Aston Martin Case Study: Inclusive and Diverse Workforce Strategies

This report examines strategies and initiatives for establishing an inclusive and diverse workforce, using Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc as a case study. The report begins with an introduction highlighting the increasing importance of workforce diversity and inclusion. It outlines the aims and objectives of the research, including the creation of knowledge about inclusive workforces and the implementation of effective strategies. A project management plan is detailed, covering costs, time, scope, resources, risks, and communication. The report includes a Gantt chart and WBS for project management, followed by a small-scale research section. The research employs a questionnaire to gather data, which is then analyzed to determine the current state of diversity and equality within Aston Martin. Findings reveal areas for improvement, and the report concludes with recommendations for promoting equality and diversity, such as training, policy changes, and effective communication. The report emphasizes the importance of an inclusive workforce for improving productivity and employee confidence.

Managing a Successful
Business Project

Table of Contents
Title..................................................................................................................................................3
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
P1) Aims and objectives.........................................................................................................3
P2) Project management plan.................................................................................................4
P3) Gantt Chart and WBS......................................................................................................6
P4) Small scale research.........................................................................................................7
P5) Data analysis and findings...............................................................................................9
P6) Recommendations..........................................................................................................16
P7) Reflection.......................................................................................................................17
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................18
References......................................................................................................................................19

Title
“To determine the strategies and initiatives which can be taken by the management of an
organisation so that an inclusive and diverse workforce can be established” A case study on
Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc.
Introduction
As the businesses are growing and expanding their workforce composition is changing with
workers belonging to different nations, religion, caste, backgrounds, experiences, sex etc. work
together in a company so that the company goals are efficiently achieved. As the diversity in
workforce is increasing it is important that the organisation adopt certain strategies and take
initiatives so that an inclusive and diverse workforce can be created and all the workers can
effectively coordinate and collaborate their work (Bacouël-Jentjens and Christiansen, 2016). It is
important that equal and fair opportunities are given to all the workers and their differences are
respected so that they can work in harmony and a friendly working environment can be created.
In this report Aston Martin is taken which is a British car manufacturer that manufactures luxury
sports cars and grand tourers. The company was established in 1913 and is headquartered in
England, UK earning over £997.3 million in 2019. In this report a small scale research will be
conducted so that the strategies that can be adopted by company to establish equality and
diversity in workplace can be found. Use of research tools like Gantt chart, WBS, project
management plan etc. will also be done.
P1) Aims and objectives
In order to successfully survive in the global competitive marketplace it is important that
the companies have a workforce which efficiently performs their roles and responsibilities so
that organisation can gain competitive advantage in market. It is also important that the workers
optimally use their skills and abilities and improve their performance which can be possible by
giving them equal and fair opportunities to grow (Böhmer and Schinnenburg, 2016). Also by
decreasing discrimination among them based on their religion, caste, background, experiences
etc. are important so that a friendly and effective working environment can be created.
Research aim: “To determine the strategies and initiatives which can be taken by the
management of an organisation so that an inclusive and diverse workforce can be established” A
case study on Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc.

Research objectives:
 To create a knowledge about what is an inclusive and diverse workforce.
 To find out the ways through which diverse work force can work equally.
 To implement the strategies and initiatives effectively in the company.
Research questions:
 What is understood by having an equal and diverse workforce in company?
 How can equality be promoted amongst a diverse workforce?
 What are the ways through which strategies and initiatives can be implemented in
company?
P2) Project management plan
A project management plan is an important document which gives details about all the
essential components which are linked to a project s that the initiation, execution, controlling and
monitoring of project can be effectively done (Cappelli and Keller, 2017). This document is well
structured and approved by the project manager so that all the deliverables of project can be
achieved within a specified time and budget. Following are the components of project which is to
be conducted by the researcher:
 Cost: This is the most important component of a project which must be determined so
that appropriate amount of funds can be gathered for starting the project and efficiently
performing all the activities related to it. It also helps in ascertaining the budget which
needs to be arranged so that project can be efficiently carried out and desired results can
be achieved. The cost that will be incurred by the researcher during the project will be
£100 so that the research can be carried out in an effective manner and all the activities
can be efficiently completed.
Particulars Amount
Research tools and techniques £30
Resources required £30
Collection of information £20

