Diversity Doesn’t Stick Without Inclusion

Digital
Article
Diversity
Diversity Doesn’t
Stick Without
Inclusion
by Laura Sherbin and Ripa Rashid
This document is authorized for use only by Natasha Mills in WMBA-6010B-1/WMBA-6010-1/MSPM-6010-1/COMM-6504-1/MGMT-6010-1/MMSL-6010-1/MHRM-6611-1-2021-Fall-SEM-Termwks-9-thru-16-(11/01/2021-12/26/2021)-PT4 at Laureate Education – Walden University, 2021.
Diversity Doesn’t Stick
Without Inclusion
by Laura Sherbin and Ripa Rashid
Published on HBR.org / February 01, 2017 / Reprint H03FC8
Leaders have long recognized that a
diverse workforce of women, people of
color, and LGBT individuals confers a
competitive edge in terms of selling products
or services to diverse end users. Yet a stark
gap persists between recognizing the
leadership behaviors that unlock this
capability and actually practicing them.
Part of the problem is that “diversity” and
“inclusion” are so often lumped together
that they’re assumed to be the same thing.
But that’s just not the case. In the context of
the workplace, diversity equals
representation. Without inclusion, however,
the crucial connections that attract diverse
talent, encourage their participation, foster innovation, and lead to
business growth won’t happen. As noted diversity advocate Vernā Myers
puts it, “Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to
dance.”
Numerous studies show that diversity alone doesn’t drive inclusion. In
fact, without inclusion there’s often a diversity backlash. Our research on
sponsorship and multicultural professionals, for example, shows that
although 41% of senior-level African-Americans, 20% of senior-level
Asians, and 18% of senior-level Hispanics feel obligated to sponsor
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employees of the same gender or ethnicity as themselves (for Caucasians
the number is 7%), they hesitate to take action. Sponsors of color,
especially at the top, are hobbled by the perception of giving special
treatment to protégés of color and the concern that protégés might not
“make the grade.” The result: Just 18% of Asians, 21% of AfricanAmericans, and 25% of Hispanics step up to sponsorship (and 27% of
Caucasians).
Another difficulty in solving the issue is data. It’s easy to measure
diversity: It’s a simple matter of headcount. But quantifying feelings of
inclusion can be dicey. Understanding that narrative along with the
numbers is what really draws the picture for companies.
For example, we worked with a Chile-based firm that would seem to have
no problems with diversity. After all, one of their most valued employees is
an indigenous Peruvian, a man who is respected, well-paid, and included
in the leadership team’s decision-making discussions. Yet in a one-on-one
interview he confided that he saw no future for his ambitions at that firm.
“I know they value me,” he said, “but I am an indigenous person, and they
are white, legacy, and Spanish. They will never make me a partner,
because of my color and background.” Conventional measures would never
flag this talented man for a flight risk; it’s up to the narrative to tell the
tale.
At the Center for Talent Innovation, we have constructed a unique, robust
framework for measuring the things that matter. Our methodology relies
on three streams of information: wide-ranging, anonymous, quantitative
surveys provide the statistical foundation; Insights In-Depth sessions, a
proprietary web-based tool used to conduct facilitated focus groups within
companies, provide the stories to flesh out the statistics; and one-on-one
interviews enrich the statistics with deeper meaning. Within that
framework our research has uncovered four levers that drive inclusion.
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Inclusive leaders. This kind of leadership is a conglomeration of six
behaviors: ensuring that team members speak up and are heard; making it
safe to propose novel ideas; empowering team members to make
decisions; taking advice and implementing feedback; giving actionable
feedback; and sharing credit for team success. Of employees who report
that their team leader has at least three of these traits, 87% say they feel
welcome and included in their team, 87% say they feel free to express their
views and opinions, and 74% say they feel that their ideas are heard and
recognized. For respondents who reported that their team leader has none
of these traits, those percentages dropped to 51%, 46%, and 37%,
respectively.
