Insights

Many business decisions, especially when it comes to our people and culture, cannot be reduced to data and calculations

As a company that develops software solutions for a more sustainable asset management system for different organizations, we fully believe and acknowledge the power of data and advanced analytics. Yet we also acknowledge that there are still many decisions in business, especially when it comes to our people and culture, that cannot be reduced to data and calculations.

A few years back, Grant Thornton published an International Business Report survey where 3, 400 business leaders in 45 economies were asked to tell how important they believe certain attributes are to good leadership. Integrity, communication, and a positive attitude, as well as confidence and the ability to inspire, were universally agreed upon by the respondents.

However, not everyone is aligned on the importance of creativity and intuition.

The ranking of creativity and intuition among Asian leaders

The survey discovered that among business leaders worldwide, Asian leaders in particular put more value in creativity and intuition compared to European leaders.

As an organization that is made up of highly creative and passionate individuals who develop software solutions to empower our clients in making better management and investment decisions, creative problem solving is one of the most vital traits we should continuously nurture. That’s why proper representation of the diverse cultures that comprises our organization is one of the most important ways in keeping the bright minds at Gen inspired and supported to continue the good work we’re doing.

However, we are fully aware that right now, 7% of what makes our senior leadership identifies as Asian. This means that our Asian colleagues from around the world are not properly represented in our leadership teams. And we would like for that to change.

More than enabling equal opportunity for all applicants who are interested to join our organization, we are also actively driving genuine inclusion and representation by mapping out the career development of all our employees.

These are our first steps and we know that we have a long way to go. But I believe that more than having a plan for diversity and proper representation, actualizing these possibilities in all levels do not only promote a better culture within Gen, it also results for our product developers, engineers and the like to build better products which, ultimately serves to better help the societies we cater to.

We know that inclusion takes action

Gen has only been operating for a year and during this time, we’ve been putting a lot of focus on how we develop our teams and how we align with our company values. One of which is Global Inclusion where a part of its ethos in our Values Handbook states:

We know that when we invite all voices,
not only the loudest or the ones most like us,
we solve the hardest problems

And we know that we can only live out this value in particular by being much more proactive in making sure that the culturally diverse groups that make our organization are well represented.

This ongoing journey towards being truly globally inclusive ensures that Gen will keep growing a community made up of creative and intuitive individuals from diverse cultural and geographical backgrounds that bring different types of values to the table.

One could argue that decisions requiring creativity and intuition are the very decisions where leadership is most called for and tested. In a fast-moving, digitally powered world, creativity and intuition could be the difference between gaining ground as an innovator and getting left behind.

Conclusion

As we start the celebration of Asian Heritage month, Gen is committed to continuing our journey towards proper representation in all levels, especially for all the Asian members of our community.