Diversity in the workplace provides equal opportunities so employers can discover and work with talented people from all walks of life. Global Matrix (GM), a networking technology company with a global presence, has embraced diversity for good business rather than good philanthropy. They created a diverse and inclusive workforce through the long-term efforts of their diversity initiatives. Tracking representational headcount data has been the company's primary diversity and inclusion practice since the 2010s. However, they realised that this was not enough. They needed to broaden their use of data to understand what representation looks like regarding talent attraction, retention, compensation and career advancement opportunities.

Building a diverse workforce started informally during a monthly lunch discussion of the GM senior executives. Over time they recognised that HR needed to take the lead. Two diversity leads were appointed: one for creating an inclusive culture and another for attracting diverse talent.

They launched several company-wide diversity and inclusion initiatives. They had targeted leadership and career coach programs for minority groups. They also restructured the internal recruitment process to ensure a diverse selection of candidates. They formed a panel of interviewers from various ethnicities to mitigate any bias in their hiring process. They also launched a six-month apprenticeship program during the pandemic in 2020, explicitly targeted for under-represented employee groups.

All these initiatives were a catalyst for a new way of thinking. They endeavoured to build an inclusive culture by creating a common language around diversity and inclusion. GM realised it was not good enough to say they were committed to diversity. They need to shift how they do business and operate as a company. They need to model inclusive practices and behaviours. Diversity and inclusion are now core values that are deeply ingrained in GM.

Although GM recognises the value of diversity and inclusion, they also realise there are challenges. It is not easy to introduce diversity into a previously homogeneous environment. Generally, people prefer to work with those who are similar in demographics and views. Differences of opinion can lead to disruptive conflicts. If employees do not recognise the contributions of diversity to their improved performance, GM will face difficulties in promoting an inclusive culture in the organisation.

a) Illustrate how Global Matrix attempted to create an inclusive culture using FOUR (4) facts from the case.

b) Describe the FOUR (4) levels of diversity in the workplace based on the diversity wheel. Discuss the key differences between the second and third levels of diversity.

c) Based on your understanding of the information/decision-making theory, explain how diversity contributes to decision-making.