Diversity: Once more with feeling

by Lynda Leonard

A group of diversity champions from several ITAC members met recently at the request of Jim Muzyka, who represents Xerox Canada on ITAC’s Board of Directors. At our June 22 Board of Directors meeting , Jim had set out a bold proposal to address the diversity challenge that faces the ICT industry in Canada. His proposal resonated with a Board that is currently composed of 36 men and two women, and he was directed to put a diversity action plan together for our association and our industry. The purpose of the meeting of the diversity experts was to begin to map that plan out.

I’ve been an advocate for broader engagement of women in tech for at least 20 years. On some levels this activism is rewarding. It’s introduced me to some of the finest people in tech that I know. But looking back I can’t say that a whole lot has changed. The level of participation of women in tech was running at about 25% ten years ago. And that’s pretty much where we are today.

The lesson is that consciousness raising and building a business case for diversity just aren’t enough to create change. After all, there’s been lots of talk and the business case is profound. A more diverse workforce delivers; improved financial and organizational performance, increased capacity to link with new markets, expanded access to talent pools, enhanced innovation and creativity and strengthened relationship. Real change requires an act of will and the plan for change usually starts with counting. Xerox, which was identified as this year’s Canadian Women in Communications Employer of the Year for its work in the advancement of women, started counting where women were in the organization many years ago and then started setting targets for improvement. That kind of metric-driven performance is key to success in every other aspect of business and it’s clearly having an impact on Xerox. Earlier this year Ursula Burns inherited the top job from Anne Mulcahy. Passing the mantle from man to man happens all the time in tech. Passing it from woman to woman is something I’d like to see replayed more frequently.

I think this aspiration was shared by the folks at our meeting. Their shared practices and experiences suggest there’s already some pretty strong leadership in this front in ICT. The room crackled with ideas just like it does in any good skunkworks. It really is exhilarating to tackle an old problem with new perspectives. And when you think about it, that’s why diversity in business matters in the first place.

Sasktel's Workforce Actively Includes Aboriginals

BY: Robert Watson, President and CEO Sasktel

Robert Watson, President and CEO Sasktel

Employers all across Canada need to be alert to the fact that the aboriginal community is the youngest and fastest growing segment of the Canadian population. In 2001, the median age of aboriginals was 24 years. Statistics Canada estimates that the community of North American Indians, Metis and Intuit is growing at roughly twice the pace of the rest of the population and that, by 2017, this group will account for over 4 percent of our nation. For employers in the ICT industry faced with chronic labour shortages, the value of this important group as a contributor to our labour force cannot be overlooked.

What’s a reality elsewhere in Canada is a business imperative here in Saskatchewan. We estimate that our aboriginal population is approximately 15 percent - higher than any other region in Canada other than Nunavut. This group represents a vitally important component of our customer base. As a corporation, SaskTel has set goals to ensure that we engage aboriginal people in our marketplace, in our community, in our workforce and in our supply chain.

In 2004, we launched the Representative Workforce Strategy (RWS), a 5-year initiative to change the demographic make-up of our organization, creating an open and inclusive workplace that mirrors our provincial customer base. One goal of the RWS is to proactively increase the number of new hires we makefrom the aboriginal community with a specific focus on youth. To do this we have established partnerships with several secondary and post-secondary institutions in the province to help us promote careers in telecommunications and to assist us with recruitment. And we actively ensure that spaces in our company are created for people from aboriginal community. In 2008, forty members of this community joined SaskTel and nearly 40 percent of our summer hires came from this group.

Once recruited, it is important to ensure that our aboriginal employees see value and enrichment in the SaskTel work experience. We have had an active SaskTel Aboriginal Employee Network (SAEN) in place since 1994. It serves to provide important networking and career support. We have a dedicated aboriginal affairs manager dedicated to this and other efforts to ensure our retention is as strong as our recruitment effort.

Recognizing the important role the aboriginal community plays as customers, SaskTel has created an aboriginal sales unit. The team is dedicated to building strategic partnerships with key First Nations communities such as Meadow Lake Tribal Council and Prince Albert Grand Council. They are actively working, among other things, at ensuring the rapid deployment of broadband to First Nations communities. SaskTel is also committed to ensuring a deeper engagement by aboriginal-owned business in our procurement activities.

