To develop our culture of inclusion, the Business Resource Groups (BRGs) needed to be aligned across the enterprise.

In a company of may acquisitions and growth, by 2014 there were 10 independently-operating BRGs. Each group developed their own mission, goals and activities and were only geared toward their specific location. To create continuity with the groups across the enterprise, we went on a listening tour with the individual groups to determine what their purpose was and how they were structured.  After gathering information from all the groups, we could outline key similarities across all the groups.  From there, we brought together the leadership from each group to develop a framework that each could work within. The purpose of each group is to:

• Create a business impact.
• Increase team member engagement, cultural awareness and inclusion.
• Aid in professional development of team members.
• Increase team member networks and circle of influence.
• Partner in community efforts.

Each group works within three pillars – business impact, team member engagement and community outreach. The following are the functions of each pillar.

Business Impact: Seeks partnership initiatives that impact the bottom line of Tyson Foods. These efforts could result in new products, product innovation, technical advances, increased customer satisfaction, team member recruitment, or market expansion.

Team Member Engagement: Seeks to engage and retain team members through social/interactive programs, initiatives and networking opportunities by enhancing an individual’s knowledge, experience and skills for personal success and career advancement.

Community Outreach: Seeks to empower individuals, groups or communities with skills and resources to effect change in their communities. Emphasis is placed on providing community service relative to the specific Corporate Social Responsibility efforts that are aligned with the BRG/diversity dimension that is being addressed.

Tyson cut the number of BRGs from 10 to 5, focusing on young professionals; multicultural; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ); veterans; and women. We centralized the five existing BRGs that had chapters across all corporate campuses and some of our plant locations. Each group is working under a mission and goals that align across chapters. They have held several collaborative events which included an all-BRG membership drive and a meeting to introduce all BRG leaders to the Inclusion and Diversity Framework.

Leslie Drish