 6
 The six values form the backbone of how Accenture goes to market.

Client Value Creation - Understand and meet client expectations 100% of the time

One Global Network - Act to enhance the collective values of the global organization while

sustaining local culture

Integrity - Always act with openness and honesty

Stewardship - Think future oriented; act and invest to build a stronger firm for tomorrow

Best People - Are highly competent and make a commitment to excellence, teamwork, and the

success of our clients

Respect for the Individual - Treat each person as we would like to be treated

Accenture's mission is to become one of the world's leading companies, bringing innovations to

improve the way the world works and lives.

Net Revenues: US$21.55 billion for fiscal 2010 (12 mos. ended Aug. 31, 2010)

Exchange/Ticker: NYSE/ACN

Employees: More than 223,000 (including appx. 4,800 senior executives)

Global Reach: Offices and operations in more than 200 cities in 53 countries

Geographic Regions: Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe / Middle East / Africa (EMEA)

Clients: Accenture's clients span the full range of industries around the world and include 94 of

the Fortune Global 100 and more than three-quarters of the Fortune Global 500.

Industry Expertise : Accenture delivers its services and solutions through 19 focused industry

groups in five operating groups. This industry focus provides Accenture’s professionals with a
Page 7
thorough understanding of industry evolution, business issues and applicable technologies,

enabling Accenture to deliver solutions tailored to each client's industry. Operating groups include

communications& high tech(electronics, media & Entertainment), financial services(banking,

capital markets, insurance), Health & Public Service, Products(Air freight, travel, industrial

equipment, Automative Consumer goods & utility services, infrastructure transportation, life

sciences, retail) and Resources(chemicals, energy, natural resources). Services span the range of

Management Consulting, Systems Integration, Technology Consulting, Information Technology

(IT) Outsourcing and Business Process Outsourcing

Corporate Objective: Accenture uses it’s industry and process knowledge, service offering

expertise and deep understanding of emerging technology capabilities to identify new business

and technology trends and develop and implement solutions to help clients around the world.

 Enter New Markets

 Increase revenues in existing markets

 Improve operational performance

 Deliver their products and services more effectively and efficiently.

Diversity as a Strategy @Accenture

Accenture has clients with broad spectrum of services and it is striving to serve the clients become

or remain high-performance businesses and governments. Diverse employees are appreciated by

diverse clients, among others and Accenture considers diversity as a key element in the

economically challenging environment for corporate success. Diversity operates in an organization

with individuals bringing in their distinct features and having diverse interactions with colleagues

resulting in individual career outcome and organizational effectiveness. Diversity ranges from

immutable elements like age, gender, ethnicity to mutable elements like education, experience,
Page 8
technical skills, values, economic position etc. The challenge lies in bringing out synergy by

dealing with both differences and similarities of the workforce simultaneously. Accenture aims at

building and maintaining a global workforce from different backgrounds, with a vast range of

skills and experience which are reflective of communities and clients it deals with—all united by

a common culture and commitment to help clients achieve high performance. Believing in

inclusion and diversity, it is committed to employment equity.

“Diversity is essential to our ability to deliver high performance to clients. Our global workforce

gives clients access to a rich range of talent, representing different styles, perspectives and

experiences. This diversity is a critical strength that we work hard to maintain and foster. It makes

us a better company on every dimension.“- Pierre Nanterme, Chief Executive Officer.

Diversity as a strategy Accenture brings together unique experiences and perspectives of a diverse

workforce to deliver cutting-edge technologies and solutions to the world’s leading companies and

governments including 96 of the Fortune Global 100 and more than three quarters of the Fortune

Global 500. Accenture has employees from ethnic minority groups representing more than 15

percent of the total Accenture population and in the last six years, the proportion of women has

increased by more than 20 percent. Accenture’s commitment to diversity is reflected at the top of

the global organization with a Chief People Officer, who reports directly to the Chairman and

CEO, and is responsible for all diversity initiatives within the company.

