This is a guest post from Sharon Pegg, Group Inclusion and Diversity Manager at The Co-operative Group and Executive Board Member at the Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI)

Change is constant in today’s VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) business environment – and HR is often on the front line of managing organisational transformations.

However, while professionals are increasingly conscious that change programmes don’t hinder ongoing diversity initiatives – HR can go one step further and capitalise on wholesale organisational change to fast-track HR inclusion strategies.

While, as a function, HR is well versed in designing processes around the architectural components of change – and managing the emotional impact it will have on those affected – the relationship between change management and D&I continues to be largely undervalued.

The success of the introduction of new business strategies is now commonly aligned with, and measured in, retention and productivity – but relevance enquiries often fail to take into account any impact on diversity. 

Any change management programme – regardless of scale – is implemented in the spirt of innovation. Change initiatives, whether they be the introduction of new technology or a relocation project, are essentially introduced to solve a problem. However, in an effort to overcome one issue, another hurdle can easily be created. In fact, a report which pulls results from 49 studies on major change projects, found that complex initiatives fail up to 81 per cent of the time. Furthermore, the report found that change projects fail due to organisational resistance almost twice as often as they do because of any technical issue.

Recognising change

On a practical level, it is HR’s responsibility to offer robust support for any changing environment, such as ensuring that managers are provided with the training and information they need to answer employee questions. However, in reality, existing proposals can offer an exciting opportunity to achieve wider HR objectives.

Despite the reality that change is often well underway before HR is even involved, savvy HR professionals can recognise change, and advise on how opportunities can be used to improve the people agenda.  

Just 19%of HR leaders who said innovation is in their top organisation priorities

According to this year’s HR Outlook report from the CIPD, just 19 per cent of HR leaders who said innovation is in their top organisation priorities said they are focusing on workforce diversity to help achieve this. Given the extent of the evidence linking workforce diversity to improved innovation, this finding seems surprising – even more so given that 31 per cent of non-HR leaders think HR should be focusing on diversity.

The recognition of the business case for diversity in the workplace is by no means a new phenomenon – it is now widely accepted that greater diversity really does have a positive impact on core organisational outcomes. The research most often cited as evidence was provided by separate studies by consultants Catalyst and McKinsey, both published in 2007.

These studies compared the financial performance of organisations according to the gender diversity at senior levels – and both found that greater diversity had a notable impact on businesses profitability. It is also universally understood that outdated policies and procedures can have a negative impact on inclusion – specifically with regards to those with disabilities. Change offers the opportunity to put in place systems which improve accessibility.

For example, the introduction of new software offers the chance to roll-out systems which are fully accessible. Similarly, a new website, logo, or candidate attraction marketing campaign can be optimised for audiences with hearing or sight conditions. A relocation to new premises can present an opportunity to make your office space inviting to those with reduced mobility. And the introduction of a new staff-satisfaction measurement strategy offers the opportunity to gain valuable insight into the needs of your people so that adjustments can be made accordingly.

Making a positive change

Ultimately, D&I strategy and change management programmes should not compete for HR’s attentions. Rather, diversity strategy should be integral to every project – change offers the chance to build fresh strategy from the ground up. 

There are 12 million disabled people in the UK but according to the latest government statistics, just 47 per cent of people with disabilities of working age were in employment between October and December 2015. Among non-disabled people, this figure stood at 80 per cent. Change offers HR the chance to make a positive difference to this figure.

While any HR professional will know that introducing the unfamiliar can be challenging, by thinking outside the box, change management initiatives can provide a real opportunity to wipe the slate clean and rewrite the rules on accessibility.

If your team is taking steps to engage with disabled talent, don’t keep quiet about it – enter the RIDI Awards today. The awards are free to both enter and attend – submissions close on the 19th September 2016.