Is Diversity the Cure to Toxicity in the Workplace?

Imagine that as a Leader (capital L), you could address workplace toxicity and all of the things that contribute to it. Where might you start??

• Office Politics – a typically festering sore if allowed to flourish and sadly encouraged by the divide and conquer rulers
• Poorly designed office space – crowded; hot/hotel desked; big closed offices for some; windows at a premium; not enough shared space and some saved for the “entitled”
• Lack of empowering technology – lack or wrong….do you run after the latest trend vs. the most useful? Are your tech outcome goals clear to all? Is your implementation spotty or universal?
• No process/structure for true collaboration – intent is the most powerful predictor of true collaboration but is it encouraged by P&L; training; C-Suite/ Board support; technology?
• No enablement for remote working – does everyone have access to the right connectivity….is their home/remote situation adequate/appropriate to fulfill their obligations? o they have the right tech support?
• Needlessly competitive environment – don’t get me started….see divide and conquer above….a perverse view of Darwin
• Management hierarchy and “power” mistaken for leadership (small l) – this is where the incompetent hide….title protects and perceived power creates cover

Yet, I would posit that there is another topic that cuts across most, if not all the above. It doesn’t solve for all the issues….but for sure, in my experience, it feeds the cauldron of toxicity like the Witches in Macbeth….”Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”

That burning fire and bubbling cauldron is Diversity….or better stated, its absence and lack. And the realization that Diversity alone is not enough….but that Inclusion and Equity are critical elements in overturning and nullifying the Witches Brew.?

Let’s start with Diversity and why it remains a divisive issue despite it being the price of entry….proven by every study to be a key element in business or other success.?

Frankly, Diversity is an easy corporate numbers game…. Percentages, pie charts, bar graphs, arrows trending up with projections based on hiring/recruiting/promotion plans. We’ve all seen them and few trend down or flat. I also point out that most look good at the macro level but as you dig down get smaller and smaller and the arrows reverse.

Diversity is also a tricky catch-all. Diversity? Gender; Color; Sexual Orientation; Religion….how about the physically and intellectually challenged? What about skills and thinking? Political??

How do I divide those percentages….at the end of the day I only have 100% to divide. No wonder it adds to the cauldron….

And do we really have the open conversations we need to have? You tell me…

As no doubt, you can tell I give no gold stars to anyone’s Diversity Programs. This should not be a discussion or a topic of contention. Get on with it. Create the environment for success….the right recruiting /interviewing teams that are representative of your desired outcomes; the right senior most people who are visible signs of your outcomes and inspire others. And don’t pander just to fulfill quota….nothing adds to the poison more than the “we tried” excuse when the wrong hire fails.?

No….while the lack of Diversity adds to a poisoned culture in and of itself, righting the graph does not provide a serious antidote to the problem….at best it's a minor ingredient.

To me, the major antitoxin is Inclusion…meaning, after you show the charts, chant mea culpa, and then pat backs for success, who is influential in meetings?? Who wields power on key decisions? Who is helping set the course for the future? Who shows up at key events not for the “Damn…we need to look more diverse” fix but rather because they are actually critical to the real solution/outcome?

There is no greater cause of tension and bad feeling, in my opinion, than the lack of inclusion. The “you hired me for the Diversity chart but I’m not really core to anything” syndrome.?

And, of course, there is Equity….which in Corporate parlance precedes Inclusion….D,E&I….but Equity without Inclusion is also meaningless, so although DIE is not a great acronym, I think I’m fairly safe in saying that’s the point….if we don’t get it right, our cultures will die and collapse under the weight of suspicion and hate.?

The role of Leadership…Capital L??

Let me return to my acrostic LEADERS and what some of the letters can teach us about how to achieve true D,E&I….or else we DIE, poisoned by our own brew. And feel free to add….use all the letters if you like.?

L—Learn?

E – Empower….if we don’t empower our under-represented populations, of all sorts, to thrive, to succeed, to excel, we will fail. Empowerment is the catalyst for Inclusion. Empowerment drives Inclusion….there is none without it.?

A – Arm?

D – Defend….no one wants to be that employee who so visibly stands out because they fit a chart. Defend, protect….make it safe for them

E – Energize?

R – Run?

S – Share….the only way to achieve true Equity. Share what’s yours to share. Be open. The dividends will drive all.?

A final thought:

Creating new siloes while trying to break down others adds a new wrinkle and ingredient to the noxious brew.? ERG’s (Employee Resource Groups) a great empowerment tool, by the way, and a safe defender place…. Risk becoming the new siloes instead of a nexus of sharing. Be honest with yourself, if you are in an ERG, if you have enough share time with others who have their own. My sense is that not enough do, and we need to fix that too.

What’s your view?