Diversity and Inclusion: How Does ISO 30415 Affect a Company’s Business Model?

The International Standard Organization (ISO) published the first international certification, ISO 30415, regarding Human Resource Management—Diversity and Inclusion in May 2021. The new standard identifies a series of principles, roles, actions, policies, processes, and measures that support and develop diversity and inclusion in companies. The adoption of ISO 30415 influences the entire organization, triggering a rethinking of business practices and processes and the business model’s design. In this sense, the introduction of this standard creates great challenges and opportunities for organizations. The concepts of diversity and inclusion bring out a competitive advantage for organizations looking to increase innovation and enhance their resilience, sustainability, and reputation. Despite the growing interest shown by governments, private and public institutions, and companies toward diversity and inclusion issues, empirical research on the implementation of ISO 30415 in organizations is still limited. Our paper aims to narrow this research gap by answering the following question: How does the ISO 30415 certification affect a company’s business model? Empirical research based on the qualitative analysis of a single case study was conducted to answer this question. Findings show that the main changes in the business model can be conducted into activities devoted to creating new capabilities, establishing new partnerships, advancing technologies, and implementing new processes to promote issues of diversity and inclusion. Notably, the new capabilities, technologies, processes, and partnerships did not cause a radical business model innovation in the case analysed but rather an incremental change in the business model since the concepts of diversity and inclusion were already strongly present in the company’s culture. This study offers valuable insights into the management diversity research area. Moreover, several practical implications emerge from results that improve entrepreneurs, managers, and governments’ awareness of the benefits deriving from the adoption of ISO 30415.