Accenture in Diversity Drive & Achieving Synergy

[1] Diversity Councils: Accenture’s diversity council is made up of eight to ten senior leaders and

diversity advisory forums consisting of about twenty next-generation leaders to drive the initiatives

forward. They link up globally via tele-presence technology.

Page 9
[2] Employee Resource Groups: Employee resource groups (ERGs) help employees of accenture

build connections and address issues that are of interest to them personally. These groups, which

may be organized around a common interest, ethnicity, sexual orientation, career path, family

arrangement, faith or religion, focus on an individual’s needs and interests, as well as the needs of

the communities in which we work and live. They aim to foster a means for individuals with similar

backgrounds to network around similar challenges and opportunities; offer professional direction;

support national and local recruiting and retention efforts; support diverse nonprofit organizations

as part of corporate citizenship initiative. Accenture also has employee resource groups focused

on African Americans, American Indians, Hispanic Americans, women, men, LGBT, interfaith,

work/life, military veterans and people with disabilities.

[3]Networks for Success : Seven robust Accenture networks on age, enablement, ethnicity,

gender, parents, religion and belief, and sexual orientation, as well as numerous clubs and

societies, where people can come together, share common interests, get involved and share

experiences.

[4] Diversity Centric Recruitment : In an increasingly multi-polar world, demand for talent is

high driven by competition from emerging economies and the ageing demographics in the

developed world. Workforces in the emerging economies are already four times larger than those

in the West and are expected to be five times larger by 2020. Workforces are increasingly varied,

mobile and demanding. It is critical that for companies to succeed they must fully utilize the people

they already employ, while being able to attract talent from diverse pools for their future

workforces.

Page
10
“We are focused on fully integrating inclusion and diversity across Accenture’s approach to talent

management. It is among our top priorities, no matter what the economic environment, and is

essential to our people, the communities where we live and work and, ultimately, to maximizing

our ability to deliver.” Says LaMae Allen deJongh, managing director of US Human Capital &

Diversity at Accenture.

Exhibit 1: Employment Notification

UK Inclusion and Diversity Recruitment Lead

Accenture

Public Company; ACN; Management Consulting industry

April 2008 – November 2008 (8 months)

This role was an independent Project Management based role aligned to the recruitment function

and the human capital and diversity function.

• Advising the four internal recruitment teams on how to approach diversity holistically and how

to best attract the right calibre candidate while maintaining a focus on mixed backgrounds.

• Deciding which organisations, associations and events we should be attending/sponsoring to

ensure the highest levels of visibility of our recruitment efforts in the market place with a special

focus on diversity.

• Working with the Accenture global team to ensure that the monitoring and reporting efforts re

diversity data are continually improved.

• Representing Accenture in various NGOs, GOs and associations around the issues involved with

diversity and advising of our corporate view on these issues.

Page
11
There are Diversity and Inclusion Leads behind executing the objectives and strategies for

Accenture’s recruitment at all levels and functions. Salary packaging, parental leave, flexible work

arrangements, study leave, annual volunteer day, corporate discount programs, quarterly

community events and structured career development programs are to name just a few to grow.

Thus Accenture provides a platform to build world-class skills and ensure smooth delivery of

service to clients. The presence of a wide range of cultural, academic and geographical

backgrounds is the strength of Accenture

“A visible shift in diversity is taking place in our organization, where differences in elements

such as age, race, ethnicity, gender, and physical attributes meld with the invisible attributes, such

as work experience, sexual orientation, educational background, religious beliefs or

socioeconomic status. Such aspects ultimately drive how people behave in situations and shape an

individual’s “personal” diversity.” -Ismail Amla, UK Human Capital and Diversity Lead,

Accenture.

Accenture leverages local city chapters and college chapters, and also takes a regional and national

approach with them, including their annual career fairs. As a result of Accenture’s innovative

Inclusion and Diversity work over 90 percent of women return to work with Accenture after having

a child and 35% percent of employees say that they are able to work flexibly. The Inclusion &

Diversity networks are growing and form a core part of their business. Over 5,000 Accenture

people celebrated International Women’s Day in 2010; more than 80 percent of employees took

part in our internal Inclusion and Diversity initiatives and there is an established leadership

development course to support those from ethnic minorities. Nine out of ten of employees believe

that Accenture is committed to developing an inclusive and diverse workforce.