The aboriginal community of Saskatchewan also figures prominently in our community relations and sponsorship activity. And we’ve designed some of our programs to support our recruitment and other business goals. For example, the SaskTel YOUTHNetwork provides mentorship job shadowing and placement opportunities for youth all across the province including those from aboriginal communities. So does the SaskTel Community Corps which seeks to channel the spirit of youth into volunteer activities that enrich the whole province. We are particularly proud of the SaskTel Aboriginal Youth Awards of Excellence. These awards (offered in partnership with the Wichitowin Foundation) recognize the achievements of young people of aboriginal heritage in our province. The awards are presented for leadership, education, community service, sports and culture, fine arts, technology and science and spirit. They offer a superb opportunity for us to meet the future leaders of the community and they remind us of the energy, optimism and excellence that are in such rich supply in the aboriginal community. It gives us a ringside seat on the future evolution of our company and our marketplace.

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IBM Canada's Inclusion by Design

BY: Jason Grosse, Communications Manager, ITAC

Tej Singh Hazra, Diversity Program Manager for IBM Canada

On the IBM Canada website, the diversity section outlines what the company calls a “culture of inclusion.” Among the many offerings there are programs designed internally to assist the mosaic of backgrounds and cultures. Along with the internal programs IBM is involved in a wide variety of programs benefiting Women, Aboriginals, African-Canadians, Asians, GLBT and Persons with Disabilities. Tej Singh Hazra, Diversity Program Manager for IBM Canada recently shared his views on diversity with ITAC Online.

How does your role fit within IBM?
People ask me what it is that I do. To put it very simply my role is to ensure that every employee has a safe and welcoming workplace — we want the employee to bring their whole self to the workplace, don’t check a part of yourself at the door because you don’t feel you can be yourself — it may be somebody who may have a strong accent because they are new to Canada, somebody who may be GLBT and hasn’t had the confidence to come out yet.

What kind of perspective does a diverse workforce give IBM?
A diverse workforce separates us from our competition. The diversity of our workforce drives innovation and that’s what our clients look for. The phrase that goes: ‘if everyone is thinking the same then someone isn’t thinking’ – holds true to today’s focus on diversity. It’s one of the first things I read when I came to IBM. Essentially, diverse thinking and thoughts drive innovation.

What are some of the programs and mandates to ensure that IBM continues to be a diverse employer?
We have measurements in place, similar to a scorecard. On a quarterly basis we track representation of the four major groups: Visible Minorities, Persons with Disabilities, Aboriginals and Women. The scorecards give managers an idea of how they are currently doing and how they are doing in comparison to historical numbers. We also have eight employee network groups – diversity network groups. They are designed to help members of those communities network with those of similar backgrounds who are further along in their careers then they are. We hold these network groups accountable to ensure that they run themselves as a credible organization. They are given budgets to promote events, and bring speakers.

Overall in Canada, what needs to happen in order for more top executive positions to be filled by diversity candidates?
This isn’t something that’s going to happen overnight. We’ve got to do our due diligence. For organizations to accelerate individuals just so they can check a box is setting themselves up for failure. This is a “from the ground up” initiative. It would be very short-sighted for organizations to put people in roles before they are ready. It’s got to be organic and not influenced — otherwise you’re setting the individual and organization up for failure.

What can we be doing in schools, to attract more women and minorities to ICT careers?
This is something that we have been involved in for a long time. We have the EX I.T.E camps that are designed to promote science and technology to girls. These camps are run by women from IBM and have reached out to thousands of young girls to date. We also run similar programs with the aboriginal community (IGNITE) and have reached out to young aboriginals to attract them to careers in ICT.

For more information:

IBM Canada Diversity
http://www-03.ibm.com/employment/ca/en/diversity2.html

IBM Corporate Diversity
http://www.ibm.com/diversity

IBM EX I.T.E Camp
http://www.ibm.com/ibm/ibmgives/grant/education/camp.shtml

IBM Diversity & Inclusion Videos
http://www.youtube.com/ibmdiversity

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Meet Jim Muzyka. Diversity Champion, Xerox Vice-President and General Manager and member of the ITAC board.

Jim Muzyka, Xerox Vice-President and General Manager

Since the 1960’s Xerox has been a worldwide leader in the development of diversity and inclusion programs. At Xerox Canada, Managers are evaluated based on Xerox’s Inclusive Workplace Strategy — which measures their ability to hire, develop and promote an inclusive workforce. This diverse pool of candidates helps Xerox leverage a mosaic of talents, which in turn allows Xerox to continue to be an industry leader. Jim Muzyka, Vice-President and General Manager, Xerox Global Services and Susan Rogers, Manager, Diversity and Inclusion work closely together to ensure these programs are adhered to.

