Editorial
Recently, an acquaintance was proudly telling me about her company’s diverse management team and how important diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) were to the organization. As she spoke, I flipped to her company’s website and its leadership page, only to see the faces of white men and women staring back at me. Where were the black and brown faces? Was gender the only dimension of diversity they considered?
Unfortunately, it’s common for companies to claim victory once their leadership team has equal representation of men and women. It’s a good first step but not the finish line. Gender is often unconsciously regarded as the most comfortable dimension of diversity to incorporate, but frankly, it’s a cop-out.
A truly diverse leadership team consists of individuals who are representative of the communities they serve and are different across race, age, educational background, thinking style, sexual orientation and physical ability.
A singular focus on one or two aspects of diversity can thwart a company’s efforts to create an inclusive workplace culture and damage its bottom line. Diversity and inclusion involve much more than race and gender, and any successful DEI practice needs to consider multiple dimensions of diversity and all the ways they intersect.
What Is Intersectionality?
First defined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, intersectionality describes how overlapping forms of discrimination compound to become greater than their parts. One way to see this in real life is the way most feminist movements and organizations center the concerns of white women, and most racial equity work focuses on black men. Both efforts exclude the perspectives of black women, who face magnitudes of marginalization greater than simply sexism plus racism.
Intersectionality has since been expanded to include more than just race and gender. Dimensions of diversity like sexual orientation, age, disability, neurodiversity or veteran status are all aspects of intersectionality. For instance, consider two white men applying for a sales job. You might think they have an equal shot at being hired. But what if one is 30 and one is 65? One uses a wheelchair while the other does not. One never served in the military while the other did for 20 years. Research on implicit bias suggests that each one of these differences will influence who gets the job.
Related Article: To Include Women in the Workplace, We Need to Understand Systemic Barriers
How Does Intersectional Bias Happen in the Workplace?
People need to see their identities represented in leadership, as it sends a powerful signal of inclusion. No matter how many white women are in the C-suite, if a black woman employee doesn’t see a black woman in leadership, she won’t believe there’s a path at the company for her. Its claims about diversity will be meaningless to her, because she is not just a woman. She is a black woman. Her intersectional, overlapping identities means her experience and perspective will be vastly different from white women leaders.
For decades, black women have been pressured into chemically-damaging hairstyles in an effort to look “more professional” or dialing down their professional assertiveness so as to not come across as the stereotypical “angry black woman.”
But if that woman sees someone like herself in leadership, she will feel a sense of belonging and see an opportunity for advancement that makes her want to work for that company and stay. She will also be more comfortable sharing her ideas and taking measured risks, for which black women have been disproportionately penalized.
Diversity at the top of an organization leads to easier recruiting and better retention. People with diverse backgrounds also bring other perspectives and talents to the entire company, sparking more innovation and better problem-solving. A team of leaders with different overlapping perspectives can better understand the needs of customers and employees — whether that’s Black women, gay parents, Latine students or disabled veterans.
Consider these two scenarios: Can a homogenous team of plus-50 leaders understand the priorities of racially and culturally diverse Gen Z consumers? As our society becomes more culturally diverse, who is crafting messaging that speaks to the needs, habits and desires of our changing market? Or perhaps, would a leadership team be less resistant to remote work or more open to flexible holidays and schedules, if it included people of different faiths with a disability or caregiving responsibilities?
How Can Companies Create Inclusive Cultures?
When organizations take an intersectional approach to their DEI efforts, they can better cultivate a welcoming workplace culture. Organizations don’t have to hire a representative of every aspect of diversity, but they should consider more than gender and race when they take action.
Launching employee resource groups (ERGs) focusing on a variety of identities is a good way to create safe spaces for honest conversations and encourage mentorship opportunities. It’s important to create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing their intersectional identities — the invisible traits as well as the most obvious markers of identity.
A deep dive into demographic data is a good way to understand what initiatives a company should prioritize, especially when it comes to recruiting. Maybe a technology startup employs several culturally diverse individuals, but are they all men? Are they all younger than 40? Are there any people with disabilities? To widen the talent pipeline, the tech startup could build relationships with universities that serve primarily black, hispanic, or indigenous students, or a professional services corporation might partner with LGBTQ+ or veterans professional organizations.
A company might also have mostly women employees, but a 25-year-old latine transgender woman’s experiences will be vastly different than those of a 50-something black heterosexual woman. Both individuals should feel the same degree of belonging. The first employee shouldn’t have to hide their dismay and frustration if their state lawmakers are pushing legislation that discriminates against transgender individuals.
While companies can and should demonstrate a welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ employees by reviewing workplace documents and policies for inclusivity, and promoting the sharing of pronouns, they can also support their employees’ mental health and speak out against discrimination. To benefit from the experience and talent of the second employee, team leaders can be intentional about soliciting feedback and ideas in meetings. They can also counter the historical bias felt by so many culturally diverse women in business by providing clear career paths and growth opportunities. A flexible schedule can help her balance work duties with personal priorities, such as caring for elderly parents.
Related Article: 4 Ways to Nurture a Diverse Internal Talent Pipeline
Don’t Just Check the Box
Consider the company with the all-white executive team. Perhaps no qualified black women applied for a leadership role, but is that where the conversation ended? Did they recruit from their existing networks, or did they reach out to professional organizations that serve underrepresented groups? Is there an internal pipeline to identify, mentor and develop promising young leaders? Inclusive leaders dare to be uncomfortable, are voracious learners and don’t accept excuses.
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While I wish the executive team in my opening story had been more diverse, the greater problem was my acquaintance’s complacency. The company was finished with diversity; the box was checked. And that’s not good enough.
It’s time to stop taking the easy way through your DEI efforts and recommit to first understanding that people, based on their identities, sometimes have to navigate the world in a completely different way. And that we, as inclusion leaders, need to prioritize overcoming the implicit bias that is an insidious barrier to success and morale in the workplace to really begin to fulfill the promises of equity and inclusion.
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