Page
12
[5]Diversity Partnerships: Through a broad network, Accenture collaborates with outside

organizations to both share and learn best practices, and it believes that strong relationships with

national diversity and women’s organizations are central to the continued success.

Exhibit 2: Accenture’s collaborations for diversity practices

1 National black MBA Association

2 National Society of Hispanic MBAs

3 Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers

4 Society of Women Engineers

5 National Society of Black Engineers

6 Out and Equal

7 ROMBA

[6]Cross-Cultural Programs : Accenture drives activities that support teaming and learning in

order to work more effectively across cultures. With Accenture people serving clients in more than

120 countries around the world, understanding cultural differences, values and beliefs is essential.

Accenture provides online and classroom training for people at all levels that is aimed at

heightening employees’ awareness of cultural differences. Also offered is a wealth of resources

and robust tools that build awareness and acceptance of the personal styles and values of others.

One such resource is GlobeSmart, which offers 24/7 online access to up-to-date information on

global business effectiveness. Additionally, Accenture people have access to training, such as an

online Building Cross-Cultural Awareness course, which teaches participants how to maximize

value with a multicultural team. Three-day residential Personal Development Programme for

Disabled Staff and training on recruiting people with disabilities. Accenture’s comprehensive

orientation introduces a “strong culture of core values,” and employees have a shared
Page
13
accountability to promote an inclusive and diverse environment, and that starts when they first

come in. Leadership development and management training also focus on diversity issues.

Accenture’s training programs around the globe illustrate the company’s ongoing commitment to

inclusion and diversity. In addition to offering a variety of live and online diversity training

sessions, the company provides customized training and education programs that include

“Developing High Performing Women” and “Minority Leadership Development.” Additionally,

more than 2,500 executives have participated in its “Leading a Diverse Workforce” program since

its inception in 2005, and the company recently launched a new training program, “Developing

Client Centric Women,” to women in multiple locations in South America, Asia Pacific and North

America.

[7] Flexible Work : On an individual level, flexibility is part of what enables Accenture to attract,

retain and engage its diverse population that enables Accenture to effectively compete in the global

marketplace. Accenture encourages a balance between work and personal priorities as a means of

integrating principles of inclusion into practice. This specific work arrangement that is formally

considered “flexible work” may include Part-time, Job sharing, Flex-time,

Telecommuting/working from home, full weekends at home, Extended weekends at home and

extended client/home location Flexible working programme, taken up by 35% of the whole

workforce allows employees to balance their work life and their personal needs and responsibilities

and to pursue alternate career paths.

[8] Accenture Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Network : Ensuring an inclusive

environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees across the globe is a

key and integral part of Accenture’s global inclusion and diversity strategy. Raising awareness and

Page
14
educating all Accenture people about its LGBT community, while simultaneously supporting our

LGBT employees and providing a workplace of equality. Recognizing that individual countries

may have unique laws affecting the LGBT community, they pay particular attention to ensure that

the global policies and practices have their intended effect in all the geographies operating.

Accenture is one of the first to add sexual orientation and gender identity and expression

information to its nondiscrimination policy. Additionally, in 2010, it became one of only nine

companies in the United States to implement Transgender Transition Guidelines that comply with

World Professional Association for Transgender Health standards, and it signed on as a sponsor

of the all-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). On a global basis Accenture

provides cross-border assignment benefits and a global medical plan for long-term assignments

and some transfers, introducing policies, where permitted by law, to ensure the equal treatment of

employees, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition, there are policies and

guidelines to assist transgender employees with their transition in the workplace. In the US,

Accenture received a perfect score of 100 percent on the HRC Foundation's Corporate Equality

Index (CEI). This is the fourth consecutive year that Accenture scored 100 percent and was

recognized as a top employer for LGBT people by this index, which surveys employers’ policies

on diversity, training, health care and domestic partnership benefits, and reports the best companies

for LGBT employees.

