The word Ethics, come from the Greek work ethos – “character, one’s distinguishing attitudes and beliefs”. We all claim to live our lives ethically, driven by our personal mastery and ethics. Ask any business whether they are ethical, you are likely to get a resounding, yes. If you probe any further on how this is substantiated, you are likely to get a result around accounting practices and “how the books are balanced”.

Taking this one step further, ask any business whether they are diverse, and you get the “Of course, we have a strong diversity agenda”. What does that mean? It usually means that diversity scorecards are kept and that they are managed so that the targets are met. Great, metrics again… The ticks are in the appropriate boxes.

Well, I would like to ask you to consider how your company honestly fares from an ethical perspective in managing Diversity. Are there groups within your company that are not represented or marginalised? Do they have a voice? … And are those voices listened to and actioned upon?

Let’s focus on your Leadership team. How many are white, males over 40? How many are women? How many of your Senior Leaders are from ethnic minorities?

Yes, in the lower echelons of the business, you are likely to have great representation of all ethnic groups. But why do they somehow drip through the holes up the rungs in the organisational ladder?

So, if you are to be an ethical business from a people management and talent management perspective, consider:

How can you give a voice to groups that are not currently represented?

Affinity groups are great – but you need to make them part of the business rather than a separate oddity. Work with them to identify ways to tap into their specific markets or areas of representation. They are the best internal innovation forum you can get your hands on!

What can you raise the profile of diverse groups for the benefit of the business?

Try exposing the Board to thoughts or ideas that are non-traditional by asking individuals or teams to find ways they would improve the organisation in some specific ways or tap into a new market. Ask them to present them to the Board, don’t just get someone in middle-management to convey the message.

How can your business cross-fertilise values and ideas between individuals?

Making diversity part of the fabric of the organisation requires allowing your employees to celebrate who they are. Cultural drivers need to be appreciated. Enable your talented staff to communicate to each other what those are. This is not fluffy, soft-skills “stuff”. This should be part of your hard management skills to bring the best of your employees, increasing their engagement. Only when people are understood, do they feel they are part of the organisation and dedicate 100% of their all to it.

Ethical business requires more than just balancing books. Balancing representation and giving a voice to all within your organisation will lead to your long-term success.

 ”It is not who you know, but who knows you”. It is ironic that the old adage has been brought back to light with the likes of Linked In, Twitter and other social networks.

I remember, in my previous life as a corporate employee, networking was not something I sought after nor that I had even had an inkling would become as valuable as it is today. The technology just was not there. However, technology has become the catalyst to changing the way we work, play and communicate.

Even the most agnostic of us, and I include myself in that category, have now succumbed to joining at least one social network and perhaps are even attempting to understand the twitter universe.

I am, however, now converted. The problem until now has been that business has resisted the influx of ideas/communication from the outside-in. Business has, and will change. Whilst some monolith organisations insist on “controlling” their employees’ time on the internet, personal emailing, access to social networks, technology in my view is bound to win.

As business owners we have to wake up to one fact: if we are employing employees who are both engaged (they love what they do) and we treat them as mature individuals that they are (and the fact that we are paying serious salaries should indicate that they should be able to decide on how to best allocate their time), then the “control” element would be eradicated.

But that is the problem… Following double redundancy in the last bust in 2001, I still refuse to work in a corporate environment despite the fact that I would find solace in the amazingly wonderful perk of a consistent (high) salary. If we want to continue to fight the war on adulthood by treating employees like children, so be it. However, we are, as the intelligent and forward thinking Peter Senge noted, in the Knowledge Economy. Your employees are there because of what they have between their ears and can make intelligent, powerfully effective decisions, even if they may go against the grain a bit.

As a born change agent, I have always been at the fore-front of change. I was brought in as the first saleswoman in a 250 male sales-force in the most traditional market for the business – Spain. I was brought in to open the organisations’ door to a B2C offering; in another, I was brought in to run the International Development department single-handedly so as to achieve cost efficiencies. Looking back, my most amazing realisation (and this is where hindsight is a powerful thing) is that where I succeeded and where I failed there was one real difference: teams that supported new influences and new ways of thinking, I thrived in. Companies that suffered from the “not invented here”, or “this is the way we do things” stigma are the ones that consequently I either walked out of or where redundancy ensued (and where the business is still reeling from bad management).

