Читать книгу Hiring for Diversity - Arthur Woods - Страница 21

If we think of diversity hiring as building a house, then reporting data and setting goals are the foundation. But too many organizations try to build their house without first laying that foundation, which is one reason DEI efforts so frequently fail. In fact, according to a 2021 study by Josh Bersin, founder of talent management consultancy Bersin & Associates, 76 percent of companies have no diversity or inclusion goals at all.

As with most aspects of business, you can't manage what you can't measure. If you are serious about diversifying your organization, you need to apply the same rigor to those efforts as you do to other strategic priorities. That means assessing the situation, setting clear and realistic goals, sharing those goals across your organization, and then measuring your progress against those goals.

And you need to be willing to share your findings with employees, customers, shareholders, applicants—anyone who has a vested interest in your organization. If the people most responsible for diversifying your organization don't have a firm understanding of your current situation, they are not truly empowered to do the job. And sharing data publicly is a critical aspect of accountability; even embarrassing news builds trust among stakeholders and signals that you are serious about making a change.

Unfortunately, too many organizations resist sharing their DEI data publicly. They fear being called out by critics or competitors, or losing applicants who don't want to work for a homogenous organization. That fear is why only 59 out of 931 of America's largest corporations—a mere 6.3 percent—had reported their diversity data as of January 2021, according to nonprofit research company JUST Capital.

At a time when so many employers have publicly stated their commitment to diversity, the public—which includes your potential employees—is expecting to see real results. They are more likely to be patient with an employer that is honest about its challenges and sets out a clear goal for doing better. This is where your organization's mindset can make a difference. Bersin's 2021 study showed that roughly 40 percent of companies were operating their DEI programs from a risk-management perspective, suggesting they were more focused on compliance and risk mitigation than the actual benefits of diversification. But if you're going to “talk the talk” about diversity, you need to be prepared to walk the walk. And that means being clear about where you are and where you hope to end up.

Translating those goals into action is its own challenge. Knowing where you want to end up is different from knowing how you'll get there. With so many approaches and tactics, it's a common mistake to assume there is a viable “one size fits all” approach. Leaders will often copy the diversity goals and tactics used by other organizations without thoughtfully considering what's best and most natural for their own group. Because every organization has its own unique culture and challenges, what works well for one may not work for another. This is why it's important to do some soul-searching to find the most authentic approach for you.

Don't make the common mistake of compartmentalizing your DEI efforts. Instead, approach your diversity goals the way you would any other goal at your organization. Find the North Star that will galvanize your organization and devise a plan to get there. It's rarely a quick or easy journey, but hopefully this chapter will help you find the right path.