[9] Persons with Disabilities: To build awareness and understanding of issues faced by persons

with disabilities, Accenture sponsors networking and information sharing, provides reasonable

accommodations to a job or the work environment to assure that a qualified individual with a

disability has rights and privileges in employment equal to those of employees without

disabilities—to create an adaptable work environment. The geographic units and countries have
Page
15
developed a variety of initiatives specifically to support persons with disabilities. For example, the

Mobile Café, a road shop business run by persons with disabilities, recently debuted in Seoul with

support from Accenture in Korea. The coffee-shop-on-wheels was formally presented in October

2010 by Accenture Korea to the Korea Rehabilitation Fund (KRF), a nonprofit organization that

provides professional barista training to persons with disabilities. Accenture volunteers assisted in

the planning and execution of this Skills to Succeed initiative, which will provide persons with

disabilities skills and opportunities to become active members of society.

[10] Supplier Diversity: Accenture’s supplier diversity efforts demonstrate the commitment for

promoting economic growth within the diverse communities while maintaining the standards for

providing high-quality service delivery. It focuses not only on expanding own pool of diverse

suppliers, but also encourage existing large suppliers to leverage diverse suppliers on Accenture’s

behalf. Through procurement practices, Accenture tracks and encourages purchases with diverse

suppliers, such as minority-owned, woman-owned, historically underutilized business (HUB)

zone, service-disabled veteran-owned, veteran-owned, lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender-

owned business, small or other disadvantaged business enterprises. In fiscal 2010, Accenture

directed nearly 21 percent of the procurement spending in the United States to diverse businesses.

To further demonstrate the commitment, Accenture sponsors a member of the following

organizations: United States( National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC),

Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of

Commerce (NGLCC)), Global ( WEConnect International, WEConnect Europe, WEConnect

Canada , WEConnect India, Minority Supplier Development – UK (MSD-UK) andCanadian

Aboriginal Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC) .

Page
16
 Exhibit 3:Accenture’s Supplier Diversity Mentoring Program Takes Flight

27-May-2009: CHICAGO, IL– Accenture (NYSE:ACN) has launched the second, expanded class

of its Diverse Supplier Development Program. The mentoring program, which teams qualified

diverse suppliers with Accenture executives to develop strategies that strengthen the protégé

companies’ capabilities, has grown from 10 to 16 suppliers from across the United States

Established in 2006, the program requires an 18 month commitment and includes a kick-off

meeting of all participating protégé companies and Accenture mentors; monthly in-depth meetings

between mentors and protégé companies’ leaders; and quarterly training symposia, where diverse

suppliers are exposed to Accenture knowledge capital, learn how to apply it to their businesses

and discuss topics ranging from sales and marketing to e-commerce and workforce development.

Protégés that graduated from the first batch include:

ACT 1 Group ; CVM Solutions, LLC; ASAP Staffing, LLC; Global Resource Management Inc.;

Avion Systems, Inc. ;Information Technology Resources, Inc.; ChaseCom, L.P. ; Pyramid

Consulting, Inc.; CMA Enterprise Incorporated and VIVA USA Inc.

Members of the current batch of diverse suppliers include:

Artech Information Systems, LLC ; Alliance of Professionals & Consultants, Inc.; Mastech;

BITHGROUP Technologies, Inc.; MMC Group; Bucher & Christian Consulting; iSymmetry, Inc.;

Neil Cerbone Associates; Cayuse Technologies ; Sun Technologies, Inc.; Collabera, Inc.; Team

Housing Solutions ; Escendent, LLC ; Technology Concepts Group, Inc.; Group O; and VisionIT

Inc.

