Driving Cultural Transformation: DEI-Led HR Strategy in APAC

In an exclusive interaction with Asia Business Outlook, Patrick Woo, Director of Human Resources - Asia Pacific at Steelcase, shares his insights on driving cultural transformation through inclusion-focused HR strategies across the APAC region. He highlights the evolving landscape of gender diversity initiatives, hybrid work inclusion dynamics, data-driven inclusion metrics, and the empowerment of employee resource groups. Patrick Woo provides a comprehensive view of how organizations are holding leadership accountable for measurable cultural change while navigating future challenges, including generational workforce shifts, AI integrationand the growing emphasis on well-being.

As gender diversity initiatives gain momentum across APAC, how are companies evolving to increase women's leadership representation in traditionally male-dominated industries?

Organizations in the Asia-Pacific region have long recognized the importance of gender diversity and addressing gender balance.

We’ve found that organizational commitment is crucial for success and this starts with buy-in from leadership,followed by institutionalizingchange, which entails in some cases the transformation of existing cultures. This involvespolicies, practices, performance bonuses and expectations to foster leadership accountability.

What I’ve observed is thattransformation  tends to be most effective when guided by three principles:attitude, accommodation, and action. Companies often need to develop the appropriate attitude by addressing any biases, both conscious and unconscious, through training and communication. They typically adjust to change by providingtime, space, flexibility and money. Lastly, they act with commitment, developing strategies that provide immediate results but do not weaken long term strategies.

Success does not happen overnight; it takes completion of initiated projects, planning and long term commitment. Even when the goals are met, maintaining inclusion requires ongoing attention.

With fostering inclusion now tied to business performance, how are APAC organizations holding leadership accountablefor driving measurable and lasting cultural transformation?

Cultural transformation starts with leadership. At Steelcase, we've integrated our core values into leadership expectations and promotion criteria through our 'Our Compass' framework, which aligns strategic goals with cultural behaviors.What we're seeing across the region is that APAC organizations are developing systematic leadership accountability mechanisms as adirect influence of fostering inclusion initiatives on business outcomes.

Leaders are not only expected to model inclusive behaviors, they're held accountable through feedback loops, engagement metrics, and performance reviews.We're observing thatfirms incorporate a variety of measures of diversity in performance appraisals, aligning executive pay and promotion with inclusion goals, and cultural change metrics.

Accountability starts with leadership settingexpectations and goals that can be measured, such as representation targets, inclusion survey scores, and retention rates.

From what I’m seeing, new systems of performance management reward inclusive leadership behaviors as well as traditional measures of business results. Organizations are increasingly considering not only the numerical representation of diversity but also inclusive decision-making environments and team engagement indicators and cultural change. This holistic strategy makes leaders take into consideration both quantitative and qualitative change.

Our 'Our Compass' framework reinforces this by ensuring leaders are both storytellers and stewards of change. Effective accountability involves long-term persistence, precise measures, frequent evaluation, and ensuring that fostering inclusionis treated asa business need.

The shift to hybrid work environments has created new inclusion dynamics; how are APAC companies adapting inclusion efforts to foster belonging for both remote and in-office employees?

Steelcase's extensive research over many years has identified four macro shifts reshaping work today: Living on Screen, AI Supercycle, Sustainability Mindset, and Wellbeing Urgency. These aren't just trends, they are forces demanding a complete rethinking of workplace design.

The "Living on Screen" shift is particularly critical for hybrid inclusion. Our research reveals that 56% of meetings now include at least one remote participant, and even office-based employees often join meetings from their desks rather than walking to conference rooms or quiet spaces. This has fundamentally reshaped how people use office spaces and build relationships at work.

The challenge: This shift contributes to feelings of loneliness and disengagement, as people substitute physical presence with digital convenience.

Steelcase’s solution: We've responded by designing both physical and digital environments that foster belonging, whether someone is in the office or remote. Our research shows that middle managers, in particular, need privacy and autonomy to thrive in this environment.

We're rethinking space design, meeting norms, and digital collaboration tools to ensure everyone feels seen, heard, and supported, regardless of location. This means creating acousticallyoptimized spaces, establishing inclusive meeting protocols, and deploying technology that bridges the digital-physical divide to maintain team cohesion across distributed work environments.

With growing emphasis on data-driven HR, what key inclusion metrics are APAC firms prioritizing to track cultural transformation and inform strategic decisions?

I can't speak for the entire APAC region, but at Steelcase, we're taking a data-informed approach to inclusion. We track quantitative metrics like representation across leadership levels, engagement scores by demographic, and participation in our inclusive learning programs.

However, we've found that numbers alone don't tell the complete story. We also prioritize qualitative indicatorssuch as employee sentiment and feedback from our employees to understand the lived experience behind the data.

This balanced approach helps us move beyond surface-level metrics to gain deeper insights into how inclusion initiatives are actually impacting our employees' daily experiences. The feedback from our employees is particularly valuable because it provides context and nuance that pure data points can't capture.

The key is combining hard metrics with human insights to create a comprehensive picture of our inclusion progress and identify areas where we need to focus our efforts.

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Employee resource groups have proven effective in many APAC markets—how are organizations empowering ERGs to support diverse talent and drive sustained inclusion?

In Asia Pacific, our Business Inclusion Groups are a cornerstone of our inclusion strategy. They're not just affinity groups, they're strategic partners. We empower them with budget, executive sponsorship, and a voice in shaping policies and programs.

Their insights have informed everything from onboarding to wellbeing initiatives, helping us build a culture where diverse talent can thrive and lead. The key to success is positioning them as genuine strategic partners who influence decision-making, not just employee groups operating on the periphery.

Considering evolving social and economic trends, what future inclusion challenges and opportunities do you foresee shaping HR strategies across the APAC region?

The future of inclusion in APAC will be shaped by demographic shifts, geopolitical dynamics, and evolving employee expectations. Organizations must navigate generational differences, increasing wellbeing demands, and AI-driven reskilling needs while managing high talent mobility, all factors that vary across the region.

One significant challenge is navigating cultural nuance while maintaining global consistency in inclusion approaches. The region's cultural diversity requires locally specific implementation that aligns with universal inclusion principles.

But there's also a tremendous opportunity: APAC is home to some of the world's most dynamic talent markets. By investing in inclusive leadership, equitable systems, and purpose-driven culture, organizations can unlock innovation and resilience across the region.

The organizations that will thrive are those that can balance respecting local cultural contexts with universal inclusion principles, while adapting to rapidly changing workforce demographics and expectations. Success requires combining standardized inclusion models with cultural sensitivity to support diverse talent in an AI-driven, human-centered workplace.