Increasing Diversity And Representation In Leadership
Two practices to supercharge your efforts
Posted on 04-04-2021, Read Time: - Min
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Since the summer of 2020, global protests and political events within the United States have resurfaced conversations about the Black Lives Matter movement, White supremacy, social welfare, and structural racism. Subsequently, company leaders found themselves expected to commit and contribute publicly to social change. And while some companies shined and some struggled, these moments have illuminated the need to invest in and take action on issues of racial diversity, equity, and inclusion within the workplace.
One clear area of focus for investment has been in increasing diversity and representation throughout all levels of organizations. Hiring for Chief Diversity Officers and other DEI professionals has seen a sharp increase throughout the last five years. In its 2021 Workplace Trends Report, Glassdoor reported a 30% increase in hiring for DEI roles year over year, expecting this trend to continue in 2021. Whether elevating existing talent or hiring new talent into these positions, these roles help signal the investment and importance of DEI for companies internally and externally.
While these roles are crucial, there are two talent practices that can supercharge companies’ efforts related to increasing diversity and representation within leadership: succession planning and delegation.
Succession Planning
Imagine the General Counsel for a company announced their resignation: how should the company approach finding a replacement? How long would it take to staff that position? Who would be tapped to lead in the interim?
All of these questions are key within the succession planning process. Succession planning serves as an opportunity to intentionally identify and cultivate a diverse pool of emerging leaders. While most succession planning discussions arise reactively after a leader leaves, taking time to create this pool can help minimize the disruption of normal business practices and build diversity and representation within leadership positions.
Building a diverse bench of leaders requires companies to examine their current talent development practices and shifting their mindset on who is ready for leadership. Questions to help reflect on this mindset include:
All of these questions are key within the succession planning process. Succession planning serves as an opportunity to intentionally identify and cultivate a diverse pool of emerging leaders. While most succession planning discussions arise reactively after a leader leaves, taking time to create this pool can help minimize the disruption of normal business practices and build diversity and representation within leadership positions.
Building a diverse bench of leaders requires companies to examine their current talent development practices and shifting their mindset on who is ready for leadership. Questions to help reflect on this mindset include:
- What does a profile of success look like within your organization? Are there multiple profiles based on functional area?
- What types of skills, characteristics, and areas of expertise are prioritized when defining success?
- How are those skills, characteristics, and areas of expertise best expressed in demonstrating success within your organization?
- What are the opportunities to develop and refine these skills, characteristics, and areas of expertise within the organization?
- What are potential barriers to demonstrating effectiveness in these areas (e.g. working outside of traditional work hours, participating in cross-functional committees)?
- Has your organization calibrated these criteria against informal measures for securing promotions (e.g. building high visibility, networking with senior leaders, attending virtual “happy hours”)?
While companies may not be able to remove current executives or create new positions at will to increase diversity and representation, intentional succession planning serves as an opportunity to bring it to fruition.
Performance Appraisal and Delegation
Another practice that can remove barriers to increasing diversity and representation is examining an organization’s approach to performance appraisal and review. Feedback and assessment are essential for employees to thrive in the workplace and these discussions often inform readiness for new projects, stretch opportunities, and even promotions. However, performance reviews are quite susceptible to bias and stereotypes. One key bias is similarity or affinity bias, with which people favor those who are most like them and distance themselves from those who are not like them. By building relationships with each employee, managers can help mitigate this bias in time for performance reviews. Yet, addressing bias in the performance review process is best handled during work assignments and delegation.
While reflecting on the composition and performance of their team, managers should think about the following questions:
While reflecting on the composition and performance of their team, managers should think about the following questions:
- How are new projects and tasks currently distributed?
- If there is ambiguity about where a specific project should land, how do you determine who should receive the project?
- When faced with a tight deadline, who is trusted to take on those responsibilities?
- When faced with a project that requires navigating organizational politics or is under heavy scrutiny, who is trusted to take on those responsibilities?
Acknowledging that affinity bias can affect your management style is a necessary first step to eliminating your processes and intentionally increasing access to stretch opportunities for your employees.
Putting It All Together
As companies embark on their DEI journeys, there are infinite possibilities of where to start. A handful of solutions — employee resource groups, Chief Diversity Officers, and anti-bias training — often emerge as the starting point. Each of these options can have a positive impact in the right circumstances and when executed effectively, but their pitfalls are well-documented. An effective DEI strategy is built on long-term investment and action. DEI thrives under the same conditions as most business priorities: clear goals, realistic expectations, adequate resources, and effective executive sponsorship. Creating these conditions—along with investing in succession planning and creating increased access to stretch and growth opportunities—can supercharge your efforts to increase diversity and representation in leadership for 2021 and beyond.
Author Bio
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Dion Bullock, DEIB Strategy Lead, serves as the inaugural Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Strategy Lead at Bravely, supporting organizations to foster cultures centered on building trust and addressing barriers for marginalized employees to thrive in the workplace. Visit https://workbravely.com/ Connect Dion Bullock |
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