Fostering Diversity in the Workplace

Adapted from Aligned: Connecting Your True Self with the Leader You’re Meant to Be

Artificial intelligence relies on training: exposing the system to a multitude of data sets, which often contain biases. The more diverse the team, the lower the risk of such biases being baked in and left undetected. “It really starts with people,” says computer scientist Joy Buolamwini. “So, who codes matters. Are we creating full-spectrum teams with diverse individuals who can check each other’s blind spots?”

The challenges faced by female entrepreneurs is another example. The difficulties they face in raising capital has been partly attributed to the overwhelming domination of male venture capitalists and investors. The problem? Surrounded by too many people like themselves, investors are not always able to recognize their own biases or grasp business opportunities that target a demographic outside of their own. In her memoir Shark Tales, real estate entrepreneur turned investor Barbara Corcoran illustrates that very challenge. As the only female investor on Shark Tank, the American television show in which entrepreneurs pitch their ideas, she was the only one to understand the potential of a medication dispenser for toddlers shaped like an elephant. She concludes in her book that her male colleagues were most likely oblivious to the challenge of giving a sick infant medicine in the middle of the night. She was the only one supporting the venture, which became very successful. In a country such as the UK, women make 80 percent of consumer purchases, yet they account for only 12 percent of executive teams in companies surveyed by global consultancy McKinsey & Company.

Fostering diversity also helps to recruit and retain tal- ent. Leaders committed to hiring a diverse workforce can fish in a much bigger talent pond. Furthermore, a broader range of recruits feels at home in more diverse companies, which in turn improves their satisfaction and desire to stay. A 2017 Gallup survey revealed that fostering environments that celebrate diversity greatly improves employee engagement. Diversity is particularly valued among younger generations: almost half of millennials consider diversity and inclusion important criteria when considering a potential employer.

How can diversity be nurtured? First, measure it. As Peter Drucker would say, you can’t improve what you don’t measure. An increasing number of companies include diversity as factors in assessing leadership performance and weave diversity training and coaching into the cor- porate culture. Inspired by the example of top orchestras, which have introduced blind auditions for musicians, more measurable and objective criteria have been introduced in recruiting and promoting to keep biases in check.

Hubert Joly argues that creating an environment in which every employee can be themselves, grow, and feel valued is an intrinsic part of leadership and management. Best Buy’s strategy has been to foster diversity and inclusivity along four axes: workforce, workplace, suppliers, and community. Diversifying recruitment pipelines, for instance, ensures that the company hires more diverse talent, and social benefits have been reviewed to take into consideration diverse situations and needs, from childcare to gender transitioning.

Creating diversity, however, is not enough in itself. If it is to produce the benefits outlined above, diversity needs to be actively managed so that it feeds, rather than hinders, collective alignment. Jim Turley, the former CEo of Ernst & Young, draws an important distinction: “Diversity itself is about the mix of people you have, and creating an inclusive culture is about making that mix work.” Aicha Evans agrees that seeking out people different from us is only the first step: because we have a natural tendency to align with the similar, inclusion does not happen by itself but requires systems and efforts.

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