Do you have the 4 main ingredients to manage diversity in your business?
Gina Qiao and Yolanda Conyers, authors of The Lenovo Way
In 2005, when Lenovo took on the challenge of acquiring IBM’s personal computer (PC) division and its iconic ThinkPad product line, we knew we had a lot of learning to do, and we had to do it quickly. The marketplace was not going to wait for us to figure out how to integrate our eastern and western cultures. We had to jump in head-first and find ways to leverage our diversity in order to produce relevant products and stay financially successful.
We grew from a $3 billion China-based company to a $39 billion global company and became the #1 PC+ company in the world by leveraging our diversity. Today, we have more than 54,000 employees in 60 countries and a highly diverse leadership team.
There is no more perfect analogy to describe what diversity should mean to an organization than comparing it to a recipe. Like diversity, a recipe is a classic case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
When combined, these four basic steps, or ingredients, comprise a winning recipe for Lenovo’s employees and leaders, our customers and communities, and our remarkable business achievements:
- Know the recipe you want to make. Have a vision, know where you’re going, and put a plan in place to get you there.
- Do the necessary “prep” work. Understand the methodologies that will enable you to leverage diversity as a competitive advantage and a driver of business results.
- Bake diversity into the culture. Build and implement programs and interventions that turn diversity into a way of living, a way of thinking, a way of doing business.
- Let it set, tweak, then taste. Measure effectiveness, monitor progress over time, and course-correct as necessary; then celebrate your wins, and challenge yourself to keep the momentum going.
Without a doubt, diversity is the signature dish at Lenovo. We have an extraordinary combination of ingredients – in addition to cutting-edge innovation, a highly efficient business model, and a rock-solid brand – that makes us the world’s leading PC company. Put simply, the incredible diversity of Lenovo’s people mirrors the tastes, perspectives, and experiences of the growing multitudes who buy our brand of products.
As you consider fostering success in your own organization, I recommend you make diversity a key ingredient. Drawing on the strengths of every individual has worked for us, and it can pay similar dividends to you.
Learn more about The Lenovo Way.