1.
Provocativethinking,transformativeinsights, tangibleoutcomes
Where Culture Makers lead,
organizations grow twice as fast
GETTING TO EQUAL 2020
THEHIDDENVALUE
OFCULTUREMAKERS

2.
To get to equal, we must transform workplace
culture, but progress remains slow.

3.
67%
Men
77%
Women
How important are the following factors in
helping you to thrive in the workplace?
% of employees who cite 8+ (out of 11 total)
culture elements as “(very) important”
77% of women and 67% of men
believe culture is important in helping
them to thrive in the workplace.
Culture is important for the
majority of employees
Source: Employee survey, Women N=14,900, Men N=15,213

4.
Employee
expectations around
culture are on the rise
How important are the following factors in
helping you to thrive in the workplace?
% of employees (by generation) who cite 8+
(out of 11 total) culture elements as “(very)
important”
Younger generations tend to be even
more concerned with workplace culture
than their older counterparts: 75% of Gen
Z (vs. 64% Boomers) say culture is
important.
Source: Employee survey, Baby Boomers N=3,047, Gen X N=9,863, Gen Y N=15,474, Gen Z N=2,043
Baby Boomers
1944-1964
Gen X
1965-1980
Gen Y
1981-1994
Gen Z
1995 or later
64%
70%
75%
75%

5.
Over the past three years, we have
asked employees to share their
perceptions of leaders’ efforts to build
more inclusive cultures – the results
are flat indicating that employees see
no improvement.
Index showing employee perception of leaders'
efforts to build more inclusive cultures
Score out of 100, where 100 is complete commitment;
9 questions used in total.
Yet, employees report
no progress in leaders'
efforts to build a more
equal workplace
55 58 55
2018 2019 2020
Source: Employee survey, 2018 N=19,522, 2019 N=15,629, 2020 N=30,282

6.
Leaders say they
recognize the
importance of
culture, but it
remains a low
priority

7.
How important do you believe the following factors are to the profitability and long-term viability of your organization?
% important % important -> % top 2 box, 5pt importance scale
Most leaders say a culture of equality is important
75% Women
65% Men
Source: Executive survey, N=1,748
Financial Performance 63%
Work diversity
Environmental impact/sustainability
64%
68%
68%
72%
75%
77%
77%
An inclusive workplace environment/culture
Using emerging technologies responsibly
Attracting and retaining the right talent
Innovation
Brand reputation
Majority of leaders (68%) believe an inclusive workplace environment/culture is vital to the
success of their business.

8.
Financial
Performance
76%
72%
57% 54% 54%
34%
21%
17%
Brand /
Quality
Innovation Expansion Talent Diversity Culture Environment
Just 21% of leaders identify
culture as a top priority;
76% identify financial
performance.
Which of the following are the top
current priorities for your
organization?
Respondents could select up to 5
from list of 16
But culture remains a low priority
Source: Executive survey, Non-government organizations, N=1,656

9.
We found big
perception gaps
between what
leaders say they
are doing and
what employees
experience

10.
Two thirds of leaders (68%) feel they create
empowering environments in which employees
can be themselves; can raise concerns; and can
innovate without fear of failure. Just one third
(36%) of employees agree.
Leaders believe employees
are more empowered than
they actually feel
Source: Employee survey, Women N=14,900, Men N=15,213
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the
following statements?
% respondents who agree with 5 or more statements
about an empowering workplace environment
36%
Employees
68%
Executives

11.
We found big perception gaps between what leaders
say they are doing and what employees experience
Executive: How would they describe your employees’ sense of inclusion within your organization?
Employee: Which of the following statements best describes how you feel in your team/organization?
The proportion of employees who do not feel included in their organizations is 10x higher
than leaders believe.
26%
37%
18%
51%
36%
10%
20%
2%
Not at all included Completely includedSomewhat includedNot very included
44%
88%
EMPLOYEES
EXECUTIVES
x10
Source: Employee survey, 2018 N=19,522, 2019 N=15,629, 2020 N=30,282

12.
To what extent are employees in your
organization given the ability to work from home
and/or the freedom to work around personal
commitments?
% Mostly / Completely
How much flexibility does your organization
provide over when and where you can work?
% A lot of flexibility / Complete flexibility
More than three-quarters of leaders (76%)
say employees have good control over
when, where, how they work. Just 29% of
employees agree.
Employees disagree with
leaders over how much
flexibility they have
Source: Employee survey, Women N=14,900, Men N=15,213
29%
Employees
76%
Executives

13.
Many employees don’t feel safe
raising sensitive issues
Employees feel much less safe raising a range of sensitive issues than leaders believe.
Source: Executive survey, All Leaders N=1,748, Culture Makers N=112, Employees survey N=30,282
Executive: To what extent do you believe employees in your organization feel safe to...
Employee: To what extent do you feel safe to...
% Quite / Completely safe
Raise a concern about the behaviour of
a senior colleague
Employees
Executives
Raise a concern about their mental
health
Be open about a physical disability
Tell their manager/supervisor that they are
not coping with the pressure at work
Be open about the fact that
they identify as LGBT+
81%
65%
81%
61%
84%
67%
81%
66%
77%
64%

