What is the importance of DEI for advertising companies? Advertising Week Asia 2023 Report | Web Dentsu

Achieving gender equality at the decision-making level has become a major issue, and companies have set targets to achieve the ratio of women in managerial and executive positions.

At the Gender Equality Conference held by the Cabinet Office, in April this year, the goal was to increase the ratio of women among executives of companies listed on the prime market to 30% or more by 2030. On the other hand, the latest gender gap index announced the other day is 125th, which is down from last year, and it can be said that the problem is getting bigger rather than being solved.

What is the significance of efforts to achieve gender equality at the DEI and decision-making level for advertising companies? Introducing the sessions held at Advertising Week Asia 2023*. Based on the results of the “DE&I Questionnaire Survey” conducted by the DE&I Committee of the Japan Advertising Agencies Association (JAAA), three people working to promote DEI had a discussion.

*Advertising Week: The world’s largest marketing and communication event where a wide range of industries, including marketing, advertising, technology, and entertainment, are connected to explore future solutions together.

From left: Waseda University Graduate School Professor Akie Iriyama, dentsu Japan Chief Sustainability Officer Yuko Kitakaze, Hakuhodo DY Holdings Sustainability Office Manager Shizuka Nakajima

Diversity is the source of innovation

Nakajima:First, the first theme. I would like to ask why the number of female managers does not exceed 30% and how we can increase it.

According to a survey conducted by JAAA, the average ratio of female managers in the Japanese advertising industry is currently 13.2%. This is a very low standard by world standards. Every company is taking steps to increase this percentage to 30% by 2030.

Entering the mountain:Why can’t it exceed 30%? I think the biggest issue is that the goal is to exceed 30%. We are trying to move forward, saying, “We have to do it because it is our duty,” without getting down to “why diversity is necessary.” I feel like that’s the trend. In fact, when I asked a person from the DEI promotion department of a company, “Why do you want to do diversity in the first place?”, the answer was “I don’t know.” I think this is the reason why the number of women in managerial positions is not increasing.

Why is diversity necessary? I think there can be various reasons, but one of the big reasons is to bring about innovation from a management perspective. A company without innovation has no future. As Schumpeter has been advocating for 90 years, innovation happens in the combination of knowledge at a distance. Humans have knowledge. It is decided that people with such distant knowledge will be stronger if they are in the same organization. That is why the organization needs diversity.

north wind:You’re right. The reason I also need diversity is simple: “You can’t win unless everyone is active.” In order to do a good job, I think that you should form a team with people who have opinions different from yours and people who can do things that you cannot do. Otherwise, good ideas will not come out. If you remember that experience, it might be easier to understand why diversity is necessary.

That’s why I say “everyone can play an active role,” not “women’s active participation.” It is important to become an organization in which all employees can play an active role, and I believe that women are part of that.

It is necessary to create an environment where you can “Be You”

Entering the mountain:A company with only men has a higher compliance risk. In the case of Japan, in fact, there are cases where small and medium-sized companies that feel a labor shortage are more advanced than large companies in terms of DEI.

north wind:When it gets too big, you’re afraid to change. He loses confidence that “something has to change”. Instead, if you can’t be yourself, the company has a problem. It’s important that you show your strength and be able to ‘Be You’. I think it is my job to create such an environment.

Entering the mountain:You are right. Diversity can only be established when there is “inclusion”. It is meaningless to simply bring together a diverse range of people. Combining separate knowledge makes a company stronger. In other words, I think it’s extremely important that these people can freely express their opinions on “Be You.” It’s called psychological safety.

What happens when diversity permeates? Actually, I have a problem with the meeting. Japan today is a unanimous culture. That’s not how innovation happens. After promoting diversity, it is important to create an environment that draws out the opinions of many people. For that, the facilitation ability of the manager is necessary.

After a while, the director is talking all the way through the 90-minute meeting. That doesn’t make sense, does it? In a radial relationship where the manager is at the center and instructs the surrounding employees, the horizontal relationship between employees deteriorates and psychological safety is lost. As in a certain variety show, when Hinadan performers take the lead in discussions instead of the moderators, side-by-side collaboration naturally develops, and opinions like “Be You” emerge. In order to create such an environment, diversity training for managers is very important.

north wind:Diversity in Japan definitely lacks “equity.” When we try to increase the number of women in managerial positions, we are told that “women don’t want to be in managerial positions in the first place,” but I think it’s only natural. No one wants to be empowered without a role model or self-confidence.

Entering the mountain:I think one of the reasons for the lack of equity is that men tend to have less experience with minorities. My personal suggestion is if you are a man with children, go to the parent-teacher conference at your school. When I actually participated, almost all the participants in the parents’ meeting were women. It really made me realize the importance of psychological safety.

Another factor is the lack of opportunities for mutual understanding. For example, Unicharm conducts menstruation training in which both men and women participate. By learning and discussing menstruation in a place where psychological safety is high, not only women’s worries but also men’s worries are naturally discussed, and mutual understanding is progressing. I believe that setting up a forum for mutual understanding like this is one form of equity.

Nakajima:When it comes to promoting women’s empowerment, men may feel that they are being blamed and shrink. The promotion of DE&I should be positive in nature, and that is why I think it is necessary to actively give feedback on good initiatives.

Create a mechanism to change behavior rather than consciousness

Nakajima:What can we do and what should we change to create a diverse society where everyone can play an active role?

north wind:It is very difficult to change people’s minds, and it is presumptuous. That’s why I think it’s important to create a “mechanism to change behavior” like 1on1. Creating such a system is something that advertising companies are good at, isn’t it?

Entering the mountain:I agree with you. People cannot change. However, you can create opportunities for yourself to change. Advertising companies are positioned in the middle of connecting companies and society. If the center changes, the whole society will change. I think advertising companies have a role to play.
I would like you to aim to be an organization that can provide opportunities for society as a whole to engage, including diversity.