Miscellaneous £10
Total £100
 Time: The another important factor after determining cost for the research is time which
will be required to complete the research effectively. It is important to determine the total
time which will be required for research so that the researcher can plan all the activities
and plan all the activities in such a manner that they get efficiently completed (Cucari,
Esposito De Falco and Orlando, 2018). It also helps in motivating the research team to
perform their work well so that research can be finished well on time. The estimated time
which will be required by researcher will be 7 weeks.
 Scope: Project scope is related with determining and documenting the project goals and
objectives that are to be achieved, costs, time, deliverables, features etc. so that what
needs to be achieved and the work which must be done so as to deliver the project
effectively can be determined.
 Resources: It is important to determine the resources which are required to complete the
project in an efficient manner so that they can be arranged and utilised in order to achieve
the desired results. The estimation of the resources must be accurately done so that the
quality of project does not get compromised due to the shortage of resources. The various
resources that will be required by researcher are office, printers, mobile phones, team
members etc. so that the research can be effectively completed.
 Risk: It is important that the risks that are associated with starting the project are
determined so that effective steps can be taken which can help in minimising the risks so
that the research gets completed efficiently (Gabaldon and Giménez, 2017). These risks
might affect the quality of project and can also delay the project which can affect the
overall results that are desired from the project and so it is important that they are
determined so that appropriate step can be taken in minimising them.
 Quality: It is related with the quality of project which is dependent on quality of
information which is collected from various sources so that high quality of results can be

achieved. The researcher must collect information from authentic source of information
so that high quality of results can be achieved.
 Communication: To complete the research effectively it is important that effective
communication is established among all the members so that the flow of information can
occur smoothly and the meaning does not get changed with its transmission. It is also
important so that all the members can perform their roles effectively. The researcher can
use e-mails, video-conferencing, mobile phones etc. in order to establish effective
communication during the project.
P3) Gantt Chart and WBS
Gantt chart: It is a horizontal bar chart which was developed by Henry L. Gantt in the
year 1917 which is used in managing projects to help in effectively scheduling all the project
activities in accordance with time. It also help in determining the time which will be required to
complete each activity and in finding the relation among each activities so that their dependence
on each other can be found (Hajro, Gibson and Pudelko, 2017). This chart can be used by
researcher so that all the project activities can be distributed on the basis of time which help in its
effective completion.
Work breakdown structure (WBS): It is a tool which helps in organising the team work
into manageable sections by breaking the complete project into small section so that the

complicated project can be made easy. it also help in making the project look easy by setting
small milestones in completion of the project so that it can be completed within time and with
the available resources.
P4) Small scale research
Research is a process through which knowledge is generated by looking into various
aspects related to a topic from various sources so that effective results can be formed which help
in proving or disproving a theory. It also helps in enhancing the knowledge of a researcher
through various facts and figures that are gathered from various sources. There are two ways of
conducting a research:
Qualitative method: In this method the researcher can collect deep information regarding
a topic by collecting the views, opinions and ideas of various people through observation,
interviews etc. Thus the information collected by this way cannot be demonstrated on tables;
graphs etc. and makes it difficult to interpret the collected information (Johansson and Ringblom,
2017).
Quantitative method: In this method mathematical information can be gathered by the
researcher from various sources like questionnaires, surveys etc. which can be easily depicted on
tables, graphs, pie-charts etc. making it easy to interpret the collected information.
Sources of information:

 Primary sources: These are the sources through which fresh information can be collected
and can help in gathering true, authentic and reliable information like questionnaires,
interviews etc.
 Secondary sources: These are the sources which already contain information related to
the topic based on the views and opinions of other authors, researchers etc. and can also
be outdated like newspapers articles, internet articles etc.
Sampling: It is a method in which from a large population having similar characteristics a
small portion of people are selected on which research is performed so that the results so derived
can be applied to the complete population (Kirton, 2016). In this research the research will be
done by using a questionnaire on a sample size of 30 who will be the employees of Aston
Martin:
Questionnaire
Quantitative questions
Q1) Do you what is meant by an equal and diverse workforce?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2) Do you think that there is equality and diversity in Aston Martin?
a) Agree
b) Disagree
Q3) Why do you think is equal workforce important for a company?
a) Improved productivity
b) Improved confidence
Q4) Why are equal opportunities important for employees of company?
a) Fair and equal treatment
b) Motivation
c) Commitment towards company

