Abstract

The case documents the efforts of Judith Michelle Williams (Williams), Head of People Sustainability and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO) at Germany-based multinational software corporation SAP SE, to make the company a diverse and inclusive workplace. The case takes a brief look at SAP’s journey and provides the key highlights of Williams’ career. It then elaborates on the various challenges that Williams encountered in her quest for improving D&I at SAP and the strategies she implemented to overcome them. In-depth information is provided as well about the way Williams harnessed diversity data to improve D&I and adopted Artificial Intelligence (AI) to combat unconscious bias in HR processes. The case also delves into the numerous initiatives undertaken by Williams to increase African-American representation at SAP. Apart from enforcing various D&I strategies for underrepresented groups, she sought to create a sense of belonging for them at SAP. Williams also took up the task to have a more diverse tech ecosystem. Can Williams’ D&I efforts at SAP influence other companies, partners, and customers to adopt the same, enabling her to realize her desire to make the world more equitable?

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the challenges of having a diverse workforce in the technology industry
• Examine the business implications of having workplace diversity
• Develop strategies to address unconscious bias in HR processes
• Analyze the use of diversity data and AI to solve D&I issues
• Formulate tactics to aid workforce diversity

Keywords

Diversity, inclusion and belonging; Workplace Diversity; AI; Data and Analytics; Unconscious Bias Human Resource Planning; Underrepresentation; Tech Ecosystem; Millenials; D&I Benefits; Outcomes-based Strategy; Organizational Culture Change; Analytics; Intervention Strategies; Leadership Training