INSTRUCTIONS
1. Read the case; Equality as a Core Value: The Case of Salesforce.com
2. Watch supplemental video: Proudly Me
3. Answer questions 1-5 below
QUESTIONS
1. Why do you think Salesforce is committed to equality as a core value?
2. What are your thoughts regarding the distinction between diversity and inclusion
(or equality, as it is called in the case)? Do you believe diversity without inclusion
can be effective? Or inclusion without diversity?
3. Salesforce clearly puts a lot of resources into ensuring inclusiveness. Which of the
methods described in the case are applicable to a smaller business with more
limited resources? Do you believe that effective management of diversity
necessitates a resource-rich environment?
4. The company had to rectify a gender pay gap twice. What would be your advice
for companies aiming to achieve pay fairness? What are ways in which companies
may structure their pay systems so that gender pay gap does not emerge in the
first place?
5. What is the value of employee resource groups? Under which conditions do you
elieve such programs will be effective tools in helping to develop an inclusive
culture?
*** Case & video on next page***
EQUALITY AS A CORE VALUE: THE CASE OF SALESFORCE.COM
The San Francisco–based Customer
Relationship Management (CRM)
company Salesforce.com is unique in
many ways. The founder and CEO, Marc
Benioff, is known for his vision for
philanthropy, which has been encoded
into the 1-1-1 system em
aced by the
company. Specifically, Salesforce
pledges to give back 1% of its equity,
products, and employee hours back to
communities in which they operate.
Given the visionary leadership focusing
on social issues, perhaps it is not
surprising that diversity is one of the
four core values of Salesforce. Except
that instead of diversity, the company uses the term “equality.”
The company
eaks with the tradition of appointing a Chief Diversity Officer, opting for
a “Chief Equality Officer.” This is a deliberate choice on the part of the company. The
company’s Chief Equality Officer, Tony Prophet, explains why diversity by itself is not
enough:
“Diversity is absolutely essential, and we have work to do that, but once you have diversity
you’re not done. Then you have inclusion where you’re really getting the very best out of every
employee. When you have an inclusive environment, you feel seen, you feel included, and you
feel valued. You feel like you can
ing your whole self to work. That is a competitive
advantage to have a larger pool of talent. When you get ideas from people with different
perspectives, the result is the beauty and the melding of their ideas, which adds to the
complexity of the mosaic.”
The company strives to cultivate a culture of Ohana (the word for “family” in Hawaiian
language). It views inclusion as an ongoing goal to be strived for, and it deploys
numerous tools and resources to achieve this goal. For example, the company cu
ently
has 12 Employee Resource Groups called Ohanas. These groups include Abilityforce
(aiming to achieve an inclusive culture for people of all abilities and disabilities), Outforce
(promoting an open and inclusive culture for employees of all sexual orientations and
gender identities), and Faithforce (
inging together employees of all faiths). The goal of
these groups is to ensure that employees can
ing their whole, authentic selves to work.
Half of the employees participate in at least one of these groups, with the goal that all
senior executives are connected to one as an ally.
A key tool the company uses to ensure equality is to collect and use data to assess the
status quo, identify areas for improvement, and take action. In 2015, the company made
the news and spent $3 million to rectify their discovered gender pay gap. After their
analysis revealed pay differences that could not be explained by geography, seniority,
and responsibilities, they made adjustments to the pay of 17,000 employees (men and
women), representing 6% of the company’s workforce. They have since done an equal
pay assessment every year. As of 2020, the company had spent over $12 million in
addressing pay differences. The company publishes diversity numbers annually and
measures the level of inclusiveness through questions in their attitude surveys.
The company supports numerous programs as part of its inclusive culture. A high-
potential leadership program aims to provide leadership skills in order to help the
advancement of women in the workplace. Coding workshops for girls seek to demystify
programming for girls around the world. The annual equality award announced in their
annual developer conference aims to raise the profile of diversity and inclusiveness
trailblazers from all industries. The company views equality both as a key social issue to
help create a better world, and a source of competitive advantage for their own success.
Multimedia Extension: Proudly Me
https:
youtu.be/BKjq-o9FFXs
https:
www.youtube.com/embed/BKjq-o9FFXs?feature=oembed