Diversity Initiatives at Indigo Books and Music

This article explores the diversity initiatives undertaken by Indigo Books and Music, including employee engagement, becoming the best rewarding retailer employer in Canada, and digital initiatives. It discusses the motives behind these initiatives and the positive outcomes they have brought to the company. The article also highlights Indigo's brand reputation and financial success as a result of these diversity initiatives.

Running Head: INDIGO 0
diversity and effective teams

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Diversity initiatives....................................................................................................................3
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................6

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Introduction
During this competitive and modern age, it is very necessary for a business to adopt
information system and/or information technology to run their operations effectively (Zott,
Amit & Massa, 2011). The Canadian company Indigo Books and Music Inc. are one of those
organizations. This organisation was first began in 1940 when brothers Jack Cole and Carl
opened the first store in Toronto. Over the next 56 years, the organisation expanded and grew
with various acquisitions and then in 1996, Indigo Books and Music is born. It brings a strong
and long-lasting passion for books and music developed by booklovers and for book lovers.
The company is also doing well in relation to diversity while considering various
programs and practices. For instance, the Indigo Books & Music comes on Forbes Canada's
Best Employers List of 2019 with a rank of #125 (forbes.com, 2018). Labour markets across
the globe seem to be particularly tight in these years, however, some of the companies finally
succeed in retaining their top talent and proved the challenging landscape to be advantageous
for job seekers. The company vision is to making connections and creating experiences. In
addition, their mission is to inspire its customers and those the company cares with life-
enriching products and experiences. The belief system of company includes customer joy and
engagement, teamwork, passion, community and respect. This report outlines such diversity
initiatives of the company, its associated motives and the respective positive and negative
outcomes.

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Diversity initiatives
A “diversity initiative” is a company strategic response to diversity exploring external
and internal requirements of the enterprise in the area of diversity and reacts with a
strategically line up approach (Nardone, Sisto & Lopolito, 2010). Undertaking such diversity
initiative helped Indigo Books and Music to influence their organisation bottom lines in
various positive ways comprising enhanced corporate culture, improved client relations,
strengthen recruitment of new employees and lastly improved productivity.
One of the diversity initiatives undertaken by Indigo Books and Music is employee
engagement. As per Deloitte, including diversity as a part of a broader employee engagement
strategy has become a necessity and is no longer just an option. Employees are one of the
most significant and inimitable parts of a corporate and also known to be one of the five
competitive forces. The performance of the employees will be increased when they were
engaged in the business. In 2009, Indigo initiated a strategic plan to enhance employee
engagement and continuously over the next three year, the company invested in employee
development and training. In 2012, Indigo took out practice that is more intensive by
introducing new talent management software tool and improved their earlier human resource
reporting tools (chapters.indigo.ca, 2019). The name if this project was Galileo project that
also includes a feedback mechanism enabling employees a sense of flexibility to suggest their
views towards improvement of customer experience and employee engagement.
The next initiative is linked to becoming the best rewarding retailer employer in
Canada. The company business is evolving by emphasizing changing needs and preferences
of the users as so the company is aspiring for driving a growth culture to support the
organisation new business strategies and continued evolution. Other than best rewarding, the
company also offers an employment relationship holistic view including meaningful
relationships and dynamic work activities while removing inefficiencies from the work
processes of the company. In support with these initiatives, the company underway unique
culture with the help of value-based leadership. Since Randstad launched the program in
2011, Indigo Books and Music ranked in the Top 20 most attractive employer brands in
Canada (newswire.ca, 2017). Other than this, the company was also awarded most attractive
employer for women, the most attractive employer for people aged 18-24.

