How to Make Diversity and Inclusion Policies Work

She's the CEO of Ikea Switzerland, the first company to reach the highest level of gender certification from EDGE, the foundation that tests corporations' policies and practices in five areas: equal pay, recruitment and promotion, leadership development, flexible working, company culture. After all Simona Scarpaleggia, who attended a CEGA master at SDA Bocconi in the mid 80s, is dealing with gender equality for twenty years now. She founded the Valore D association in Italy and the Advance - Women in Swiss Business network in Switzerland. Since March 2016 she is co-chair of the UN High-Level Panel on Women's Economic Empowerment that will provide recommendations for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to improve economic outcomes for women and promote women's leadership.
Why did Ikea Switzerland agree to get certified?
We worked on gender equality for nearly ten years now. We wanted to get a validation, start a path to maintain the existing levels of equality, know if there was any room for improvement.
How does the EDGE assessment methodology work?
It works on three levels. The first one is the analysis of data such as wages and gender balance. The sustainability of those data is then investigated through checking for policies that protect equality. Finally, the perception is analyzed through interviews and assessment questionnaires. They involved 60% of Ikea Switzerland employees.
Which company policies have been implemented to achieve such a result?
What matters the most is the presence of leaders that promote inclusion and a deeply rooted corporate values system, that we repeatedly verify and encourage. Then we have a diversity & inclusion policy. Its motto is "be yourself": it states the desire to appreciate the individual for what he is and it urges him to develop his potential. Finally, we turned the smart working and part-time paradigm inside out: they aren't the prelude of marginalization or departure from the company anymore.
Do quotas work for gender equality?
In my experience, they aren't necessary. Yet in some Scandinavian countries they had a positive outcome. In any case I would not call them pink quotas. Let's call them gender quotas, which is applicable to both sexes.
You were deputy country manager of Ikea Italy. Do you see any difference between the two countries with regards to gender equality?
Statistics say that the two countries are similar, but their approach is not. In Switzerland, especially in the German-speaking regions, traditional family values are even stronger than in Italy. There's even a derogatory term for a working woman: Rabenmütter, the crow-mom. On the other hand, a stronger pragmatism allows the society to change faster.
Does gender equality spur growth?
Yes it does. The company performance improves by broadening the base of available workers. In gender-mixed teams there are better interactions and the creative and decision-making processes are more effective. The company is more attractive for talents.