Q5) What role does having diverse workforce play in company?
a) Innovative ideas
b) Dealing with different customer needs
c) Brand image
Q6) What are the strategies that can be taken in Aston Martin for promoting equality?
a) Participative leadership
b) Employee engagement
Q7) How can diverse workforce be employed in Aston martin?
a) Improvement in recruitment policies
b) No discrimination
c) Respecting differences
Qualitative questions
Q8) What are the ways through which these strategies can be implemented in Aston Martin?
a) Training and development
b) Change in company policies
c) Effective communication
Q9) What are the challenges that are faced by company in implementing diversity policies?
a) Language barrier
b) Workers resistance
c) Difference in beliefs
Q10) Recommendations if any?
P5) Data analysis and findings
Q1) Do you what is meant by an equal and diverse
workforce?
Frequency
Yes 20

No 10
From this graph it can be said that of the 30 employees of Aston Martin only 20 know
about the meaning of inclusive and diverse workforce while the rest 10 have no idea about the
same. It can thus be said that the company need to promote the knowledge of equableness and
diverseness in company so that all the employees can know about their rights (Klein, 2016).
Q2) Do you think that there is equality and
diversity in Aston Martin?
Frequency
Agree 15
Disagree 15

From this graph it can be interpreted that of the 30 employees half agree that equal and
diverse working environment exist in Aston Martin while the other half don’t. It can thus be said
that the company is lacking in giving equal opportunities to all its employees and valuing their
differences which affect the working environment of company (Konrad, Yang and Maurer,
2016).
Q3) Why do you think is equal workforce
important for a company?
Frequency
Improved productivity 20
Improved confidence 10

From this graph it can be said that of the 30 employees, 20 say that by giving equal
opportunities to all the employees in company the productivity of employees can be increased
while the other 10 say that it can help in improving the confidence of workers. Both the
components can help in improving the success of company as this will strengthen the workforce
and also improve their efficiency of work.
Q4) Why are equal opportunities important for
employees of company?
Frequency
Fair and equal treatment 8
Motivation 12
Commitment towards company 10

From this graph it can be said that out of 30 employees of company, 8 say that equal
opportunities will give them fair and equal opportunities, 12 say that it help in motivating them
while the rest 10 say that it help in making them more committed towards company. Thus the
workers become more job satisfied and can help the company in achieving its objectives.
Q5) What role does having diverse workforce
play in company?
Frequency
Innovative ideas 12
Dealing with different customer needs 10
Brand image 8

From this graph it can be said that from the 30 employees, 12 say that diverse workforce
can help in bringing innovative ideas to the company, 10 say that it can help in dealing with
different customer needs while the rest 8 say that it help in improving the brand image of
company. Thus company should maintain diversity in its workforce.
Q6) What are the strategies that can be taken in
Aston Martin for promoting equality?
Frequency
Participative leadership 18
Employee engagement 12

From this graph it can be said that from the 30 employees, 18 say that participative
leadership can help in promoting equality and other 12 say that employee engagement can help
in achieving the same. Both the components must be included in Aston Martin so that all the
employees can be treated equally.
Q7) How can diverse workforce be employed in
Aston martin?
Frequency
Improvement in recruitment policies 9
No discrimination 11
Respecting differences 10
From this graph it can be said that 9 of the 30 employees say that improvement in
recruitment policies of Aston martin can help in increasing diverse workforce, 11 say that any
kind of discrimination for the same work should be avoided while the rest 10 say that respecting
differences can help in achieving the same. The company can apply all these so that a diverse
workforce can be achieved (Lozano and Escrich, 2017).
Q8) What are the ways through
which these strategies can be
implemented in Aston Martin?
Explanation
Training and development Through training and development programmes the
managers and leaders can be trained on how they can

promote access to equal opportunities and respect the
differences of workers so that they are not discriminated.
Change in company policies The company can include no discrimination policies like
equal chance for everyone to apply for recruitment so
that an inclusive and diverse working environment can be
built (Romani and Muhr, 2017).
Effective communication Through effective communication the coordination of
workers can be made efficient so that all are treated
equally.
Q9) What are the challenges that are
faced by company in implementing
diversity policies?
Explanation
Language barrier Diverse workforce can lead to language barrier which can
affect the flow of information among employees and can
affect the performance of workers.
Workers resistance The workers are not always ready for change in policies
and can resist the change which can affect the application
of equal and diverse policies (Scholtz and Kieviet, 2018).
Difference in beliefs As the workers with different backgrounds, cultures etc.
will work together it can lead to differences in their
beliefs and can affect their work performance.
P6) Recommendations
From the above discussion it can be said that giving access to equal chances to grow and
develop to each and every employee in the company irrespective of their differences like caste,
sex, experience, culture etc. This can help the company in gaining various benefits like
improving productivity of workers, creating a friendly working environment, building better
image of company etc. so that a competitive advantage can be gained in market (Tafti,
Mahmoudsalehi and Amiri, 2017). Following are some recommendations that can be applied in
Aston Martin:

