The Future of DE&I: Recognising policy flaws and championing deep cultural change
The Future of DE&I: Recognising policy flaws and championing deep cultural change
Written by: Paula Antalffy 1-2 minute read
There is no manager or employee within the tech space, or probably within any sector who hasn’t had a workshop, brief or talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). This hot button issue has been at the forefront of business owners' minds for years.
There has been amazing progress made through proactive initiative to change the way businesses view the importance of having a diverse team. As businesses learn to recognise systematic biases within their hiring processes and day-to-day management they can begin to create a truly inclusive workplace.
However, when you look at how these traditional DE&I initiatives have changed the wider businesses landscape - it’s easy to see that these processes aren’t helping as much as businesses had hoped for.
Here is a stat that truly illustrates the real extent of this problem.
From 1985 to 2016 the number of Black men in management roles in the US went from 3.0% to 3.2%. - Source: Dobbin, F., & Kalev, A. (2016). Why Diversity Programs Fail. Harvard Business Review.
It’s important to note that this lack of change isn’t due to a lack of effort. A survey published by mindgym found that out of 1000+ respondents in a global survey, 81% said Diversity and Inclusion is high on their agenda. What’s more, a staggering $19 billion is spent annually by businesses on DE&I initiatives.
So what IS the issue?
Increasingly businesses are finding and reporting that the traditional methods used for promoting diversity within a business such as unconscious bias training, employee resource groups and hiring quotas are actually causing more harm than good.
Take for example unconscious bias training (UBT) which aims to highlight and correct inherent biases people carry. Despite high participation rates and intentions to change, research increasingly shows that UBT generally fails to have a lasting positive impact. In some cases, it can even result in participants becoming more prejudiced than before.
Other similar methods also show similar issues.
So what is the answer?
I think like with many other issues within the workplace, which involves people - it’s important to recognise that it is a complex issue to tackle. (Probably more complex than your management team initially anticipated.) Being a person is messy - we are incredibly diverse and that is a good thing! Strong teams are made up of all different walks of life. This is why it is crucial for any business to take the necessary steps to diversify their team and create a culture of true inclusion.
I believe that like with any other team based problem, businesses need to take a holistic approach which tackles taking care of their people from every angle. By giving people support, letting them know that they are heard, and allowing them to truly put themselves first - CXOs can begin to build a culture of trust which will help guide policy in a holistic way.
If you want to learn more about this topic you can read our latest blog here.
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