Diversity and Inclusion Should Not Be Built in Silos
THE VERY COMMITTEES set up to develop a more inclusive company culture often cause segregation – segregation inclusion. Sometimes these committees and cultural groups cause more problems than they solve. You have African American, Asian, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, and women’s groups. I haven’t heard of a disabilities group (it may be called a wellness group).
Great! Now you have the groups, and some are well attended. Now what? Does a designated person attend all the meetings, hear the issues, and take them back to the D&I main committee and leadership? Do they then address the issues the best they can? Do you form groups because you’ve checked the boxes, and when it’s their month or holiday (Black History, Lunar New Year) do you expect events from them? Do you then send an email to everyone in the company saying, “Event in conference room 2,” and then ignore them until the next year?”
I would think that the head of D&I would have the ability to ensure that the groups and committees have a purpose. Part of the purpose would be to ensure that those who are diverse feel included even when they’re not sitting in the diversity group setting. If the groups themselves have issues, then someone has to unpack what’s happening in them and, if necessary, take the issues to leadership.
If you build these groups, it’s your duty to ensure that they’re not trying to figure things out on their own and that any results are communicated to the rest of the company. You don’t want the outcome of these groups to be that everyone thinks that the whole Diversity and Inclusion thing isn’t working because people are still complaining. If they’re complaining it’s because all you’ve done is put a group of people together whose work isn’t part of the foundation of the company.
I’m an advocate for a great organization that does an amazing job building diverse groups that are invested in their mission. The problem that most organizations face is that these groups are often kept away from each other. Companies take the time to build diversity in pockets, but they don’t fold that diversity into the larger organization. You shouldn’t just pluck and pull only what’s beneficial to your specific cause. When people feel that the diversity is one-sided, you’ll lose them.
Thoughts About Committees and Groups
In my questionnaire, I asked for people’s thoughts about D&I committees and groups. Here are some of the responses:
In general, it’s one thing to create a committee or D&I group to just have to fit in with the status quo. It’s another thing to invest in the proper manpower and resources to get the job done.
— Education & Communications
This is my first workplace to have them. I appreciate it a lot. I never knew that it existed!
— Tech
My experience with groups has been that they’re ill-trained and lacking true substance. They were created mostly to meet a requirement or to adhere to prior litigation.
— Travel & Disability, Executive Development
I think committees and groups are a good first step, but like anything else they need to be sustainable and collaborative to grow. You can’t expect a one-sided monologue to lead to a conversation. The definition of conversation is a talk between two people or two sides.
— Entertainment & Tech
I think there are benefits and risks. The benefits are employee buy-in and execution – when people are a part of the process, they have a sense of ownership all the way through. The risk is that the right people aren’t in the room and a qualified leader isn’t there to keep them on task and accountable.
— Education
It’s great to have a voice, but they may want to give consideration to how that voice is used. The very existence of a D&I committee, if they’re not careful, can be an advertisement to everyone that diverse individuals are thought of as lesser and in need of special assistance. For the diverse individual, it can feel daunting.
— Financial Services
I think it’s a fantastic, innovative idea. It shows that the company cares.
— Garment Industry
HR departments should all have special-needs sections to address disabilities and diversity.
— Medical
Everyone should be included and educated.
— Meetings & Events
Having these types of groups keeps leadership and the organization accountable in addition to being able to contribute to the growth and development of an organization by providing their insight.
— Higher Education (University)
They are only impactful and successful when they allow people to be vulnerable and, when necessary, uncomfortable. Contrary to popular belief, D&I groups aren’t there to make us feel good, they’re supposed to teach us how to accept and work through those uncomfortable feelings and thoughts that arise when we confront our own biases.
— Technology
As you’ve read, groups can be amazing as long as they have substance and purpose and their information is shared throughout the company and not kept inside the group. When you create groups, be prepared to hear real feedback on what’s working and what isn’t.
I’ve noticed that when a company gets into trouble they immediately say that they’ll give money and set up an internal committee and groups to deal with the trouble. But part of the reason they got into trouble is that their staff isn’t diverse and they don’t have diversity of thought, so who’s going to be a part of these groups and committees? And after they build them, what will they do with the information they collect? If the company had been serious about Diversity and Inclusion, that information would have informed their decisions and they wouldn’t be in trouble in the first place.
You can’t build it and expect Them to come! Make sure that the people you would like to benefit from the committees are building them.
I found in my research that the few people who were happy about the committees had seen change, big or small, in their companies. They had seen that thoughts and feelings were being shared between groups throughout the company. Purposeful committees aren’t built in silos.
Inclusion is not only about belonging. Stop calling inclusion belonging – they have different meanings. It doesn’t mean that everyone likes you; it means that you feel welcome in your space with others. Sometimes groups can make you feel even less wanted than you did before they were formed. They can make you feel like you’ve been asked to sit in a corner and not speak until spoken to, and even then you must give the right answer in order to be heard.
Make sure that whoever is creating the groups and committees for you is a good listener and communicator. That person needs to capture and incorporate information as needed for the benefit of those in the groups or committees and for the growth of the company.
A final thought on inclusion in silos. Keep in mind that there are 365 days a year. I’d appreciate it, as I’m sure others would, if you didn’t call me to speak just during Black History Month. I have things to offer the other eleven months as well. I will continue to be black the other eleven months, and my message is needed the other eleven months.
When I was responsible for several celebrity clothing lines, and I handled their press and advertising, several fashion editors would call me when it was time for the “Urban” fashion layout or during Black History Month. I would ask, “Why are you calling me now. I reached out to you in the past and got no response.” Of course, they would say, “We need black designers for this issue.” You can guess my response: “What happened to the other issues? Thanks, but no thanks.” I was always very clear with editors that they needed to treat my clients like any other fashion designers.
This is an example of segregation inclusion. We’ll invite you in, but only when we need you.
The New York Times published an article about whether a white guy would wear clothing that retailers called “urban hip-hop streetwear.” (I called it what it was – young men’s clothing.) I wrote to them asking when clothing had become a color issue.
We’re quick to put people and items in silos and then say, hey, we made this group or event or advertising just for you. But if it’s not connected to the larger picture, focus, mission, foundation, then it has very little meaning. Again, thanks but no thanks.
The next time you approve a group, ask yourself how it connects to the rest of the company. Ask yourself who will be sharing thoughts that can assure the growth of not only the group but the company as a whole.
Inclusion Fatigue
I hear that some folks are having inclusion fatigue. We sure know how to get out of doing something by tacking a name on it and pushing it aside! If you’ve caught inclusion fatigue, better rest up, because you’re going to be fatigued for some time to come!
When will that time be over? When you and others aren’t using bias, racism, homophobia, ableism, antiSemitism, sizeism, ageism, religious intolerance, xenophobia, classism, and all the other prejudices as an excuse to make people feel that they’re not included.
Inclusion is not a problem to solve but an opportunity to seize.
