I was intrigued when I read that SAP was included in BrandZ’s 2017 list of top 100 global brands; ranked as #21 on the list. BrandZ is the world's largest brand equity database. It holds data from over 650,000 consumers and professionals across 31 countries, comparing over 23,000 brands. The database is used to estimate brand valuations, and each year since 2006, has been used to generate a list of the top 100 global brands. I decided to dig a little deeper to find out more about SAP and their diversity work to see if it’s as impressive as their general brand recognition. What I found was pleasantly surprising and given my high standards, impressing me isn’t easy.
As a market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 350,000 business and public sector customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably.
SAP is headquartered in Walldorf, Germany, with regional offices in 130 countries. SAP was founded in Germany in 1972 by five entrepreneurs with a vision for the business potential of technology. SAP stands for Systems, Applications, Products in Data Processing. SAP’s CEO Bill McDermott (age 55) is an impressive leader among leaders. In May 2014, Mr. McDermott became the first American to hold the position of CEO of SAP SE. His education includes Kellogg School of Management and Wharton School of Business.
Beyond business as usual, serving more than 350,000 customers in 190 countries, of which 80% are small-and-medium sized businesses, SAP is an impressive organization authentically poised to lead in the diversity and inclusion conversation and activation. Below the surface, and beyond its impressive leader, I’ve met several executives who operate with the same level of intent, commitment, passion and empathy as Mr. McDermott.
This past April, I had the privilege of working with SAP when they sponsored my (3rd) annual Culture Shifting Weekend in Silicon Valley. That experience led me to work directly with people who are leading the diversity and inclusion (D&I) in tech movement including Sr. Director Miguel Castro, Lead for Culture & Identity, Global Diversity & Inclusion, and VP Danny Allen, Tech Diversity & Inclusion at SAP Labs.
My deeper look inside SAP’s D&I work lead me to conducting a Q&A with Brian Reaves, SVP, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Office of the CEO and Jewell Parkinson, Head of Human Resources, SAP North America about what they are excited about in this space. Brian and Jewell are broadening transparency and progressing goal setting externally, reinforcing a culture that permits and surfaces diverse voices and compliments employee resource groups.
Here is what Brian and Jewell had to say:
Q: What is the biggest D&I goal you have for SAP in 2017?
A: This year, our goal is to hit 25% Women in Management globally and to continue to discuss a similar approach for underrepresented minorities in the U.S.
Q: What special "magic" do each of you bring to SAP, the team(s) you manage and influence?
A: Brian – My operating ethos is rooted in trust. To me trust is the “magic” that can deliver abundant levels of creativity, meaningful human connection and the ability to solve complex people and business problems.
A: Jewell – I’m an unapologetic champion for positive change and strive to increase the D&I EQ of all executives so that our organization can continue to thrive.
Q: How do you define diversity and innovation and how do you see that playing out for SAP?
A: According to Bersin by Deloitte, “inclusive cultures are six times more likely to be innovative, six times more likely to anticipate change and respond effectively, and twice as likely to meet or exceed financial targets.” At SAP, diversity is embraced as a business imperative. We encourage our leaders to educate themselves, understand the correlation between diversity and business results, and help create a culture of inclusion.
Q: What D&I human capital management technology or SaaS platform are you excited about?
A: We are developing SAP SuccessFactors solutions using machine-learning based biased language detection to help eliminate bias in every decision point of the end-to-end talent lifecycle, from hiring through succession. By leveraging Artificial Intelligence, SAP SuccessFactors is working to uncover biases we are not even aware that we have.
Suffice to say, tech needs more diversity and inclusion. You’ve read the stories and seen the dismal numbers. But I’m excited about the role SAP can play in the larger movement around diversity and inclusion in corporate America and in tech specifically. There is an enormous amount of wood to chop, opportunities to harvest and create, but I haven’t been this excited about a single company leading in this way, well, ever!
Keep your eye on SAP as you will be seeing more D&I measurable progress from them soon.
You are welcome!