Page
17
In 2006 a formal mentoring program between Accenture executives and diverse suppliers, the

Diverse Supplier Development Program (DSDP) was started. The eighteen month program

comprises quarterly training symposia—on topics such as business development and sales

effectiveness, strategic planning, marketing, cloud computing and environmental sustainability to

name a few—and one-on-one meetings between Accenture executives and partnered suppliers,

who learn more about accenture business and strategies to expand their businesses, identifying

key challenges in running and growing their businesses, as well as to network and seek counsel

from Accenture executives. The Diverse Supplier Development Program has been well received

and has grown from 10 M/WBE certified companies from across the US participating in the

inaugural class to 26 diverse companies—including MBE, WBE, VBE, LGBTBE and SBE—

participating in the third class, launched April 2011. The response was so overwhelming that

Accenture afforded the opportunity this year to provide 2 executive mentors per protégé company.

The program has also seen global expansion with the launch of DSDP Canada in April 2010, which

includes 6 companies.

[11] Training to Educate on Diversity: Accenture offers training programs to educate

individuals, to promote inclusion and diversity in the workplace and to prepare the people to

deliver high performance through a diverse workforce. Accenture divides Inclusion & Diversity

training into three areas like (i)Diversity Awareness to help develop a greater sensitivity to the

challenges and opportunities presented by working in an increasingly dynamic, global and diverse

organization (ii) Diversity Management to help leaders more effectively manage a diverse

workforce and create an inclusive work environment (iii) Professional Development to help

solidify the integrated approach to deepening the commitment by helping build skills to increase

their personal success in Accenture.

Page
18
[12] Women: With more than 70000 women, one-third of Accenture’s global workforce

contributing to an environment that’s rich in diversity, acknowledges each individual's strengths

and promotes respect, personal achievement and stewardship.

Exhibit 4:

Unique programs to support the women in their career development and progression

1 Flexible Work Arrangements

2 Maternity Returners Programme (nine months leave at full pay, workshops for
returners, programmes for fathers)
3 Women’s Mentoring Programmes with virtual workshops
4 Accenture Women’s network, an inernal website to share experiences and insights
5 International Women’s day, to learn the inclusive impact of women in the world
6 Research studies on topics that have an impact on women
7 Training & Courses to develop high performing women
8 Local Women’s community groups in Austria/Switzerland/Germany, Canada,
Denmark, Finland, India, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Latin America, Norway, UK & US

In the Initial days of Maternity Returners Program, the retention rate of women returning from

maternity leave and remaining with Accenture for more than 12 months was 75 percent, gradually

it increased to more than 90 percent. For the seventh year, Working Mother’s magazine has

included Accenture in the “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers.” It also received the

Catalyst Award, which honors innovative approaches taken by companies towards a diverse

environment.

Page
19
Recognition & Honors: High Performance Delivered

Accenture’s commitment to Inclusion and Diversity has been recognised by the market in a

number of awards and accolades.

 2010 HR Leader Awards: Workplace Diversity Award (Australia)

 2010 Human Rights Campaign’s “ Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality”: received

perfect score in Corporate Equality Index(US)

 2010 Fortune’s “Top 50 world’s Most Admired Companies” and the “ 100 Best Companies

to Work for”

 2010 BusinessWeek’s 100 Top Global Brands

 2010 DiversityInc’s “Top 50 companies for diversity”, “Top 10 companies for Recruitment

and Retention” and “top 10 Global Deiversity Companies”

 2010 Working Mother’s “ 100 Best Companies for working Mothers”( eighth consecutive

year 2003 - 2010)

 2008 HR Leader Awards Australian Employer of Choice (1000+ employees – Australia)

 In The Times’ ‘Top 50 Places Where Women Want to Work’

 One of The Guardian’s top six places for parents to work

 Ranked gold in the Opportunity, Now benchmarking for gender work

 In the top 20 of Stonewalls’ 2008 Workplace Equality Index of gay-friendly companies

 A Gold Member of the Employers Forum on Disability

 Winner of the Managing Partners Forum Award for Best Business Case of Diversity

 Winner of an International Visual Communications Association Clarion Award for its

inclusion and diversity video, ‘Minority of One’

Page
20
Exhibit 5:

The Inclusion & Diversity Review focuses on Accenture’s workforce, which spans countries,

cultures, generations and a broad mix of educational experiences and backgrounds. The Review

underscores the company’s belief that the talents of its diverse people, working in global teams

and supported by Accenture’s common core values and methodologies, play a critical role in

helping clients become high performance businesses.