This month’s issue of ITAC Online is focusing on diversity, what are some of Xerox’s best practices around diversity?
JM: Part of our best practices is that it’s been embedded in our culture for almost 50 years. Our first CEO, Joe Wilson, was an outspoken advocate of not only gender diversity, but diversity as a whole … ethnic diversity is another important component. So one of the first things that we have going for us is our corporate culture that embraces diversity, but culture doesn’t mean anything unless it’s followed by something that’s programmatic. Sustaining a deep diverse workplace requires active management at all levels in the organization.

SR: Another area of best practice for Xerox is related to Aboriginal and visible minority focused initiatives. For example Xerox was one of the co-founders of Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC). We actively promote supplier diversity both inside our organization as well as the broader business community. Through this initiative we have significantly increased our procurement expenditures with Aboriginal and minority owned businesses.

Xerox is arguably one of the most hi-tech of technology companies, with a huge investment in R&D. How does a diverse workforce compliment this commitment to R&D, what advantage does it give Xerox?
SR: Let’s look at the Xerox Research Centre of Canada (XRCC). In 2007 it was awarded the Immigrant Success award. The XRCC has employed a high percentage of skilled immigrants since if was established in 1974 and currently with 137 employees there are 35 countries represented. Bringing skilled immigrants on board has been a winning formula for the Centre and in 2006 they were awarded their 1000th U.S. patent, a remarkable feat for any research facility.

JM: It’s also about being able to choose from a more holistic group of candidates. This is a big drawing card in terms of employee potential and it helps us to continue to reach our diversity goals.

We’ve seen a push for a greater number of women being represented, why is it after so many years of this type of aggressive push, we still see such few numbers?
JM: I think cultural change takes a long time to come about, and I think this is the root of the issue … This needs to start at a very early age — when people are still in school. You also need to have role models inside the organizations who almost say, “Hey look at me I am a woman and I did it.” It also starts with recognition that there is a problem. It’s something that’s been given less than fair attention.

Back to your work at Xerox, how are the issues of diversity handled with respect to recruitment and retention?
JM: Although at Xerox we get admired for our work in this area and we are proud of the accomplishments we have made, we don’t consider it to be finished business. You have to ensure that there is something programmatic in your organization to sustain it. Things like targeted recruitment and training our managers on a bias free selection process. We ask questions like: “How do we nurture to ensure that the culture accepts diversity and inclusion to prevent turnover?”

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ITAC NEWS & EVENTS

The ITAC Digital Business Forum Presents: 1,000,000 Acts of Green
September 29, 2009 - 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
The Spoke Club, 600 King Street West, 4th floor
Any marketing or sales campaign that exceeds its target by 70 per cent is worth studying - especially when it set an ambitious target in the first place. Cisco's One Million Acts of Green Campaign set out to turn a million Canadians into environmental activists literally one act at a time. And it was immensely successful. One Million Acts of Green also introduced the Cisco brand to Canadians from coast to coast. The campaign demonstrated a fluent understanding of old, new and social media to make a real difference in Canadian consciousness and in our footprint on the Earth. Willa Black, Cisco's VP of Corporate Marketing, is one of the Principal architects of the campaign. She will provide an in depth look at the design and execution of the program and will outline Cisco's plans for how one million acts translate into a global target. To register, go to: https://secure.e-registernow.com/cgi-bin/mkpayment.cgi?MID=280&state=step2direct&event=500000049783117

ITAC EVENTS

OTHER NEWS AND EVENTS

Ontario Electronic Stewardship Ready to Expand Electronics Recycling Program
Ontario Electronic Stewardship is ready to expand the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Program to collect a wider range of electronic devices for recycling. The expanded program—set to begin on April 1, 2010—means that Ontarians will be able to take cell phones, cameras, audio-visual equipment, speakers, radios and many other electronics to designated collection sites to be recycled. Phase one of the program already collects televisions, laptop and desktop computers, desktop printers and fax machines. For these electronics, consumers can go to a website, www.dowhatyoucan.ca, to find their nearest collection or re-use location. The program will begin accepting the additional WEEE items commencing April 1, 2010