Authenticity. It’s not surprising that everyone expends energy by
repressing parts of their persona in the workplace in some way. But
according to our research, 37% of African-Americans and Hispanics and
45% of Asians say they “need to compromise their authenticity” to
conform to their company’s standards of demeanor or style. Our
research on women in the science, engineering, and technology industries
shows that, regardless of gender, acting “like a man” can provide an
advantage in becoming a leader in these fields. What a waste of employees’
energy, let alone their employers’ diversity dollars.
Networking and visibility. For women and people of color, the key to
rising above a playing field that remains stubbornly uneven is sponsorship.
A sponsor is a senior-level leader who elevates their protégé’s visibility
within the corridors of power, advocates for key assignments and
promotions for them, and puts their reputation on the line for the
protégé’s advancement. For those who feel marginalized by their gender,
ethnicity, age, sexual identity, or educational and economic background,
sponsorship is particularly crucial in invigorating ambition and driving
engagement. Having a sponsor increases the likelihood of being satisfied
with the rate of career advancement. Conversely, lack of sponsorship
increases someone’s likelihood of quitting within a year.
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Clear career paths. For women, LGBT individuals, and people of color,
the map to career success is murky. Our research shows that 45% of
women off-ramp to take care of children, although elder care is
increasingly pulling women off the career track, with 24% leaving to care
for aging relatives. But a significant number of women also feel pushed off
the ladder: 29% say their career isn’t satisfying, and 23% feel stalled in
their careers. Comments from women in focus groups note that they’re
frustrated by being passed over for high-profile assignments, and they
have a general sense of missing out on the right opportunities. LGBT
individuals and people of color, too, struggle to name a simple solution to
open up a blocked career path. Ironically, it’s usually the majority group
that presumes to identify the reason these people aren’t advancing, which
too often results in the problem being oversimplified.
Companies should start from the simple but fundamental understanding
that there are different perspectives, each of them valuable, and work to
explore and identify the range of barriers holding these individuals back.
Organizations can then formulate plans and programs that offer options
and provide signposts that help women, LGBT people, and people of color
find the path that’s right for where they are in their lives and careers.
Focusing on these four levers can elicit real change. Our research finds
that employees with inclusive managers are 1.3 times more likely to feel
that their innovative potential is unlocked. Employees who are able to
bring their whole selves to work are 42% less likely to say they intend to
leave their job within a year. Those with sponsors are 62% more likely to
have asked for and have received a promotion. And 69% of women who
off-ramp would have stayed at their companies if they’d had flexible work
options.
Diversity without inclusion is a story of missed opportunities, of
employees so used to being overlooked that they no longer share ideas and
insights. But diversity with inclusion provides a potent mix of talent
retention and engagement.
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This document is authorized for use only by Natasha Mills in WMBA-6010B-1/WMBA-6010-1/MSPM-6010-1/COMM-6504-1/MGMT-6010-1/MMSL-6010-1/MHRM-6611-1-2021-Fall-SEM-Termwks-9-thru-16-(11/01/2021-12/26/2021)-PT4 at Laureate Education – Walden University, 2021.
Laura Sherbin, PhD, is co-president of the Center for Talent
Innovation. She is an economist who specializes in the creation of
competitive advantage through inclusion and diversity.
Ripa Rashid specializes in global talent strategies. She has spent over a
decade as a management consultant and has held senior positions at
Met Life and Time Warner. She is coauthor with Hewlett of Winning the
War for Talent in Emerging Markets (Harvard Business Review Press,
2011). She is a graduate of Harvard University and INSEAD’s MBA
program.
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This document is authorized for use only by Natasha Mills in WMBA-6010B-1/WMBA-6010-1/MSPM-6010-1/COMM-6504-1/MGMT-6010-1/MMSL-6010-1/MHRM-6611-1-2021-Fall-SEM-Termwks-9-thru-16-(11/01/2021-12/26/2021)-PT4 at Laureate Education – Walden University, 2021.