At Lancia, our greatest asset is our team. The beautiful mosaic of cultures, ideas, and experiences drives us forward. This September, our team celebrated DICE Month—an internal initiative championed by our DICE Lead, Andrew, and the APAC People Team.
DICE Month began with Team APAC sharing delicious snack bites and the history of iconic snacks from India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. As the days went on, the snack corner expanded significantly. The team also put up colourful post-its throughout the office, offering fun facts about different cultures and dialects and facilitating enjoyment and learning. We also held a Pot Luck Lunch, where team members contributed their favourite hometown dishes, such as Scotland's Haggis Pies and Indonesia's Murtabak Manis, highlighting the rich cultural diversity within the team. Two DIY stations were set up for a hands-on experience of making traditional Chinese dishes, Popiah and Kueh Pie Tee, fostering a sense of unity and knowledge-sharing through the universal language of food.
To find out about the origins of DICE month, we speak to APAC Principal Andrew Davison, who led the initiative:
Q: What was the inspiration behind DICE Month?
A: Creating and celebrating a work environment where everyone feels welcomed, respected, and valued is important. We wanted to try harder to be better at encouraging everyone to learn from each other and appreciate diversity and inclusion.
Q: How do you envision DICE enhancing our internal team culture?
A: We want all our people to feel like they can be themselves at work each day, and for that to happen, we need to promote a sense of belonging. It will nurture creativity, fresh perspectives, and mutual understanding, essential to pursuing the best approaches and ideas.
Q: How do you think DICE will foster collaboration among different project teams?
A: By embedding DICE within our shared set of values, goals and processes, we develop trust and connection between teams. If we create an inclusive and judgement-free environment, our consultants will feel comfortable collaborating with each other.
Q: Why is celebrating and understanding diverse cultures important for Lancia's growth?
A: We want to build an equitable and cohesive culture because this creates a safe place for learning and growth for our consultants. By fostering diversity, promoting open communication, and providing equal opportunities, we can create a culture where everyone thrives and contributes to our collective success.
To stand by this and embed it into the organisation, we must commit for the long-term, where our leadership team is inclusive and embraces meritocracy, to ensure DICE is at the heart of our decision-making.
Q: Which aspect of DICE are you most excited about, and why?
A: All DICE principles should be recognised in and outside of work. For DICE month in the office, we hosted a few events, amongst which is my personal favourite, the Pot Luck Lunch. We came together to celebrate aspects of our heritage, such as traditional food and customs. Honoring our differences helps us learn, grow, and understand each other better.
To uncover what the initiative meant to our team, we asked them which word in DICE they resonated with most and why.
Si Qi, Consultant: "Equality is like giving everyone the same pair of shoes, while equity means providing each person with shoes that fit them perfectly." It's great to be part of an organisation that values and strives for equity, ensuring the team feels supported in the ways that they need.
Edgar, Consultant: Embracing diversity gives us depth to our perspectives and experiences. The differences we have should be celebrated and not shunned.
Louise, Principal: Inclusion means treating everyone equally and with the same values and respect you would like to be treated with, regardless of their background or identity.
CS, Executive Director: Inclusion is more than just acknowledging people are different. It involves taking an additional step to be interested and genuinely understand the unique individual.
Alan, Managing Director: Diversity is Lancia's strength as it brings people with different skills, perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds! Each of us is special and unique, with the potential to bring so much to the table!
Finally, we hear some thoughts from our APAC People & Culture Business Partner, Xanthea Tan.
Q: What is the strategic significance of DICE Month in fostering unity and understanding among our colleagues? And how do you envision events like DICE impacting our workplace culture in the long run?
A: DICE Month allowed us to deepen our understanding of our colleagues, from their backstories to the values that drive them. This knowledge helps us forge stronger connections and work collaboratively toward building a better Lancia.
Beyond being a strategic initiative, it strengthens the heartbeat of Lancia’s culture. We aim to celebrate DICE every day, as it underscores that our differences are not obstacles but assets that can unite us. It encourages us to appreciate and celebrate the diverse backgrounds, viewpoints, and experiences our team members bring.
We strive to make every team member feel valued, heard, and included, and this initiative is only the beginning of a long journey we are excited to embark on together.
Do these initiatives resonate with you? Want to explore a potential career at Lancia? Get started here.
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