14.
Copyright © 2020 Accenture. All rights reserved. Proprietary and confidential. 14
If leaders close the gap
by half, organizations
and employees
would benefit

15.
Closing the perception gap benefits employees
significantly
Narrowing the perception gap by half, would have very positive impacts on employee’s feelings
of inclusion, their senior leadership aspirations and retention.
INCLUSION
Employees would be more
likely to feel completely
included.
The proportion of women who
feel like a key member of their
team would rise* by 43%
from 1-in-4 to over 1-in-3,
while the proportion of men
who also feel that way would
rise by 5%.
Employees would be more
likely to aspire to senior
leadership.
The proportion of women who
have a strong ambition to
reach a leadership position in
their organization would
increase by 22% from 24%
to 29%, while men’s leadership
aspirations would remain the
same.
Employees would be less
likely to leave their
employer.
The proportion of women
planning to stay with their
current employer over the
next 12 months would rise*
by 5% from 85% to 89%. The
retention rate for men would
rise by 1%.
ASPIRATIONS RETENTION
*% change

16.
If companies were able to close perception gaps by half, we estimate that global profits
would be 33% higher per year. This would have added USD3.7 trillion to global corporate
profits in 2019.
Impact on global profits if the perception/reality gap
of employees is cut by 50%
USD trillion (2019)
Closing perception gaps could boost global profits
Source: Employee survey, 2018 N=19,522, 2019 N=15,629, 2020 N=30,282
3.7
11.3
Potential
Profits
Current
Profits (2019)
Annual increase in
global profits in our
model scenario
+33%

17.
Copyright © 2020 Accenture. All rights reserved. Proprietary and confidential. 17
Culture Makers
lead the way by
‘Saying, Doing
and Driving’
cultural change

18.
We identified a subset of senior executives who are ahead of the curve – they “Say, Do and Drive”
inclusive culture. Just 6% of leaders (9% of women leaders) are fully committed ‘Culture Makers’.
Introducing the culture makers
Source: Employee survey, Women N=14,900, Men N=15,213
Leaders segmented by commitment to
building more equal workplace cultures
% leaders
What does it mean to “Say-Do-Drive”?
These leaders…
• Say: Building a more inclusive culture
is an organizational priority
• Do: Recognize the importance of
culture and identify change as a
personal goal
• Drive: Reward their people for building
a more inclusive culture
Culture Makers
Say & Do; but don’t Drive
Say; but don’t Do
Not saying: Do not believe
culture is important for viability
of their organization
All Executives
32%
31%
31%
6%
Women Executives
25%
32%
34%
9%

19.
MORE GENDER-
BALANCED
YOUNGER
LEAD GROWING
ORGANIZATIONS
Key culture maker demographics
Culture Makers comprise a more gender-balanced and younger group leading organizations
that are growing more than twice as fast as their peers.
45:55 Women/Men
vs 32:68 (Average)
68% Millennials
vs 59%
25% $1bn+ Revenues
vs 19%
Source: Employee survey, 2018 N=19,522, 2019 N=15,629, 2020 N=30,282

20.
Culture makers recognize the importance of culture
for employees
Culture Makers are more in tune with the workforce; the importance they assign to culture
is very similar to that of employees.
Source: Executive survey, All Leaders N=1,748, Culture Makers N=112, Employees survey N=30,282
How important do you believe the following factors are in helping your employees/you to thrive in the workplace?
% top 2 box, 5pt importance scale
A workplace environment free from
discrimination and harassment
Culture Makers
Employees
All Executives
Pay equality and transparency
Being given the trust and the freedom
to be creative
Availability of family leave
Flexibility over where and
when I work
92%
87%
76%
94%
82%
72%
93%
84%
77%
88%
79%
67%
78%
76%
68%

21.
Culture makers lead faster growing organizations
Culture makers lead organizations which are
growing more than twice as fast as average.
Source: Executive survey, All Leaders N=1,748, Culture Makers N=112
By what percentage have the sales
and EBITDA (profits) of your
organization shrunk or grown over
the past 3 years?
Average percentage growth
All Executives Culture Makers
Sales
3.7%
8.2%
x2.2
x3.2
Profits
2.3%
7.3%

22.
BOLD
LEADERSHIP
• Leaders must believe
that culture matters
• Prioritize culture
• Benchmark progress
• Setting & publishing
targets
• Reward & recognize
people on progress
COMPREHENSIVE
ACTION
EMPOWERING
ENVIRONMENT
• Go beyond the data
• Solicit dialogue with
employees
• Face-to-face meetings
• Focus groups
• Capture feedback to
quickly drive change
• Cultivate Culture Makers
• Creative opportunities for
future Culture Makers
• Bring leaders and culture-
minded employees together
• Develop specific & actionable
solutions
Make improving company culture as important as financial growth, talent and
productivity.
Achieving a Culture of Equality
Proven Anchors

23.
ThankYou