 The company should promote various training and development programmes, seminars,
sessions etc. so that the importance of inclusive and diverse working environment can be
increased among workers.
 The managers and leaders of company should increase employee engagement so that
highly inclusive ad committed workforce can be created.
 Effective communication channels must be established in company so that job
satisfaction among workers can increase along with improving their productivity so that
the profitability of company can also increase (Tatli, 2017).
P7) Reflection
I have completed the research on topic of finding various strategies and initiatives which
can be taken in Aston Martin so that the promotion of equal opportunities among employees and
increasing diversity in workforce can take place. Through this research my skills related to
collection of data from reliable and authentic sources, its analysis and interpretation has become
strong. Also i was able to apply my academic knowledge during the research and make use of
research tools like Gantt chart, WBS etc. so that effective results can be achieved. After the
completion of research on time and getting desired results i feel confident and also my
knowledge related to the topic has enhanced.
While the research my effective communication skills, interpretation skills and leadership
helped me in managing the work and also in allocating work among team members and
monitoring their work. However, there were some weak areas which must be improved by me
like improving my conflict resolution skills and time management so that better results can be
achieved. This research has helped me in giving opportunity to research for a big company like
Aston Martin which is important in my professional development as i can get more such
researches in future. This can help me in getting higher education in my desired university and
also help me financially.

Conclusion
From this research it can be said that for an organisation it is important that it treats its
workers equally and also promote a diverse workforce as it can help in improving the work
efficiency of workers. Also this can benefit the organisation in improving collaboration among
workers so that they can help in achieving company objectives and goals on time. Further, it can
also be said that it help in increasing employee retention and employee job satisfaction which is
important in present competitive marketplace for a company to gain a competitive edge in
market.

References
Books and Journals
Bacouël-Jentjens, S. and Christiansen, L.C., 2016. Diversity management in Denmark and
France: A comparative approach. In Research handbook of international and
comparative perspectives on diversity management. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Böhmer, N. and Schinnenburg, H., 2016. How gender and career concepts impact Global Talent
Management. Employee Relations
Cappelli, P. and Keller, J.R., 2017. The historical context of talent management. The Oxford
handbook of talent management, pp.23-42
Cucari, N., Esposito De Falco, S. and Orlando, B., 2018. Diversity of board of directors and
environmental social governance: Evidence from Italian listed companies. Corporate
Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 25(3), pp.250-266.
Gabaldon, P. and Giménez, D., 2017. Gender diversity on boards in Spain: A non-mandatory
quota. In Gender diversity in the boardroom (pp. 47-74). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Hajro, A., Gibson, C. B. and Pudelko, M., 2017. Knowledge exchange processes in multicultural
teams: Linking organizational diversity climates to teams’ effectiveness. Academy of
Management Journal. 60(1). pp.345-372
Johansson, M. and Ringblom, L., 2017. The Business Case of Gender Equality in Swedish
Forestry and Mining‐Restricting or Enabling Organizational Change. Gender, Work
& Organization, 24(6), pp.628-642.
Kirton, G., Robertson, M. and Avdelidou‐Fischer, N., 2016. Valuing and value in diversity: the
policy‐implementation gap in an IT firm. Human Resource Management
Journal, 26(3), pp.321-336.
Klein, U., 2016, January. Gender equality and diversity politics in higher education: Conflicts,
challenges and requirements for collaboration. In Women's Studies International
Forum (Vol. 54, pp. 147-156). Pergamon.
Konrad, A.M., Yang, Y. and Maurer, C.C., 2016. Antecedents and outcomes of diversity and
equality management systems: An integrated institutional agency and strategic human
resource management approach. Human Resource Management, 55(1), pp.83-107.
Lozano, J.F. and Escrich, T., 2017. Cultural diversity in business: A critical reflection on the
ideology of tolerance. Journal of Business Ethics, 142(4), pp.679-696.
Romani, L., Holck, L., Holgersson, C. and Muhr, S.L., 2017. Diversity management and the
Scandinavian model: Illustrations from Denmark and Sweden. Management and
diversity: Perspectives from different national contexts, pp.261-280.
Scholtz, H. and Kieviet, S., 2018. The influence of board diversity on company performance of
south African companies. Journal of African Business, 19(1), pp.105-123.
Tafti, M.M., Mahmoudsalehi, M. and Amiri, M., 2017. Critical success factors, challenges and
obstacles in talent management. Industrial and Commercial Training
Tatli, A., 2017. Diversity management as a career: professional identity of diversity managers as
a multi-level and political construct. Management and Diversity: Thematic
Approaches, p.283.

