Human resources and digital transformation leaders from a variety of sectors in Singapore say companies must drive a cultural shift locally to improve diversity and inclusion, rather than focusing solely on hard targets.

These calls come as research shows Singapore lags behind other global capital markets and many of its regional neighbors for diversity and inclusion measures. Also, as the country’s Diversity Action Committee (DAC), looks to achieve 20% female representation on boards by 2020. The comments were made at a panel discussion hosted by a cloud technology company, Workday.  

Panelists said some companies in Singapore may be placing too much emphasis on meeting quotas, which can create a situation where hires are made just to meet targets rather than considering which talent can bring the most value to a company over the long term and the broader cultural shift that may be needed in an organization.

The culture of diversity and inclusion

“Having a non-traditional person on the team can help lead to innovation with divergent thinking,” says Merle Chen, Chief Talent Officer, The Lo & Behold Group.

Larissa Tan, Chief Executive Officer, Vanda Electrics said, “We need to look into the future and hire people who can add value to the organization based on their diverse skill-sets and not just related past experiences.”

A need for companies to increase diversity to reflect their more diverse operating environments and customer bases was also discussed.

Jane Drummond, Regional Head of Sales & Marketing, Global Client Network, Asia, Aon said, “For sales and marketing, having a diverse team is important for connecting and building relationships with clients from different backgrounds. Matching employees of similar backgrounds to clients can help build closer relationships.”  

 “Technology is transforming HR’s ability to manage diversity through the provision of better insights and to help reduce bias at the recruitment stage. Workday’s own Chief Diversity Officer, for example, makes use of data to understand the composition of women in different departments and their positions,” says Jasie Fon, General Manager, ASEAN, Workday.  

Looking ahead for 2019, the leaders said that a close partnership between the public and private sectors is key to driving diversity and inclusion agenda forward in Singapore.