Repositorio IE

Understanding diversity and its connection with identity in global organizations is particularly relevant at this moment in history, often described as tribal and whose driving force takes the form of a collective mindset, as illustrated by many terms that have recently entered into currency: co-creation, co-working, co-thinking or co-financing, along with working collectively, all key elements in the new forms of economic activity. The first step to correctly manage diversity is to understand what it means, as well as understand the different types of diversity that can be found in global organizations. This is covered in the first part of this chapter. We then move to the relationship between diversity and identity. Understanding identities helps us to use the existing tools correctly to effectively include diversity in corporate life. Next, we define how diversity fits in the new tribal context and how companies can use the emerging collective mindset as a driving force. The concept of collective individualism can help companies balance our desire for community with our individual needs. Finally, we describe the case of Spanish insurance company, MAPFRE, as an illustration of how corporate communities of aspiration can become a powerful tool for companies to channel the power of diversity into innovative energy.