A DIVERSIFIED TEAM DELIVERS MORE!

Last week I visited the Volvo Ocean Race Office in Alicante.

What joy! What energy! The office building is glowing with energy and opportunity. At present the race office based in Alicante, Spain has 35 people working on the Volvo Ocean Race.

There are younger people as well as more experienced people.  There are women, men, people from Spain, the U.K., Sweden, representing different cultures and traditions with unique personalities. In order to seize the day and to capture the momentum of the upcoming race, the number of employees will increase to a total of 65 during the race itself. One of them could be you!

 

The Volvo Ocean Race, which many call the Formula 1 of sailing, starts in Alicante, Spain in October of 2011 and continues across the world ending in Ireland in June 2012.

This diversified group will deliver in accordance to a set of objectives. I know, because my personal experience from leading teams in Sweden, Belgium and in US tells me that a diversified team creates more value than a team that isn’t. Approaching projects from several angles by a team of people with varied cultural backgrounds and traditions is a very productive platform.  Tasks are discussed and accomplished from different perspectives. The results are far better than from a team that is not diversified.

The Volvo Group, owner of the race, is really a B2B operation, but more importantly we are P2P businesses.  We are people driven and then product driven.  We are people that work in a people to people business with a priority focus on the needs of the people.  Volvo people are warm, intelligent, caring, hardworking, and considerate of others and enjoy a good time. We come from all parts of the world, with different backgrounds and speak different languages.  We are men and women, youthful and experienced, however, we all share the Volvo values!  Our internal guiding principles are Energy, Passion and Respect. This is a platform we always promote and upon which we capitalize.

The diversity within the Race office and within Volvo is not a given.  It is a business case that is built into the organisation, which is truly global and effective in our 180 markets around the world.  In a global marketplace, a company that employs a diverse group of people is capable of capitalizing on the demographics of the marketplaces it serves and is thus better equipped to thrive in that marketplace.  Such company also enjoys greater employee satisfaction, productivity and retention. This portion of the business case, often referred to as inclusion, relates to how an organization utilizes its various relevant diversities.  And we do!

During my visit the Volvo Ocean Race Office also inaugurated their new location in Alicante.  Almost 150 people from the community in Alicante, as well as sailors on the racing teams, suppliers, and supporters enjoyed the speech of Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race.  We were all thrilled to visit the newly developed and first opened “Control Room” with gigantic TV screens where the Race office will follow the sailboats during the race around the world.  Information about weather conditions, storms, icebergs etc., will all be followed on theses mega screens. 

That evening after the inauguration event, we were all gathered on the terrace, close to the sea, on a starry bright, warm Spanish night, eating tapas and drinking Rioja with friends from all over the world.

A truly diversified moment!

Think progressively!