The world today is a dynamic blend of different cultures, backgrounds and perspectives. This diversity is reflected in every aspect of our business, from employees and customers to markets and products. As an international company with a strong emphasis on innovation and social responsibility, Novo Nordisk is working to ensure equal opportunities and diversity in the organisation – not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it makes good business sense.

Diversity in the US - Reaching out to customers -Making a long-term investment - Ethnic minorities in Denmark - Non-discrimination in India - Addressing barriers to women in management - Job portal for disabled people 

Novo Nordisk employees from around the world. Clockwise from the left: Zhang Ying, China; Melvin Oscar Dsouza, India; Vanessa Bell, the US; and Karsten Madsen, Denmark.

Diversity in the workplace is important to Novo Nordisk because it allows us to better understand customer needs, attract and retain talented people, and operate more effectively in an international business environment. Diversity fosters an international mindset that heightens our ability to work cross-culturally and expand into new markets. It also gives us a better understanding of the society in which we operate.

A diversity component is now included in management training in Novo Nordisk, and employees involved in recruitment also undergo diversity training. This is part of the company’s Equal Opportunities and Diversity Strategy. The objective of the strategy is to strengthen Novo Nordisk’s position for sustained international growth by reinforcing the organisation’s ability to benefit from the opportunities of increasingly diverse societies.

Equal opportunities and diversity strategy model 
(Click to view as pdf file)

For the next few years, the strategy will be targeted at three main areas: increasing the number of women in managerial positions, increasing the employment of ethnic minorities in Denmark and raising awareness of the importance of complying with legislation on non-discrimination throughout the employee lifecycle. Since January 2002 every business area has been working with its own action plan to promote equal opportunities and diversity. In 2003, 89% of the targets defined in equal opportunity action plans were met.

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At Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, Inc in Princeton, New Jersey, the plan has already had concrete results that benefit the organisation as well as the business. Part of its vision is to have a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community. Thanks in part to an expanded recruitment base that reaches out to minority job sites and job fairs, the percentage of minorities among new hires increased from 14% in 2002 to 32% in 2003, an increase of 18 percentage points.

“Diversity is a critical part of our business,” says Martin Soeters, president of Novo Nordisk in Princeton. “By proactively creating an environment of inclusion and respect for individual perspectives, we will improve problem solving and innovation, and achieve superior business results.”

It is no coincidence, therefore, that ‘Building Cross-Cultural Awareness and Leveraging Differences’ was the topic of the affiliate’s Leadership Summit in 2003. As of January 2004, it will be mandatory for all managers to participate in iversity training. Previously, this training has been voluntary.

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Diversity is an important element of the customer focus, as it allows the organisation to be more attuned to meet the needs of targeted customer segments, such as the Hispanic community. In one example, Novo Nordisk is working with the National Council of La Raza to fund and pilot Hispanic community-based diabetes education. It is also conducting medical education programmes for primary-care physicians in areas with a high Hispanic population. A Hispanic toolkit for nurse educators for use in patient education has been piloted in two locations with positive results.

“As our regional, national and international markets become increasingly diverse, our workforce must also reflect this world,” says Mike Dwyer, vice president, Diabetes Sales, and executive team sponsor for the Diversity Task Force. “It makes us stronger, smarter and more innovative – we can appreciate different perspectives that reflect society and our business. Embracing diversity and embedding it in our culture is therefore critical to our continued success.”

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Elsewhere in Novo Nordisk, a similar emphasis on diversity and equal opportunities is becoming apparent. In the long term we expect this will achieve a significantly more diverse organisation. At our affiliate Novo Nordisk Engineering (NNE) in Denmark, the focus is on attracting more women engineers and achieving greater gender diversity in general. A women’s task force is meeting regularly with NNE’s executive management to ensure that changes do occur. With a scarcity of highly qualified engineers, NNE has a lot to gain by casting its recruitment net wide, including a more diverse talent pool and a better position for conducting business on an international scale.

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At the production site in Kalundborg, an initiative to promote the integration of ethnic minorities into the workforce has resulted in a programme to train candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds to qualify as operators. The programme combines a period of education with on-the-job training. Of the eight individuals who enrolled in the first education/training course in 2003, six have been hired. Another 13 people enrolled in a second course in 2003, and eight of these are expected to be hired during 2004.

“We want to attract and retain qualified employees. That means extending the pool of potential employees to ensure that we use all of the available resources in our increasingly diverse society,” says Per Valstorp, senior vice president, Product Supply.
See illustration below.

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In International Operations, Novo Nordisk works with equal opportunities in a way that is sensitive to the local society and culture while still working towards the goal of equal opportunities and diversity. “Working in India, equal opportunities is a live issue. We have one billion people in 29 states, speaking many languages and dialects and belonging to all the major religions. The challenge is to ensure that no discrimination occurs based on language, caste, religion, region or gender,” says Sanjeev Shishoo, managing director of Novo Nordisk in India. All managers are clearly informed of this policy. Another goal is to increase the number of women employees through a progressive culture and supportive environment.
See illustration below.

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In 2003 we asked the US-based consultancy group Catalyst to help us improve our understanding of how we can encourage more women to seek managerial positions.

In their analysis of women in managerial positions in Denmark, Catalyst found that the strong emphasis on values in the organisation is important and that equal opportunities for women are widely endorsed. We have a large pool of talented women and a good gender diversity at most levels compared to other leading pharmaceutical companies, even though the senior levels compare less favourably.

The findings pointed to three areas to be addressed in order to overcome barriers. First, promoting a mindset among both men and women that values women as equal partners and leaders. Second, developing women leaders through multiple means, and making this a strategic leadership development priority. And third, enhancing the ability of both men and women to manage their work–life balance.

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Novo Nordisk is among a group of Danish companies and organisations working with the Danish Council of Organisations of Disabled People to create the country’s first information and job portal designed specifically for the disabled. It will serve both as a
job bank and as an information resource for employers about the necessary requirements for employing disabled people.

We will measure the results of our diversity efforts through a yearly evaluation of action plans, employee surveys and employee statistics.

Representation of immigrants and Novo Nordisk management in Denmark
(click to view illustration as pdf file)