• SEAT S.A. Executive Vice-president for Human Resources and Organisation Xavier Ros and Dr. Julia Sperling, neuroscientist and Global Leader at McKinsey’s Organization Practice, talk about inclusion as a factor for business success
• Both agree that the role of diversity is key to attracting and retaining talent in companies
• The new Moving Forward podcast is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Ivoox

Martorell, 11/11/2021. Businesses are scaled representations of human behaviour in society: diverse, dynamic and with a collective identity. This is why inclusion is so important when it comes to helping a company, or a society, thrive. SEAT S.A. Executive Vice-president for Human Resources and Organisation Xavier Ros and Dr. Julia Sperling, neuroscientist and Global Leader at McKinsey’s Organization Practice, participated in SEAT S.A.’s podcast Moving Forward to discuss diversity, inclusion and different talent as a factor for business success.

A model of society in the company. “With more than 15,000 employees, including four generations of workers, 67 different nationalities, 26 languages and members of the LGBTI+ community, we are a diverse company” explains Ros. “That’s why we want to promote work environments in which each and every one of our employees feel safe, confident and comfortable” he adds.

Thriving with diverse talent. Drawing on her experience as a neuroscientist, Dr. Sperling has analysed the role of unconscious bias when it comes to hiring talent. “Unconscious biases are part of the way we see the world and are sometimes difficult to identify, let alone influence” she explains. “We all have unconscious biases and we must learn to recognise them; you’re never too old to fight them.” In this sense, “we tend to miss out on great talent that’s different, that we should recruit exactly for this purpose, because they’re different, because they can bring different perspectives”. And she adds: “But the brain is primarily working in a way that recognises patterns and it loves the patterns that it’s familiar with”.

Inclusion, another word for success. Along these lines, Ros stressed that “in a diverse workforce, it will be easier to attract diverse talent”, to what Dr. Sperling adds that there is “a direct correlation between diversity and business success; more diverse and inclusive companies are more likely to outperform their competitors.” According to Ros, the explanation is simple: “When our employees feel accepted and valued, they are happier and more engaged” to the company. Therefore, “it’s important to foster this inclusion, regardless of gender, skin colour, origin or religion, so that everyone has the same opportunities to unleash their full potential.” To which  Dr. Sperling adds: “Great leaders think alike, but world-class leaders think differently.”

The new episode of the SEAT S.A. podcast is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and iVoox.