Diversity and inclusion enhances culture and productivity for global tech company

This article was written for our sponsor, Lenovo

As a global company with employees in more than 60 countries and customers in more than 180 markets, Lenovo knows that the principles of diversity and inclusion are mission critical to continued success. It’s a fact supported by documented research.

According to Forbes Insights, "Among companies with more than $10 billion in annual revenues, 56% strongly agreed that diversity helps drive innovation. “Also from Forbes, "A diverse and inclusive workforce can also help ensure that a company’s products and services are respectful of their clients’ cultures."

Lenovo champions diversity in everything the company does both internally and externally. From employee recruitment and retention to strategic partnerships and product development, Lenovo leverages its worldwide reach to advance smarter technology that is truly for all. "Our diverse, global workforce is an incredible strength for our business, and it also helps us understand the unique needs and contexts of communities around the world," according to Calvin Crosslin, Lenovo’s Chief Diversity Officer.

Encouraging camaraderie at work

Lenovo understands that diversity and inclusion go hand in hand, that efforts to diversify are only as good as those that empower employees to shape the company’s culture and decision-making. One strategy proven to be essential is connecting employees to employee resource groups (ERGs), such as the Hispanics of Lenovo Association (HOLA) and Black Leaders Achieving Success in Technology (BLAST).

"Employee Resource Groups play an instrumental role in advancing the employee experience and creating communities of shared identity," according to Crosslin.

ERGs hold professional development meetings, create networking opportunities, volunteer at community events, and raise cultural awareness across teams and departments. For instance, members of the Black Leaders group — BLAST — help colleagues understand new and interesting ways to experience Black culture, said Tejuan Manners, an executive director for Lenovo’s Infrastructure Solutions Group and co-executive sponsor of BLAST.

"We’ve accomplished this over the last couple of years via Courageous Conversations, interactive workshops, cultural events and many collaborative activities including partnering with other Employee Resource Groups," said Manners.

Lenovo contributes to community organizations through its Lenovo Foundation, which has joined with the BLAST group to give more than half a million dollars, so far, to over 40 philanthropic organizations. These include the NAACP, the National Institute of Minority Economic Development, and the Black Collegiate Gaming Association.

"The foundation, along with BLAST, has supported community organizations working toward equality and justice with a charitable payroll deduction, matched 1:1 by Lenovo as aligned with our philanthropy giving guidelines," said Manners.

Additionally, through Lenovo’s Supplier Diversity program, the company has increased its spending at businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, disabled people, and LGBTQ people. Lenovo also supports minority- and woman-owned small businesses with grants, technology, and mentorship through its Evolve Small program. The goal is to help increase their success rates, and in turn, bolster the number of minority- and woman-owned small businesses in North Carolina and across the United States.

Promoting diversity in future tech leaders

As the world’s largest personal computer company, Lenovo uses its influence to promote a diverse future workforce across the technology sector in its home state of North Carolina and around the globe.

For example, through the company’s relationship with NC State University’s math and science education program aimed at grades 6-12, and Lenovo’s scholarship funding initiative for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU), the BLAST group encourages young people who may be interested in technology as a career. In fact the HBCU Initiative to drive scholarship funding for local HBCUs has led to a deeply valued relationship between Lenovo and the pipeline for talent that comes from those colleges and universities. The relationship creates a win-win for recruiting talent and increasing diverse perspectives.

"Our focus is to serve Lenovo and the surrounding community to motivate future leaders to become forward-thinking contributors to tomorrow’s technology workforce," said Manners.

In addition to recruitment, Lenovo is committed to ensuring its leaders reflect the various cultures and ethnicities of the workforce. Lenovo exceeded its 2020 goals for global female executive representation (reaching 21% by 2020) and underrepresented minority executive representation (29% in 2020) in the U.S., and continues to work toward even higher benchmarks. The company has set new goals to grow female executive representation to 27% and executives from historically underrepresented ethnic and racial groups to 35% by 2025.

Lenovo has also created internal pipelines to encourage diverse internal promotion at early and mid-career levels through the Women’s Leadership Development Programs (WLDP) and the Mosaic Leadership Development Program, which is modeled after the WLDP but aims to represent men and women across various dimensions of diversity including LGTBQ, persons with disabilities, veterans, and traditionally underrepresented race and ethnic groups.

Local diversity efforts are opening doors to opportunity

Lenovo’s commitment to diversity and inclusion also shows up in its products.

Lenovo’s Product Diversity Office (PDO) was formed in 2019 and launched in 2020 to ensure the company’s products meet the needs of people from all backgrounds and abilities. The PDO integrates feedback from diverse consumer segments early on in product planning, development and execution phases, which certifies that its products and solutions are both inclusive and accessible.

By 2025, 75% of Lenovo products will be vetted by inclusive design experts through the Product Diversity Office to ensure they work for everyone, regardless of physical attributes or abilities.

Locally, Lenovo takes that effort to a new level with its partnership with 321 Coffee. The Raleigh coffee shop employs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to give them an opportunity to thrive in a work environment.

The partnership with Lenovo allowed 321 Coffee to open a fully accessible roasting facility which will help the coffee shop continue to grow, create new jobs, and hire additional staff. Currently, 321 Coffee has a waiting list with more than 100 people with disabilities who want to work for the company. The roasting facility will foster opportunities for those on the waitlist and will create a potential for even further growth.

As part of the partnership, Lenovo is providing $150,000 and EngageNC is providing $50,000 to support the building and operation of the roasting facility during its first three years of operation. Lenovo is also providing $15,000 worth of technology to make the facility accessible for all staff members.

"At Lenovo, our mission is to provide smarter technology for all, and we are proud to partner with organizations like 321 Coffee that are committed to fostering a more inclusive community here in Raleigh. Technology has the ability to open doors for the future of a more accessible workforce, and we are grateful for this opportunity to implement Lenovo technology in a space where it will make a lasting impact," said Gerald Youngblood, chief marketing officer, Lenovo North America.

Further solidifying this partnership, representatives of 321 Coffee currently sit on Lenovo’s Inclusion Board.

Earning recognition and making new goals

For its strides in diversity and inclusion, Lenovo has earned a place in the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for the fourth year. Lenovo scored well in building an inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies, and the leadership and talent pipeline.

"Lenovo has always pursued a path of inclusion, and we’ve built a culture where all can belong — and while it’s an honor to once again be recognized on the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, our work is not done," Crosslin said in a news release. "By measuring our progress through the Bloomberg GEI, we continue to evolve our approach of building inclusive leadership behaviors and fostering diverse and inclusive systems through increased accountability and training."

Innovating for a diverse world requires a diversity of perspective. As such, diversity is a business imperative at Lenovo, as it helps the company understand the unique needs and contexts of communities around the world.

The leadership development programs and ERGs at Lenovo ensure that all voices are heard and all communities are represented within the company’s workforce.

"We believe that promoting and supporting outlets for employees where communities of shared values can evolve allows us to act and lead inclusively, while harnessing the strength of our diversity," said Crosslin.

And that enables the company to deliver on its promise of providing smarter technology for all.

This article was written for our sponsor, Lenovo