The
seventh edition of the annual industry event celebrates diversity at workplace
by encouraging men to advocate real change and inclusivity
Cisco hosted Cisco Diverse
Leadership Forum (CDLF) 2014, at its Globalisation Centre East campus in
Bangalore. An initiative of Cisco Connected Women (CCW), an Employee Resource
Group, this event celebrates diversity at workplace in its varied forms. The
key theme for this year’s edition was ‘Multi-dimensional Leadership’.
The business environment today is
more dynamic than it has ever been, and the workforce has never been as
diverse, and for any organization to do well in this scenario, it is pertinent
for it to realize the value that this multifaceted workforce brings and more
importantly to tap the synergies they bring. We are living in the knowledge era
where idea is the currency and Ideas can come from anyone within the
organisation irrespective of their gender, race, age, role etc. This is where
the aspect of multi-dimensional leadership comes to the fore, and how well the
organisations of the future will do, will be determined by how well these
diverse groups are nurtured at the workplace.
In order to tap the energies
and to take full advantage of synergies shared by employees who share
similarities, Cisco encourages them to interact with each other through
affinity groups or ‘Employee Resource Groups’ (ERGs) where members leverage
each other’s unique skills to move forward together. Some of these groups
include Cisco Connected Women (CCW), Connected Disabilities Awareness Network
(CDAN) for differently - abled employees and Early Career Network (ECN) for the
Gen Y employees.
Cisco Men for Inclusion is one such
initiative modeled on Men Advocating Real Change’ (MARC), an industry
initiative and an online community to help men further the cause of diversity
at workplace. It is also a resource centre and showcase for members to share
advice and insights to inspire men to further the agenda of gender equality at
work.
The event featured a panel
discussion titled ‘Multi-dimensional Leadership - Changing the Mindset’ which
had panelists from various walks of life discussing the benefits that a
multi-faceted leadership can bring to an organization. The panel comprised of
Jayshree Gururaj – Director, Advanced Services, Cisco Systems, Dr
Mamatha Gowda – Joint Director, Government of Karnataka, Gururaj Rao – IBM
Fellow and Vice President, IBM, and Amit Phadnis – Vice President,
Enterprise Networking Group, Cisco Systems.
The forum was attended by 800
professionals and the speakers included a cross section of men and women from
within the technology industry, as well as achievers from various walks of
life. The event had technical demos from Goldman Sachs, Intel EMC2
and Cisco among others, and stalls by NGOs including Srishti and Samathanam.
Inclusion and Diversity are an
integral part of Cisco’s DNA because a diverse workforce with unique life
experiences, education, cultures and talents bring a unique perspective which
leads to a workplace that is creative, innovative, and collaborative. These are
also the same elements that bring in a culture of innovation and growth, which
eventually drive business strategy.
Amit Phadnis – India Site Leader
& President, Enterprise Networking Group, Cisco Systems says, “Inclusion and Diversity are a key focus area for us at Cisco
because we believe that a diverse workforce can play a pivotal role in fuelling
innovation, one of the key factors that has helped us stay current and
competitive. This year’s theme of Multidimensional Leadership is a celebration
of diversity – be it gender based, multigenerational, diversity of thought
& culture, diversity of differently-abled which can be leveraged to bring
varied aspects, ideas, and positive influences of all kinds in the society and
in an organization. CDLF has been one of our flagship events for I&D for
seven years now, and the response we have garnered for it has improved with
each passing year and are certain that it will continue to get even better in
the years to come.”
“While
I&D is a vast subject and has multiple hues, we do realize the importance
of, and the need for increased participation from women, especially in the
technology sector. Men Advocating Real Change (MARC) is one such community that
encourages men and helps them with resources to further the cause of diversity
at workplace, and we are glad to have initiatives at Cisco that align with
MARC. We are certain that this initiative will further the cause of women in
technology and will inspire the industry to follow suit.”