The Art of Management Featuring Marcus Buckingham and Tom Peters – ITAC Members Receive Special Rates
October 16, 2009, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto
In these times of accelerating change and uncertainty, The Art of Management presented by Microsoft Dynamics CRM responds to the growing needs of individuals, companies and organizations by delivering to them unrivalled access to world class management thinking. Our success is derived from presenting revered management authorities, the few but greatest minds that continue to shape and revolutionize the way leaders and organizations think about and address key performance issues for future success. On October 16th be a part of the top management event of 2009 and take advantage of this limited time special offer which is not available to the general public. For more information and to register, go to: http://www.theartofproductions.com/register.html

2010 Branham300 Application – Launching Soon
Now in its 17th year, the Branham300 is a listing that ranks the top publicly-traded and privately-held organizations operating in the Canadian ICT industry by gross revenues. Appearing on the Branham300 provides companies with FREE exposure to a targeted national audience with comprehensive details on our website (www.branham300.com) and through it’s publication in the April/May edition of Backbone Magazine. (www.backbonemag.com) The application to appear on the listing will go live August 19, 2009 and Branham Group invites all Canadian ICT companies to visit – www.branhamgroup.com/application - to apply. For more information on the Branham300, please contact: Darren Anderson, Branham300 Coordinator, (613) 745-2282 ext. 122, danderson@branhamgroup.com.

Round Four of the Premiers Catalyst Awards
We are pleased to announce that the nomination process is now open for Round 4 of the Premier’s Catalyst Awards. The goal of the Catalyst Awards is to help build a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in Ontario by recognizing excellence and leadership in innovation.

The Catalyst Awards provide five awards of $200,000 for developing a commercially successful new, or significantly improved, product or service based on a breakthrough technology.

The program’s five categories are: Best Young Innovator, Innovator of the Year, Lifetime Achievement in Innovation, Start-up Company with the Best Innovation, and Company with the Best Innovation. For-profit corporations and employees or directors of those corporations are eligible for this award.

The deadline for the Premier’s Catalyst Awards program is October 1, 2009. Please visit the Ministry of Research and Innovation website at http://www.mri.gov.on.ca/english/programs/MRI.asp or contact Lesley Cunningham at 416-325-9333 or at awards@mri.gov.on.ca for more details.

Trends in Global Communications: Wrestling with unpredictability Centre Mont-Royal, Montreal, Canada 26 & 27 October 2009 The International Institute of Communications (IIC) fortieth anniversary Conference will continue its tradition of facilitating the sharing and exchange of empirical data, specialist knowledge and accumulated insights about the telecommunications and media sectors, and of helping to find pointers towards future trends - tent-pegs of probability on a landscape of uncertainty. For more details, go to: http://www.iic-canada.ca/english/2009conference/index.cfm

Green IT Summit
October 21 – 22, Toronto, ON
Improve efficiency, optimize IT spending, cut costs, reduce emissions, project a green image, modernize your data center. Leading Case Studies include: Wells Fargo, Government of Ontario, Burt's Bees, BC Hydro, The Hospital for Sick Children, KPMG, California State University, Central Kootenay, Ontario Electronic Stewardship, Canada Post and many more. For more information visit:
http://www.strategyinstitute.com/102109_git/green_IT.pdf

Fourth Annual Media Literacy Week
November 2-6, 2009
Media Awareness Network and the Canadian Teachers' Federation are joining together to host Canada's fourth annual Media Literacy Week, November 2-6, 2009. The purpose of the week is to promote media and digital literacy as key components in the education of Canadian children and youth. This year's theme – Media Literacy in the Digital Age – will focus on the multiple literacy skills needed by today's youth for accessing, evaluating, repurposing, creating and distributing digital content. More than 40 collaborating organizations will be hosting a variety of activities across Canada to celebrate the week – from small classroom-based projects to large-scale public events. Collaborators include the National Film Board of Canada, Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Canadian Network for Innovation in Education and the Prime Minister's Awards of Teaching Excellence. Sponsors and funders of Media Literacy Week 2009 include Bell, Entertainment Software Association of Canada and the Government of Canada. For information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Cathy Wing, Co-Executive Director, Media Awareness Network at: cwing@media-awareness.ca, or 613-224-7721, ext. 227. For more information on Media Literacy Week visit: www.medialiteracyweek.ca.

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