It’s staggeringly common for exec teams to leave HR or People Directors to ‘fix’ or otherwise handle EDI.
Those roles do, of course, have a huge role to play in creating an environment which is not only welcoming, but championing, of diversity.
The approach to recruitment is critical, as is the way in which you develop staff, and the management techniques you use and how they encourage inclusion.
HR and People departments can coordinate that and drive forward progress.
But, that can’t happen in isolation.
To make genuine progress on diversity and inclusion, it needs to be embedded across an organisation.
A similar problem can happen when a specific person is appointed as EDI Manager.
On paper, having a named individual responsible for all your activity helps accountability, but the risk lies in allowing everyone else to rest on their laurels.
Without buy-in from everyone, you simply won’t reap the benefits that come from having different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives improving how your organisation operates.
A firm belief in that – that diversity is an issue for all of us to tackle – is what underpins my decision to start Castle Peak.
In recruitment, it’s easy to think of it as a one way path, with the candidate selling themselves to the hiring organisation. The reality isn’t always like that, especially in sectors where skills are in demand, but that’s the perception.
In executive search, the dynamic is different.
You’re looking for the very best talent in their respective fields, and so it’s as much the hiring organisation in the shop window as the candidates.
Candidates from diverse backgrounds will want to be even more aware of what they are walking into.
They’ll be attuned to the authenticity of an organisation’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, and wary of tokenism.
No one wants to be the only diverse voice on a board, with a responsibility not only for doing your actual job well, but for representing a whole range of voices other than your own.
Facebook uses a multi-layered interview and recruitment process to help them get to know candidates, and help candidates get to know the team they’ll be working with. That’s labour and time intensive, but it does give the opportunity for people to suss each other out, and for candidates to ask questions of those in different roles to get a good sense of the reality.
You can also be actively transparent about where you are on your D&I journey.
To do that, you need to be measuring, evaluating, and sharing your progress with candidates.
There are steps to take to make sure you’re doing that effectively – define what you’re targeting and measuring, review your data collection practices to make sure you’re doing so legally, and then set some metrics and targets.
A candidate can then take in the changes in your diverse headcount, your training programmes, your partnerships with external accrediting organisations, the internal mobility and promotions of your diverse workforce, mentoring programmes or supplier diversity.
They’ll be able to quickly review, with evidence, how seriously you take diversity and inclusion.
Your data collection and evaluation should extend to your recruitment processes too.
That can start by asking yourself questions like ‘are certain groups more likely to apply?’, ‘are certain groups less likely to be invited to interview?’ and ‘are certain groups less likely to accept their offer?’.
That kind of self-critique, especially when backed by data, and feedback gathered during the recruitment process, is crucial to improving your processes.
As is often the case, it comes down to communication, curiosity, and actively listening to those from diverse backgrounds to understand their experience.
You won’t get things right first time, because there is no one lever to pull which creates a diverse organisation, but incremental change is important.
I often reflect on the experiences of friends and family from diverse backgrounds, as they make their way through the world.
As someone coming from a place of privilege, it’s humbling to try to appreciate the extra effort that goes into how they build their careers, how they clear the hurdles put in front of them, and dismantle barriers for others.
There’s no doubt that exposure to those experiences has made me a better person, and it can make your organisation a better one too.