Project Logbook for the chosen organisation:
Name of the learner: Name of the Supervisor:
Project Title: “To determine the strategies and
initiatives which can be taken by the
management of an organisation so that an
inclusive and diverse workforce can be
established” A case study on Aston Martin
Lagonda Global Holdings plc.
Date:
Update of weekly research/ tasks achieved
(Account for a minimum of six weeks with
dates)
 What have you completed?
 Did you fulfil Task requirements?
 Are you on track and within deadlines
set?
 Did you need to make any changes to
your project management plan?
I completed project on topic “To determine
the strategies and initiatives which can be
taken by the management of an organisation
so that an inclusive and diverse workforce
can be established” A case study on Aston
Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc.
Yes, i was able to complete tasks based on
their requirements.
Yes
No.
Any risks and / or issues identified?
 Did you identify risks/issues with a
lack of skills required for undertaking
research tasks?
Yes, i identified some risks like applying
sampling method and choosing the
population from where data is to be

 Did you identify any additional
risks/issues that have an impact on the
project management plan?
collected.
Managing time effectively and collaborating
the team work were some other issues faced
by me.
Problems encountered
 What barriers did you face?
 How did you overcome them?
Effectively managing team and taking the
consent of sample population to participate
in research for data collection.
I used my soft communication skills so that
both the team members and sample
population can be effectively managed.
New Ideas and change of project direction
What Have I learnt about myself this week?
 How did I feel when I had to deal with
tasks/problems?
 How well have I performed? What did
I contribute?
 What can I improve on next week?
 How might this learning apply in the
future?
I felt tensed and pressurised while
completing the project using available
resources.
I have given my 100% efforts to the project
so that best results can be derived.
I can improve my data collection skills and
managing time.
This can improve the efficiency of data
collection and time management.

Tasks planned for next week
 Which tasks are priority?
 Have you set aside sufficient time for
completion?
Deciding the sources from where
information needs to be collected.
Yes, with the help of Gantt chart I have
allocated sufficient time to each of the
activities.
Project plan status to date (on, ahead, behind)
Supervisor comments to address
Signature of the Supervisor and date:

Template for Performance Review to be attached with the report by the learner
What was the Project supposed to accomplish?
This project is related with the aim “To determine the strategies and initiatives which can be
taken by the management of an organisation so that an inclusive and diverse workforce can be
established” A case study on Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc.
Did the project succeed in its aims/ how do you know? Specifically, please outline any
evaluation and assessment undertaken?
Yes the project was successfully completed by achieving the desired results that can be applied
in Aston martin.
What things do you think worked well and why? Evaluate all aspects of the project?
Effective distribution of time among all the activities and my soft skills worked well during the
project and helped me in completing the project on time.
What problems emerged during the project and how were they tackled? Was there timely
identification of issues and resolution during the project process?
Conflicts among team members, taking consent of employees of Aston Martin for research and
better utilisation of resources were some issues faced during project. With the help of my
effective communication skills and use of research tools these were tackled.
What did you learn from undertaking the project?
I got knowledge regarding the importance of diverse and equal workforce in an organisation
and the ways in which this can be promoted.
How would you rate your performance as a management consultant leading the project?
According to my performance in research, I rate myself which is 9/10.
What strengths and weakness of your performance did you identify?
Strengths: research skills, effective interpretation
Weaknesses: Time and team management
How will this inform and support your continuous professional development?

This research can help me in building my research career so that future projects can be taken by
me so that financially i can become strong.