Please do not post a reply to this article based on the title or your stereotype of what you think I believe. Take three minutes and read the article.
One of the big fads right now is eliminating programs that increase diversity.
The saddest part of the current move away from DEI is that many companies are showing their hand as opportunistic servants of their PR departments and don't actually care about diversity at all. They rushed to the DEI movement when it was hot. Now they are running away from it. As the pendulum swings, they will rush toward it again when it is back in favor.
The question is: Were they hypocrites when they rushed toward diversity or when they rushed away from it? We won't know when they embrace it again. What we DO know is that there are companies continuing to embrace diversity. Whether or not you agree with opening opportunities to everyone, it's clear that these companies are not run by hypocrites.
As a business owner and manager who has hired maybe a thousand people in the last thirty years, and interviewed several times that, here's what I know about work places that welcome and include a variety of people.
1. The more "different" kind of people you have, the more creative your team will be. Think about your own experience with pub trivia. You'll get more answers right if your team includes someone younger, someone older, someone who likes music, someone who likes sports, someone who's black, someone who's gay, someone who has served in the military, etc.
Different perspectives come from different backgrounds, different cultures, different family norms, different education levels, and all kinds of other factors. If you have any diversity on your team, you've probably experienced this. Of course, you have to let people relax and be who they are, from their background, with their personal experiences and biases.
If people feel they have to hide the stuff that makes them different, then your team is deprived of this creativity.
2. More diverse organizations perform better financially. I'm not going to get into a citation war. But I trust research from the Harvard Business School and from MIT. They are joined by many organizations and universities in affirming that increased diversity is related to increased innovation and a willingness to try new things and recognize new markets.
3. Workplaces where everyone on the team can show up as themselves, without hiding pieces of their culture, background, or self, are workplaces filled with people who look forward to going to work. They are more likely to relax, contribute more of their uniqueness, and be willing to join the team as a true team member. They are more likely to love their jobs.
I know this from extensive experience. I try to welcome as many different kinds of people as I can. I need my company to be creative. I need my company to be innovative. I need my team to see themselves as part of a team. And I need them to bring their uniqueness to our entire enterprise.
The DEI programs and "movement" of the last ten years might have been sold wrong. They might have allowed their opposition to control the conversation. The training might have been poorly designed and implemented. But here's what we know: Diversity will win. Diversity will be back. And the more diverse teams will win.
It will take some time. But time is on the side of diversity. If you want fresh new ideas, you want diversity. If you want innovation and profit, you want diversity. If you want market share and an influence on the future, you want diversity. And if you want a great team with a great culture, you definitely want diversity.
Accepting "different-ness" is inevitable.
As Victor Hugo remarked, "Nothing else in the world . . . is so powerful as an idea whose time has come."
So long for now, DEI. We'll see you again real soon.
-- -- --
Full disclosure: I have worked on and for "diversity" programs for a long time. I spent a few years working with the industry association formerly known as CompTIA on various councils and communities, including the original AWIT - Advancing Women in Technology. Most recently, I service a few years on the Advancing Tech Talent and Diversity Council before it was disbanded.
And the reason I support these programs: It's good for my business, both short-term and long-term.
:-)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Feedback Welcome
Please note, however, that spam will be deleted, as will abusive posts.
Disagreements welcome!