Diversity and Transformation, anyone?

Diversity and Inclusion are all the rage. Again. It used to be just the word diversity. Now it’s dressed up with inclusion. I have heard one version of this or another in many meetings, interviews, HR trainings. The composition of top leadership and boards have not changed at all in my two decade plus corporate trek. Most organization I know have explicit aspiration to increase diversity at all levels, but no result to show for it.

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What if we have been thinking about it wrong all along? May be what we need is Diversity and Transformation instead of Diversity and Inclusion? I cannot take credit for this term. First time I heard Diversity and Transformation is on a podcast in the middle of a grocery store run (if I can find it again, I would insert a link to it).

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The concept is simple. Inclusion indicates assimilating the diverse group into the existing norm and maintaining the norm. That is exactly what has happened for years. Data shows that when a female CEO leaves, more often than not she is succeeded by a non-female. Top reason being not having a broad slate of experienced candidates. Most people who made to the top, towed the cultural norm instead of shattering it.

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What if the existing organizational norms and the culture are the issue? I have seen lots of effort in hiring diverse slate of employees, sometimes straight out of school. Expectation has always been that newcomers will keep the existing norm intact. These norms can play out in subtle ways, dressing certain way, golf outings for a group where few employees play golf but the boss and handful of people do. Pressure to wear coarse, curly hair certain way with excessive hair taming practices. Pressure to wear dress instead of pant suit by female executives (that was a thing before Kamala Harris put that to rest).

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I remember a senior executive approaching a senior woman in the team with the question, “do you have kids?” When she said no, there was total silence. Moments like these define a person as relatable or not. It either makes an impression or exiles a person into oblivion. Inclusion in this case could have been the woman moving on to golf or basketball or baseball or speaking fluently about local school district. Not everyone is interested in discarding their authenticity for the sake of inclusion, not anymore.  

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The above experience is not different than what LG people faced 20 years back (and BT people are still facing). Their experience did not change until the broader society transformed and accepted the LG people as they are. The same is needed in all other areas aspiring for diversity.

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The norms and culture that created and sustained the lack of diversity need to be transformed. Only when organizations acknowledge the need and can accept the diverse groups as they are, true inclusion can begin.