practical diversity -- expanded edition

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager

Practical Diversity


What Do I Know?• Lead international, multi-disciplinary teams ranging in size

from 30 to 300.

• Moved recruitment from 70-30 M-F to 50-50 in IT function of a large company.

• Founded LGBT network that was recognised by Stonewall as a Star Performer; 5 years in the Workplace Equality Index (100 best places to work for LGB employees in UK)


I’m A Bit of a Diversity Statistic Woman… Gay… Foreign… Employed (this is a bad thing if you’re foreign…) Multi-lingual Disabled… Atheist…

BUT grew up hugely aware of (unasked & undeserved) privilege I had growing up white in Apartheid South Africa.


My childhood was FULL of signs like these

Horrible & horrificbut impossible

to escape


I CANNOT DENY THAT PRIVILEGEIn fact, the most useful thing I can do is assess, understanding & acknowledge that privilege


Check out the original article from Peggy McIntosh: http://www.amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html

In Apartheid South Africa, ALL systems were set up to

actively & blatantly give advantage to white folks and

disadvantage non-whites.

We are less good at spotting this when it isn’t so blatant.

http://www.amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html




“We have to aggressively, and uncompromisingly, attack the pernicious lie that the technology industry is a meritocracy. Perpetuating this myth only serves to bolster the egos of those who have succeeded already, at the expense of saying that people who are underrepresented in tech today aren’t present because they aren’t good”

– Anil Dash


NOT DISCRIMINATING IS IMPORTANT

Legally, if nothing else


BUT TOLERANCE IS A TERRIBLE WORD

Would YOU want to be tolerated?


WOULDN’T A FULLY INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT BE BETTER?

PROTIP: Helps Everyone!


Diversity is a Spectrum

Active hatred & discrimination (*isms)

Micro aggressions

Indifference Active inclusion

Tolerance


“A micro-aggression is telling young boys that they are very smart, and telling young girls that they are very pretty. ”

- Faruk Ates @kurafire


The Benefits of Active InclusionResearch shows that diverse teams are more creative, innovate and successful. Why?

1) As a lesbian board member I am a magical rainbow unicorn and my diversity dust ™ leads to greater profits … OR

2) A fully inclusive environment gives you the benefit of all the different viewpoints & experiences and offers many paths to success


So How Do We Move Right Way?1. STOP allowing underprivileged groups to be pushed

away

(actively/deliberately OR passively/unintentionally)

2. START building actively inclusive environments


Some Things That Work…(some of these surprised me)


Reduce FearIncreasing opportunities is worthy & important.

But reducing fear is equally so.

(tips: reduce impact of failure, risk of humiliation, acknowledge risk IS DIFFERENT for those in

underprivileged groups)


http://xkcd.com/385/


EDUCATE YOURSELF & OTHERS ABOUT PRIVILEGE & IMPLICIT BIASIf you keep doing what you always did, you’ll keep getting what you always got


Implicit BiasVery interesting Harvard research into implicit bias – we don’t realise it, are not ACTIVELY but rather PASSIVELY discriminating

There is a site with tests you can do that reveal your bias: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/


Privilege 101The number one thing that privilege gives you is a belief that you CAN. (… go to university … work in the industry you want … marry who you want to … get out of bed each morning…)

BELIEF YOU CAN IS A PART OF PRIVILEGE.


Privilege 101The other thing that privilege convinces you of is that you are there because of your skills & abilities.

BELIEF YOUR INNATE SKILLS GET YOU WHERE YOU ARE IS A PART OF PRIVILEGE TOO.


Check the Signals You Send• Logistics matter – do all your events exclude people in

particular groups? (e.g. those with caring responsibilities)

• People can’t judge your intent – only your actions (you can harm without meaning to)

• Language matters


Check If Systems are LoadedCompanies that assess effectiveness / performance and then AUTOMATE pay rises based on this tend to reduce the gender pay gap.

One interpretation:“Pitching for a pay rise” inherently favours men, who tend to be more confident in their abilities and more comfortable talking up their results.

Shy/humble guys suffer too.


Johnny CleggThey taught us to forget our pastAnd live the future in their image

…They said

“Learn to speak a little bit of English,Don’t be scared of a suit and tie.”

Learn to walk in the dreams of the foreigner. I am a third world child.


MOST ADVICE READS AS “BE MORE LIKE A LOUD STRAIGHT CIS AMERICAN WHITE GUY”

Finding a way to be successful and still be yourself is important


Frame Guidance Altruistically• Advice which focuses on how to “do better for

yourself” has a very limited appeal. (a la “steal more pie”)

• Altruistic advice (a la “bake more pie”) appeals to a much broader audience (including non-individualistic cultures…)


When We Reframed Networking…


The Most Important QuestionBest predictor of recruitment AND retention? Someone’s ability to agree with:

“Someone like me can be successful here”


As much as 40% better

Much energy is spent if you have to hide your private life, or pretend to be something you’re not


Role Modeling Matters• When a woman presents/represents at

recruitment events, more women apply

• When you present a monoculture, people make assumptions you won’t like


“Did You Always Know You Wanted to Be So Senior?”

Men leaders tend to say:“Yes, I always knew I could do more.”

Women leaders tend to say:“No, but my mentors believed in me, and I trusted they were right.”


TELL THE PEOPLE YOU BELIEVE IN THAT YOU BELIEVE IN THEM – THAT THEIR SKILLS & THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS ARE VALUABLE

If You Only Do ONE Thing Differently


Diversity is a Spectrum

Active hatred & discrimination (*isms)

Micro aggressions

Indifference Active inclusion

Tolerance


So How Do We Move Right Way?1. STOP allowing underprivileged groups to be

pushed away

(actively/deliberately OR passively/unintentionally)

2. START building actively inclusive environments


Practical Diversity RecapSome things that help


Practical Diversity1) Assume fear. Understand risk. Then focus on reducing. 2) Advise people to bake more pie, not steal more pie.3) Understand & educate about privilege & implicit bias.4) Connect people with role models. 5) Grow more role models. Encourage them to be visible.6) “Someone like me can be successful here?” 7) Tell people you believe in that they can. 8) Tell people you believe in that they are there because of their skills. (no one likes

being a diversity stat)9) Find ways to be true to self AND successful. 10) Look at whether your processes/systems discriminate. Fix.

practical diversity -- expanded edition

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