Workplace diversity is a hot topic and according to our CMO Karen Quintos, it starts with men taking a stand to ensure female employees are welcomed into the culture. Promoting a diverse and inclusive culture is not only a high-visibility topic in the tech industry, but is also one of our foundational values at Dell. We’re bringing you stories from around the world that highlight what leaders in Asia Pacific, Japan and India are doing to help foster a diverse environment within their workplaces.
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Diversity is not just about gender and race. It also encompasses differences of culture, preferences and work style. We are all different, and the first step to embracing diversity is to acknowledge the differences, and become aware that we have the tendency to harbor bias towards people who are different from ourselves. I believe we need to think and act from a more diverse standpoint to meet customer expectations and needs, and support a broadening portfolio of Dell solutions. This is critical to our business.
IT organizations are still predominantly male-dominated, which means they tend to focus too much on technology and can lack a balanced viewpoint. The key to driving an inclusive culture is leaders ensuring their team members understand the importance and benefits of diversity and inclusion, and take actions to make it part of the culture. A leader’s mindset, commitment and behaviors are the key to achieving this goal.
At Dell, there are ample opportunities to speak up and be heard. Leaders are fully taking advantage of such opportunities including our Tell Dell employee survey and regular brown bag sessions. I believe that holding these brown bag sessions as a forum where team members can freely express their views and share their thoughts are an important part of Dell’s culture. I make it a rule to have as many as possible every quarter, inviting up to 4 people per session. This helps create unity as well as formulate better team strategies.
In Japan, we also have “LoveDell,” a precursor of our GenNext employee resource group (ERG), and I have been leading this team for three years. “LoveDell” focuses on promoting networking among team members, fostering career progression and creating a Great Place to Work. These activities really help foster strong team work by providing team members with opportunities to interact with people across all levels and functions of the organization.
Innovation is born when people from diverse backgrounds work together, respect each other’s differences and work towards a single goal.
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Yoshinari Watanabe manages General Business Sales Division and West Region Corporate Sales as General Manager.
Yoshinari joined Dell Japan in 1998 as Inside Sales Representative in Business Sales Division. He subsequently served as Inside Sales Manager, led the Consumer Sales Division, Medium Sales Division and Corporate Sales Division before being appointed to the role of General Manager for General Business Sales Division in 2015, playing a key role in driving Dell Japan’s revenue & margin growth.
For 16 years, Yoshinari has been leading a wide range of Sales Divisions, managing customers of different sizes from consumers to large institutions, and has contributed to the growth of Dell Japan.
Yoshinari started his career in the finance department of Yasuda Life Insurance Co. where he was responsible for business loans. He then led the sales department as sales district leader.
He holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the Chuo University.