What are EU Projects of Common Interest?
Apr 15, 2024
Proactive
When faced with a challenge, all ideas and points of view are often welcome in order to find a solution. If we are also facing a major challenge, such as the energy transition, they are of even greater need. Because the path towards emissions reduction, energy efficiency, sustainable mobility, increased use of renewable energies and digital transformation is better done together than alone. And, if possible, with people from different backgrounds that provide multiple perspectives based on differentiation and uniqueness.
For companies that are immersed in this process, having professionals with diverse characteristics, experiences and visions enriches the talent of their organisation. Different perspectives enhance creativity and innovation and facilitate more agile decision-making.
Faced with the challenges posed by the energy transition, companies require skills and qualities that diversity helps to promote, for example:
Incorporating people with diversity of thought, gender or functional diversity, for example, is highly recommendable and positive in today’s changing environment
1. In most companies there are teams that are made up of people of different genders, nationalities or beliefs. Being able to work together is a necessity, but, in addition, this pooling of talents has important benefits for companies and enriches their performance. Encouraging their collaboration is therefore essential for projects to move forward, and this requires an understanding of their different needs.
2. Societies are becoming increasingly pluralistic and diverse. There are people of different abilities entering all kinds of jobs, people migrating for work, young people newly entering the work environment or older people who continue working. This means that companies must adapt their products, services or communications to different audiences, and this will require professionals with different profiles.
3. Better preparation for new challenges. From a generational point of view, a competitive advantage can be gained with the sum of baby boomers’ experience, Generation Xers’ knowledge, millennials’ purpose orientation and centennials’ familiarity with technology. Also, incorporating people with diversity of thought, gender or functional diversity, for example, is highly recommendable and positive in today’s changing environment.
4. Diversity will be key to talent retention. Professionals entering the labour market often want to be part of a diverse environment. They want to connect with people of different cultures and races, to learn from senior colleagues, to feel at ease in a respectful and flexible working environment that integrates and cares for people of different backgrounds, identities and life orientations.
5. Sharing very different skills, values, visions and experiences multiplies the potential of a team because it fosters creativity or innovation and improves decision-making or problem-solving.
6. Diversity in business is a factor that must be considered in socially responsible investments. This type of investment, which in addition to financial criteria takes into account ESG criteria (environment, social impact and governance), is becoming increasingly common and greatly valued. Companies need to take care of these indicators in order to attract sustainability-seeking investments; and diversity plays a prominent role in assessing company composition, board plurality, community impact and codes of conduct.
A diverse team is a source of learning and improves the competitiveness of companies
Diversity and plurality not only reflect social reality, they are also a tool for change and improvement that enriches the creative processes of companies and strengthens their structure. Diversity management must be constructive: a diverse and heterogeneous team is a source of both personal and professional learning and improves the competitiveness of companies.