In the last decade, US organizations and companies have discovered the need and the benefit of valuing and fostering a diverse workforce and an inclusive environment. Companies understand in doing so, they will be boosting their profits and success. Companies must have a talent management segment to seek diverse talent within minority groups.

Campbell Soup has understood the need for fostering diversity and inclusion in the worker-corporate relationship. Three years ago they brought Rosalyn Taylor O’Neale on board as Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer to oversee and direct the diversity and inclusion strategy for the company.

Ms. O’Neale’s history with diversity began back in the early 1980s at a company that eventually became Hewlett Packard. She built a successful consulting practice through the 1990s and most recently worked with MTV Networks as EVP of Diversity Initiatives. In 2005 she wrote “7 Keys To Success: Unlocking the Passion for Diversity”.

With a record like that, Campbell Soup’s global Diversity and Inclusion initiatives can expect great results and an engaged workforce.

In a corporate feature interview, Ms. O’Neale provided an overview to her vision for diversity and inclusion at Campbell’s. She states that her office works to “develop the programs that will allow us to achieve our business goals to help create an inclusive workplace and attract and retain a very diverse workforce who will understand a demographically diverse consumer base.”

Workforce diversity is crucial, and because a very diverse consumer base purchases Campbell’s products, it is even more important for Campbell’s to have an employee base that mirrors its consumers.

She cited specific diversity initiatives that drive Campbell’s programs.

• Build strong affinity networks and diversity councils.
• Create diversity team members who can connect Campbell’s to consumers.
• Give leaders tools to drive diversity and inclusion.
• Hold leaders accountable for exhibiting behaviors to engage inclusion.
• Develop culturally intelligent and competent workforce.
• Create a workforce that is comfortable working across cultures, genders, geography, and demographics.

Ms. O’Neale’s strategy for building great leaders and bringing diverse, quality talent to Campbell’s is to partner with Campbell’s Global Talent Acquisition and Global Talent Management teams. Together they work to ensure the organization can attract, develop, retain, and engage diverse talent, including African Americans, Caribbean Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and other underrepresented minorities.

The next step to building great leaders is to use onboarding programs to help new hires understand how to navigate the culture at Campbell’s. The International Data Corporation has measurable data that supports how important this is. They cite that an estimated $37 billion (USD) is lost to U.S. and U.K. employers every year simply because employees did not understand their job. Either they were misinformed or they misinterpreted company policies, procedures, and/or functions.

Therefore, successful onboarding programs will significantly cut these costs for Campbell’s, and help new employees feel welcome and prepared. New hires are not the only ones helped by this. Transitioning into a new position is also a time where onboarding programs will be beneficial in establishing a good foundation for success in the new role.

Ms. O’Neale shared that it is possible to identify and build leaders through developing quality initiatives focused on how managers can do their job well. This is the Manager Quality initiative. One of the measures of Manager Quality is how well managers provide feedback. Feedback is essential with developing a team, but, if done incorrectly, it can lead to loss of morale and diminished productivity. It is imperative that managers know how to be very effective in constructively providing positive --and negative-- feedback.

When faced with the question of how to deal with the sector of people who have a tendency to job hop, Ms. O’Neale advised, “People come based on the company, but they stay or leave based on the manager. We believe people will stay when they feel that their work has meaning, feel that their voice is heard, and that their ideas are valued. When people feel their company cares about them as an individual and wants them to care about the company in return, they will stay with that company. Women, men, people of color and people with disabilities stay for the same reasons. We work with managers to create a workplace that keeps people energized and engaged.” Campbell’s assigns employees projects they believe will provide meaning, a shot of energy and increase their job satisfaction. Some of the projects are designed to stretch the employee’s capabilities, providing an opportunity to feel enthusiastic about his or her success in overcoming obstacles to accomplish the goals. Rotational projects allow employees to take turns receiving the opportunity to participate in various projects.

Campbell’s also provides managers the tools necessary to assess employees and spot exceptional talent or potential, providing managers a way to more effectively foster talent. Managers want their employees to stay because they put time and energy in finding these talented people. They seek out the advice of the Diversity and Inclusion office to find ways to help their people stay.

Another important component of the Diversity and Inclusion initiative is the Business Resource Affinity Network (also known as Employee Resource Groups). Campbell’s eight resource networks help employees to drive change, champion ideas, and realize their goals. The affinity groups are designed to connect Campbell to consumers and to help the company understand different points of view. The affinity networks develop members through networking and educational programs. Employees volunteer for these programs; they are not required.

A key best practice for the affinity/employee networks is to focus on helping employees work with people both who are like them and people who are not like them. Networks and employee resource groups promote diversity and an inclusive environment in which to work. African Americans learn how to effectively work with Caribbean Americans; Hispanics learn how to work effectively and productively along side Asians, and so on.

Campbell’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion collaborates with other diversity offices at various other companies. It is important to share how other organizations are retaining and engaging their workforce. Taylor O’Neale does not see it as a competitive industry when it comes to the diversity and inclusion best practices. If a colleague from another company discovers a great resource that assists them in understanding the Caribbean American or Hispanic American markets, Campbell will not hesitate to use the resource.

Another interesting twist to engaging employees is combining social responsibility, sustainability, and green initiatives with diversity and inclusion. This is important in attracting the “Millennial Generation,” a segment of the work population that is attracted to socially responsible workplaces. Campbell’s has a corporate social responsibility officer who does a great job promoting these efforts.

The biggest successes continue to come from helping the workplace manage change and focus on building a marvelous place to work for Latinos, African Americans, Caribbean Americans, Hispanics, generational diversity, women, and other ethnicities, majority and minorities employees. Campbell’s seeks to meet the needs of all areas of the workforce to build greater success going forward.

Another challenge that Ms. O’Neale faces is helping leaders understand the real meaning of changing their focus from a local orientation to a global perspective.

Building great managers she believes is one of her biggest successes stories. They are managing people who have many different life experiences and perspectives. This is accomplished through many avenues such as training and education, articles, books, conversations, experiences, and classroom work.

She shared that it is important to introduce managers to new and different and diverse people, not based solely on ethnicity or birthplace, but also on diversity of thought, and ways of working. Campbell’s provides a safe forum where managers can ask questions and have dialogue about things they do - and don’t - understand in relation to a group of people or a particular perspective.

If there is a need for more understanding, the Diversity and Inclusion office will bring in experts or consultants who can bridge this gap of understanding and provide a safe place for managers to come together, discuss issues and learn from each other.

It’s important to remember that historically, organizations were much more homogeneous. European businesses were largely comprised of European people, mid-western businesses were predominantly run by mid-westerners and companies did not have more than two generations working for them. Today, there are five generations working together. Companies employ people who speak two or more languages, who have grown up or lived in just about any area of the world, may be first or second generation immigrants, and all have different viewpoints and perspectives.

The key to any organization is to use these diverse perspectives to promote and grow their success, not suppress it. Campbell Soup has found an effective leader in Rosalyn Taylor O’Neale who understands the needs and roles of a diverse workforce and how to garner its talent and foster an inclusive, engaged workplace.