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In support of this initiative, the organisation modified the process of its highly cross-
functional promotion to offer improved services to the customers by focusing on end-to-end
productivity across the supply chain of the company. In addition, Indigo also continues to
diversify its product mix by sourcing from Asian markets, conducts audits in relation with
factory social accountability with international standard SA8000 help in future sustainability
of the business.
In addition, the company identified that their employees seek to be a part of
IndigoGreen program and thus the company initiate the development of store Green Teams
and an Indigo Green Guide intended to raise perception of employee as socially and
environmentally responsible company.
The company also brought u digital initiatives in the year 2010 with the true
beginning of the digital age for books offering mobile and online services platform and
service with prompt access to books, blogs and articles. With the market trend and
technology evolution, availability of new devices allows eReading is growing and thus the
company offers Canada a new electronic reading experience. With regards to this, the
company also do long term partnership with Kobo and with integration of this platform, the
customers will be allowed to purchase eBooks and read them with their preferred eReaders or
smartphone. In 2008, chapters.indigo.ca, made the Hot 100 Internet Websites by Internet
Retailer Magazine which allow customers to make their own personalized access and wish
lists their plum rewards card online and use them while purchasing online.
The major motivation of Indigo to implement these diversity initiatives is concerned
with their benefits. Like, it gives access to a greater range of talent, and thus benefit in
providing insight into the needs and motivations of all the customers and clients. According
to Gee, Coates & Nicholson (2008), it makes the organisation more successful, effective and
profitable .
However, intentionally, it is going wrong as too many enterprises are mixing diversity
practices with the organisation goals. Indigo Books and music has tried to minimize this gap
and that is why the company gains various awards from various sources as well a reputed
ranking in the Forbes page.
Other motivation of Indigo includes welcoming of variety of perspectives by bringing
together different ideas and perception and thus makes necessary strategy proactively in
relation with future outcomes. This will also bring up higher innovation as according to

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Crossan & Apaydin (2010), inclusive organizations are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation
leaders in their market. All this will work towards increasing profit and employee
engagement. For instance, taking decisions out in a better and faster way provides serious
advantage over the competitors and thus allow business to reap more profits. On the other
hand, it will also reduce employee turnover in the Indigo. Hence, to leverage all these
benefits of workplace diversity, it was the motive of Indigo Books and Music.
Considering outcome, it can be seen on Indigo financial data sheet as well as brand
reputation in the market. For instance, its brand reputation is obviously being increased due to
its internal practices. The Indigo Books & Music comes on Forbes Canada's Best Employers
List of 2019 with a rank of #125. It was also listed as one of Canada's Top 20 Employer
Brands in 2018 survey by Randstad Holding. In addition, there is also a revenue upsurge at
$1. 079 billion in the year 2017 (newswire.ca, 2017). Other than this, the company is also
planning to expand to US with its first locations opening in the Mall at Short Hills in October
2018 and this signifies its profitability and diversified extent of internal practices.
Conclusion
Hence, Indigo is a prime example of the company that takes advantage of diversity
initiatives making the business sustainable for the long run. The examples listed above are the
things benefitting customer directly or indirectly. It can also be said that Indigo Books and
Music is successful due to its strong management programs helping them to attract number of
customers as well as retain them for a longer duration of time. In addition, the company also
has a strong belief system based on company core values and vision and this also supports
their management practices in a better way.
To gain feedback from various different sources, Indigo can combine the two
programs enabling customers to fill out online surveys about their experience in exchange for
getting free reward points. The survey would be on the organisation website. Due to the
survey, being done online the cost of applying this will be minimum. It will help Indigo to
plan better decisions for the future. In addition, it will also lead the company to come into top
position with the ranking posted on Forbes and other sources.

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References
chapters.indigo.ca. (2019). OUR COMPANY | FAST FACTS. Retrieved from
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/our-company/fast-facts/
Crossan, M. M., & Apaydin, M. (2010). A multi‐dimensional framework of organizational
innovation: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of management
studies, 47(6), 1154-1191.
forbes.com. (2018). #125 Indigo Books & Music. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/companies/indigo-books-music/#6ba95dc339ef
Gee, R., Coates, G., & Nicholson, M. (2008). Understanding and profitably managing
customer loyalty. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 26(4), 359-374.
Nardone, G., Sisto, R., & Lopolito, A. (2010). Social Capital in the LEADER Initiative: a
methodological approach. Journal of Rural Studies, 26(1), 63-72.
newswire.ca. (2017). Indigo Named Top Canadian Retail Employer Brand, 4th Overall.
Retrieved from https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/indigo-named-top-canadian-
retail-employer-brand-4th-overall-620624933.html
Zott, C., Amit, R., & Massa, L. (2011). The business model: recent developments and future
research. Journal of management, 37(4), 1019-1042.