Читать книгу Supplier Diversity For Dummies - Kathey K. Porter - Страница 72

Using an umbrella approach also impacts the leader tasked with managing it — the Chief Diversity Officer, or CDO. There have been quite a few hires and announcements of newly appointed CDOs. With some organizations, it’s the same as it’s always been, focused on DEI. In others, it’s an all-encompassing position covering all things diversity, including supplier diversity.

The emphasis on diversity is definitely a positive one. However, does the CDO title truly reflect what’s happening with diversity? For example, the CDO title has primarily been associated with DEI. However, if a comprehensive diversity strategy includes creating equitable opportunities for employees and suppliers, are diversity professionals, who are usually trained to support one portion of a program, equipped to handle the rigors of another aspect of diversity that includes different audiences and has its own set of challenges, objectives, and KPIs? Will this merging of the two require CDOs to be well versed in both areas, or is it setting diversity efforts up to fail by overreaching the capacity of the professional in charge?

I’ve heard many colleagues express feelings of burnout and being overwhelmed managing the demands of both and still being able to be effective. As stated earlier, the umbrella approach is problematic to diversity for several reasons. The title and what it entails adds to this challenge.