So, I will get of my soapbox and ask a few pertinent questions to help you on your thinking on this:

• Do you have a sales force? Do they have their ear to the ground? Hopefully, your answer would be yes. If so, would you not take their recommendations seriously if they came back with a request or approach relating to a customer? Why not do the same thing with employees who are not directly in sales? After all, they are knowledgeable about the business and could propose an idea or approach that could be highly beneficial for the business
• Watch your employees. Do you get the sense there is dedication from them in how they work? Or are they spending hours “looking” busy. We have all been there – looking busy whilst surfing the net. It’s great to master that seriously-in-thought- and- about- to- be -engulfed- by- the-computer- screen-look. If you suspect that no, then why is that the case? Any chance you could engage in a dialogue with that person to understand what they get really fired up about and enjoy doing?
• Do you give your employees time to think about solving problems by finding the solution outside the company? Have you even tried that? Team days away are useful, but in this context it is about allowing your individuals to tap into the theta brain-waves. Yes, those are the times when we get free-flow: the Eureka, or Aha! moment is typical of this. Why not allow employees time off to problem-solve?

So back to technology. The issue with allowing employees access to Linked-In or facebook, is not the technology per se. It is the fear of us or our companies not “controlling” our employees; the fear that they are not giving 100% of their time to us. Frankly the maths does not add up for me if my business were to have 100% of 10% of someone’s commitment. I would rather have 100% of 100%. Wouldn’t you?

So, join us on bidiversity’s Linked-In group on: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1935116

However, we would argue that this is the time for companies to look at disrupting the market, identifying ways to win market share when the competition may be doing its share of navel-gazing.

B-net has recently published a few excellent stories for inspiration on how to Unleash your Inner Intrapreneur. When setting off on this path to change, there are a number of key ingredients:

Imagine this were your business, you were setting up from scratch. So you need to have a clear idea of:

• The customers you are servicing
• Why they would buy your product and not your competition’s
• What the business model is and revenue streams
• What is the investment to achieve the desired revenues required

Whilst you are doing this, it is critical to unleash your personal PR plan:

• Build a network of sponsors: do not be afraid to ask for advice before asking for resources
• Build a team of enthusiastic volunteers

All entrepreneurs, me included, have gone down the “world domination” route, seeing our product or service everywhere, knowing our offering is the next best thing since sliced bread. What happens, though, when you express too much, too soon? What happened the last time someone said to you “You have to go see this film!” It did not live up to your expectations? Correct?

Influence with humility

We invite you to consider asking important sponsors for their advice rather than go in with the sales pitch. Let them buy into the process by becoming your advisors or mentors. Seek their experience to guide you, particularly through the political minefield of the organisation.

Keep going and learn, fast

Be prepared to be rebuffed, as not everyone will see your vision in the way you see it. You will always face the “not invented here” or “this is not the way we do things” argumentation. If someone did not embrace your vision, consider why. Rather than reject them, ask yourself what you could have done differently, or said differently, to have won them over.

Be creative, consider alternatives

It is not easy to express the importance of being flexible, being creative about your path. I know from very painful experience that when your mind is set on something, it is hard to consider other alternatives to your plan. I urge you to take them on board.

In my case of entrepreneurial folly, I needed, wanted, desired a retail outlet in London’s most expensive area, Mayfair. A retail space that was a reflection of my brand and offered a controlled, multi-sensory experience. In my mind, there were definite ways to meet the cash-flow required to sustain that investment. However, I learnt the hard way that projections are but numbers. They are not reality. I now wished I had had someone to reign me in and advise me of alternatives. Perhaps there were those critics around me, but perhaps I chose not to listen. When I had to declare the business voluntarily insolvent and practically lost everything I owned, I realised where my shortfalls were.

So, for budding intrapreneurs, innovating in the corporate world is challenging, as you do not have free reign. But you do have those around you who can help you by modifying, revisiting and reviewing your plans, as well as building your network of supporters and sponsors. Take it from a risk-taker: it is better to move cautiously than too quickly. In the first instance you have time to assess your developments; in the latter, you are over the edge quickly and then it is too late to turn around.