Employee Resource Group Excellence

13Next‐Generation ERGs: The ERG Excellence Manifesto

ERGs are indeed at a crossroads. They are either ascending in their prominence or their relevancy is being questioned. In either case, employee resource groups and the companies they operate within must confront the challenges outlined throughout this book. In doing so, ERGs need to be ready for new ways of thinking and operating that may be counter to long‐cherished notions of what makes employee resource groups tick.

This will require courage and effective leadership. Companies also need to reevaluate their views of ERGs. It's puzzling how some organizations don't aggressively support their employee resource groups even while many of their senior leaders recognize that diversity provides a competitive advantage. It's organizationally inconsistent when some ERG activities are undermined by management at a time when leadership rhetoric seems focused on engagement and retention and more open lines of communication.

Employee resource groups are brimming with the potential to provide collaborative breakthroughs that build competency among its members, rather than dependency. Because of the competitive nature of business today, organizations cannot afford to operate in a manner that prevents ERG members from being heard. If this happens, organizations miss potential contributions, innovations, solutions, and creativity of these valuable employees. Companies and ERGs that embrace the new approaches presented here will go a long ...