Recognizing its role: World Wide Technology leads by 'including'
By MELISSA CROCKETT MESKE
World Wide Technology recently took part in a three-year study with an intent and design to close the gap on DEIB by developing inclusive leaders. This study, known as The Great Transformation, was an initiative undertaken by a noted leader in workplace culture: Great Place to Work®.
GPTW had hoped to "crack the code" on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) through its research and discoveries by working with World Wide Technology (WWT) and the 10 other organizations that were tapped to participate over the three years. WWT and the other organizations collectively represented more than 1.4 million employees.
WWT's program, "Inclusive Leadership," focused on leveraging current initiatives that support the development of inclusive leaders across the organization, while expanding these same training opportunities to new managers and future leaders. Part of The Great Transformation initiative also included participation in GPTW's annual "For All" Summit, where members of the executive leadership team led a breakout session focused on WWT's listening sessions and employee storytelling programs.
The Great Transformation fostered a powerful consortium across participating organizations, and WWT leveraged these relationships when hosting its inaugural DEIB Summit in July. The DEIB Summit featured several speakers and panelists from companies participating in The Great Transformation, including KPMG, Synchrony and Cisco.
"Participating in The Great Transformation has provided WWT the opportunity to collaborate with a coalition of organizations focused on creating meaningful change around diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Michael Bush and GPTW created a program that offered insight, support and fellowship, which ultimately enhanced our organization's efforts," said Bob Ferrell, EVP, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Public Sector Strategy, WWT.
The Great Transformation initiative was a natural extension of WWT's commitment to continuously invest in a culture of inclusion that drives shared value across its workforce, business and communities.
"An organization is only as strong as its culture. That's why WWT's mission is to be a profitable growth company that is also a great place to work for all," Ferrell further noted.
"WWT's culture and our success are inextricably linked. Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging are foundational to WWT's culture. We've built it into the DNA of our organization through our Integrated Management & Leadership and the way we approach our relationships with our employees, customers, partners and how we engage with the communities in which we do business," said Ferrell.
Ferrell noted that fostering inspired employees is also part of WWT's commitment to being a Great Place to Work. "This means ensuring everyone at WWT has the resources they need to be successful and have a strong sense of belonging," he said. "Our listening session program, employee storytelling program, and employee resource groups support this effort. Emphasizing inclusion fosters an outcome where employees get meaning and inspiration from their jobs."
WWT had still more news to help solidify its continued status as a "Great Place to Work."
At the 28th Annual Women of Color STEM Conference held in mid-October, eight of WWT's employees were recognized as Technology All-Stars and Rising-Stars.
This year's WWT Women of Color STEM award winners included, in the Technology All-Star category: Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives & Operations Kim Miller-Anderson and Director of Communications Sandi Tolliver.
WWT honorees in the Technology Rising-Star category included: Senior Marketing Director Kristin Casey, Software Quality Engineer Krystin Hogan Pettaway, Strategic Engagement Manager-Strategic Resourcing Mia Hunt, Army Global Enterprise Modernization Software and Services (GEMSS) Customer Success Executive Rachel Gore, Managing Director of Public Sector Advisory Services Aparna Kumar and Professional DevOps Engineer Jyothsna Rajyam.
In conjunction with Women of Color magazine, this annual STEM conference helps women to advance their education and excel in their careers pertaining to the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.