SAP'sIn his keynote, Bill McDermott, the American CEO of the German company, outlined the progress he said his company has made. That included having been chosen the tenth most empathetic company in the world, along with having a plan to be 100-percent carbon neutral by 2020 with all data centers using electricity that was generated by green methods. The company has previously cited its plan to make its automotive fleet all electrically powered.
But it was hiring and promotion practices that had the most discussion.
"We are the first company to be Edge-certified for gender diversity," McDermott said during the keynote address to an audience estimated at 30,000 on site at the Orlando, Fla., Convention Center. Edge stands for Economic Dividends for Gender Equality, which is a standard developed by an international organization based in Switzerland. He also said that company promote neurodiversity—meaning it provides opportunities for people with conditions such as autism, dyslexia and ADHD/ADD.
A panel of human resource professionals later discussed major issues and the way the SAP goes about ensuring diversity in a very large company environment.
First of all, the group believes diversity programs must start when human capital management systems—a broad set of software applications encompassing HR—are purchased. HR and diversity staffs need to be "at the table", said Patricia Fletcher, who is in charge of solution management for SuccessFactors, the company's HCM software arm. Yvonne Baur, head of predictive analytics and machine learning at SuccessFactors, elaborated that "Chief diversity officers are often not in the room when HCM systems are being purchased".
SAP views its social responsibility efforts as much more than views on social issues. It says it can measure the impact of its practices on financial results.
"This is not a philanthropic topic. It is a business imperative," said Fletcher. The process must be planned because without defined goals and measurements, managers can find that "I am hiring people that look like me and think like me," she said.
Anka Wittenberg, the company's chief diversity and inclusion officer, said one way lack of diversity can develop is when managers fill roles because "no one applied." She said the process must start with the analysis of the language of postings. In one case, a manager reported a lack of diverse applications. The job description, she continued, called for someone "Assertive, political savvy—words that are very gender-biased. Women are not even going apply," she said.
Administering such a program successfully means "Ruthless measuring so you can prove you are reaching our goal," said Baur.
However, Fletcher said the company does not see the program as mandating behavior from top management. "People don't change if you tell them to," she said. "They change if you enable them; give them tools that nudge toward a new type of behavior in something they are already doing."
In general, businesses must consider if "machines going to replace human in talent decision making," according to the panel moderator, Gabriel Burclau, the principal HCM researcher for SuccessFactors.
The panel also discussed the impact of artificial intelligence on hiring trends.
"What does that mean for the workforce of the future if I have fewer routine tasks being performed by humans?" Baur commented. That should mean there are more innovative and creative jobs."
It also means keeping values in mind when AI is programmed into applications. "Ethics is going to become an AI question," she continued. For example, Baur outlined a scenario in which a self-driving car must choose the proper action that would prevent danger to the passenger but would harm a pedestrian.