Highlights from the Review include:

Supplier relationships – In 2008, the company directed US$286 million – nearly 15 percent of

its procurement spending in the United States – to small, minority-owned and women-owned

businesses.

Gender-related issues – The 60,000+ women who work at Accenture now comprise more than

one-third of the company’s workforce.

Diversity training – Accenture offered 78 live diversity executive training session in 33 cities and

across 12 countries in 2008

Conclusion:

Accenture takes the widest possible view of inclusion and diversity, going beyond gender, race,

religion, ethnicity and sexuality to create a work environment that welcomes all forms of

differences.The workforce is a reflection of the clients being served, the suppliers with whom

business is done and the communities in which they operate. Inclusion and diversity are

fundamental to it’s culture and core values, fostering an innovative and collaborative work

environment that enables Accenture to effectively compete in the global marketplace. Accenture’s

success in diversity comes from deliberate, long-term planning with an integrated approach, and

commitment both from the top and from within the organization.

Page
21
References

[1] Wayne F.Cascio, Rajneet Nambudiri(2010), “Managing Human Resources, productivity,

quality of work life, profits”, Eighth edition, Tata McGraw Hill Education Private limited,

New Delhi

[2] Ron Zemke, Claire raines, bob Filipczak(2000), “Generations at Work, Managing the

Clash of Veterans, Boomers, Xers, and Nexters in Your Workplace”, AMACON,

American Management Association, Newyork

[3] About Accenture, accessed at http://www.accenture.com/us-en/company/Pages/

index.aspx between 15th July 2011 and 14th September 2011

[4] News Releases, accessed at http://newsroom.accenture.com/ between 15th July 2011 and

14th September 2011

[5] Accenture sees diversity as a key element in corporate success, accessed at http://

www.diversitycareers.com/ articles/pro/10-febmar/dia_accenture.html between 15th July

2011 and 14th September 2011

[6] Inclusion and Diversity at Accenture, accessed at http://www.accenture.com/us-

en/company/people/diversity/Pages/index.aspx between 15th July 2011 and 14th

September 2011

Page
22
 A BRIEF PROFILE: Dr.Jesiah Selvam

Dr. Jesiah Selvam, who is Professor and Dean in Department of Management Studies, Francis
Xavier Engineering College, served as Director in Indian Academy School of Management
Studies(IASMS), Bangalore. Previously he served for the various higher education
institutions and Universities abroad under UNDP Projects. He published many articles in the
internationally an nationally reputed journals including “Economic Reforms and its Impacts
in Ethiopia” published in African Development Review, Blackwell publishers, Oxford. His
book on “Privatisation of Public Sector Undertakings: Experimentation Abroad” has been
kept in Parliament library as one of the reference books for policy makers. He is a member
of Board of Examination, Bangalore University and a member of Board of Examination for
Doctoral degrees in various universities. One of his Research Papers on “Response of
Higher Education to Globalization: Empirical Evidences from India, Journal of
Educational Planning and Administration” has hit Top Ten Papers for Journal of
Labour: Human Capital and for Journal of ERN: Government Expenditure and
Education, Social Science Research Network(SSRN). Above all Dr. Selvam is the Chief
Editor for Indian Journal of International Business, an Editor in the International Journal of
Quantitative Techniques and Development Research and a member of Editorial Board of
International Journal of Poverty, Development and Growth.

A BRIEF PROFILE: Mrs.Uma Lakshmi.K

Mrs.Uma Lakshmi .K is Assistant Professor in Indian Academy School of Management

Studies, Bangalore, teaching Information Systems and Human Resource related areas. With
an experience of over ten years as teacher and trainer in the field of Information Technology
and Management, she presented papers in various National and International Seminars and
has a text book titled “Human Resource Acquisition and Development” to her credit.
Presently pursuing Ph.D., her area of research includes effectiveness of Human Resource
Information Systems in organizations.

Page
23

View publication stats