Diversity Leadership in Practice: NOVA’s Commitment to Building Inclusive Workplaces

In a shifting political landscape, we are pleased to share insights from a recent seminar held at NOVA House Oslo, where Manav Rihel Kumar, CEO of Seema, and Jakob Sverre Løvstad, CTO of Seema, provided their expertise on diversity leadership. Their presentation focused on how organizations can use the current political situation as a competitive advantage to attract, retain and utilize differences. To succeed, organizations must build diversity competence and create inclusive cultures that gets everyone performing and thriving at their best. At NOVA, we aim to strengthen and grow by thinking innovatively, leveraging our diverse opinions and backgrounds to push us forward as a company.

Seema, a company renowned for its expertise in diversity leadership and organizational development, has guided companies globally in making meaningful progress in these areas. Over the past two years, Manav and Jakob have been instrumental in helping NOVA build a culture that values differences and fosters inclusivity – for the sake of the individual and the organization. By prioritizing diversity and inclusion, we are paving the way for long-term success, and this seminar highlighted the work we’ve done while setting the stage for the future.

The seminar addressed a wide range of topics, covering the global and local dynamics of diversity, inclusion, and the political shifts that impact how we work and interact with one another. Here’s a summary of the key takeaways:

Diversity is a fact and business critical

In a turbulent political environment, it is not up to one person or movement to set the agenda. The world is becoming increasingly globalized and also diverse. Organizations that choose to follow a backward path will lag behind in an increasingly competitive market. Candidates assess organizations’ approach to diversity when considering potential employers, a more diverse population impacts customer and user needs, digitalization introduces biases and dilemmas, and the need for effective collaboration must pierce traditional silo-based thinking. Those who see diversity as a factor in achieving business goals will be the ones who create truly inclusive cultures and get the upper hand.

Having diversity is not enough

Many organizations focus on diversity representation, meaning they consider the mere presence of diversity as an indicator for success. Research show that diverse teams come with a potential for better decision-making but there is no automatic link between the two. More diversity introduces more complexity which must be included and utilized. Managers who choose to overlook the diversity factor in their leadership run a risk of getting stuck with more complexity without realizing its potential. Simply having diversity is not enough to ensure success. Organizations that succeed have employees spending as much energy thriving and doing awesome things, and as little energy as possible navigating and protecting themselves from the company culture.

Make diversity a data-driven endeavour

Words like diversity and inclusion can be intangible concepts and therefore discouraging to work with. However, using the right tools, it is possible to quantify precise areas that will yield the highest effect on the company culture. NOVA has used Diversity Index to analyse how diversity in the organization impacts key performance indicators, and what we must focus on to move forward in building an inclusive culture. Connecting diversity to something that impacts how we perform makes it easier to visualize its importance to the business. And of course, we encourage measuring with reasonable intervals to check if the organization is moving in the right direction.

Looking Forward: The Ongoing Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion should be viewed as long-term commitments, not just one-time goals. While progress has been made, the work is ongoing. It’s crucial to keep strengthening diversity initiatives, fostering inclusive leadership, and aligning with best practices. Creating a truly inclusive organization goes beyond increasing diversity numbers—it’s about building a culture that values inclusion at every level and makes us able to continue performing at our best.

As we reflect on the valuable insights shared by Manav and Jakob, it’s clear that the journey towards an inclusive workplace is ongoing. Diversity is not something that can be disregarded due to political shifts. Luckily, it is our reality and not something we can opt out from. Our world would have been boring otherwise. We will continue our efforts to evolve into a workplace where everyone can thrive regardless of who they are. For the individual, for NOVA and for all the cool stuff we want to do in the future!