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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Fachliteratur
- Sprache: Englisch
Expert guidance and step-by-step instruction for building a successful diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative from scratch In Diversity and Inclusion Matters: Tactics and Tools to Inspire Equity and Game-Changing Performance, award-winning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) expert Jason R. Thompson delivers a practical and engaging handbook for implementing a DE&I program in your organization. The CAPE technique, developed by the author, gives you a clear blueprint and the tools you'll need to make your diversity program a success. In this book, you'll learn how to achieve early and significant wins to create the necessary and long term organizational change needed for successful DE&I programs. Find out what data you need to collect, how to analyze it, and choose the right goals for your organization. In addition, the CAPE technique will show your progress and ROI. You will learn to: * Manage and lead a diversity council and implement diversity initiatives in the correct order * Get early buy-in and long-term commitment from a Chief Executive Officer by knowing what to ask for and when * Set appropriate and realistic expectations for a DE&I program with the executive leadership team Perfect for diversity and inclusion professionals, human resources leaders, founders, business owners, and executives, Diversity and Inclusion Matters will also earn a place in the libraries of students of human resources, leadership, management, and finance.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021
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Table of Contents
Cover
Praise for
Diversity and Inclusion Matters
Title Page
Copyright
Preface
Telling Stories and Bridging the Disconnect
My Story
The Bridge Between Intent and Impact
How the CAPE Process Works
Notes
Foreword
Part I: The CAPE Process
Chapter 1: How to Become an Exceptional DE&I Organization
Four Shades of Brown
The Importance of DE&I Now
A Diverse Workforce Will Have Tension
DE&I Officers Need a Broad Range of Skills
Why DE&I Programs Fail
The How: CAPE Foundation for Successful DE&I Programs
Notes
Chapter 2: DE&I Fundamentals, CAPE, and Organizational Change
Overwhelmed and Needing a Process
The Basics of Every DE&I Program
Notes
Chapter 3: Data for DE&I
Fill the Cup of Others
The Illusion and Challenge of Data
The Recruitment Data Challenge
Notes
Chapter 4: Collect the Data
Give a Brown Guy a Chance
When to Start Collecting Data
What Data to Collect
Where to Get the Demographic Data You Need
Who Is Being Included in the Data?
Respecting Demographic Data
Notes
Chapter 5: Analyze the Data
Seeing It So Clear Now
Using the Data to Know What You Have
The How: Analyzing Data to Identify Recruitment Issues
The How: Analyzing Data to Identify Retention Issues
Assume Competence
Notes
Chapter 6: Plan your Program
The World's Park
Plan Only after You Analyze the Data
Getting Started on Your Plan
4-2-50 Program
How to Measure ROI in Your DE&I Program
The How: CAPE DE&I Plan Template
How to Complete the CAPE DE&I Template
Note
Chapter 7: Execute on the Plan
Audio Must Match Video
E Is for Execute
The How: A CAPE Path to Execute
Part II: Practical Lessons Learned in DE&I Programs
Chapter 8: DE&I Programs Should Look Like the Company
Looking for Four-Leaf Clovers
Sports – US Olympic and Paralympic Committee
Healthcare
Tech – Techstars
Education – University of Wyoming, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Western Governors University
Organizational Mission Alignment
The How: An Organizational Mission-Alignment Exercise
Chapter 9: DE&I Challenges That No One Tells You
Whose Mother Are We Talking About?
Staff and Budget
Responsibility for Things Beyond Your Control
Managing Expectations
Chapter 10: When to Get CEO Involvement
What Friends Do
Setting CEO Expectations
When to Involve the CEO
Connecting CEO and Leadership Commitment to Diversity
How to Get CEO Commitment
Chapter 11: Employee Resource Groups
Check Your Bias
Employee Resource Groups
Define ERG Membership
Setting Boundaries for ERGs
Establish Communication Guidelines
Managing ERG Fundraisers
Let ERGs Fail
The How: Suggested Rules and Structures for ERGs
Chapter 12: DE&I Committees
Focus on the Right Things
Why DE&I Committees Fail
What Happens When Companies Start with a DE&I Committee
Three Simple Rules for a Better DE&I Committee
Chapter 13: Using DE&I Training to Make Organizational Change
Trees Just Don't Happen
Diversity Training: Episode versus Series
DE&I Training as a Response to an Episode
DE&I Training as a Series of Ongoing Trainings
CAPE and DE&I Trainings
The Two Types of DE&I Trainings
Unconscious Bias
The ADKAR Model
Note
Chapter 14: Inclusion Practices
Don't Ask Me to Organize the Davids
How to Measure Inclusion
How the CAPE Inclusion Tracker Works
The Fair Pay Solution
Notes
Chapter 15: Your Mental Health
A Day at the Pool
Mental Health for You and Your Colleagues
Part III: Things I Wish I Had Known
Chapter 16: Top Challenges for DE&I Professionals
Voices Telling You What You Can't Do
The Myth That Diversity Lowers Quality
A Hire from an Underrepresented Group Is Not Performing
Chain of Command
Your Positional Authority
Staffing and Budget
Diversity Committees
Working with Other Departments
Efficacy of Résumé Redacting
Belonging versus Inclusion
Allies
Making the Implicit Explicit
Bridging the Gap Between Intent and Impact
Validating the Experiences of Others
Chapter 17: Jason-isms
The Gift of Time
The Jason-isms
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Index
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
Figure 1.1 YoY Percent Growth of DE&I Job Postings on Glassdoor.
Figure 1.2 Job Responsibilities of DE&I Officers.
Figure 1.3 Reasons DE&I Leaders Fail.
Figure 1.4 The CAPE Process Overview. Source: Reproduced with permission of ...
Chapter 2
Figure 2.1 ADKAR® model for organizational change.
Figure 2.2 The Recruitment Retention Link for DE&I.
Figure 2.3 A Sample CAPE DE&I Insights scorecard allows for easy-to-visualiz...
Chapter 3
Figure 3.1 Black Workers in Big Tech.
Figure 3.2 Apple Change in Leadership by Race 2014–2017.
Figure 3.3 Percentage of New Hires: People of Color 2019–2020.
Figure 3.4 Numbers of New Hires: People of Color.
Chapter 4
Figure 4.1 What Diversity Officers Do with Data.
Figure 4.2 Sample EEO-1 Form.
Chapter 5
Figure 5.1 Gender Diversity Overall and by Department.
Figure 5.2 Sample Applicant Pool versus Hiring Data.
Figure 5.3 Year over Year Recruitment Data by Gender.
Chapter 6
Figure 6.1 4-2-50 Hiring Plan.
Figure 6.2 Sample CAPE Diversity Template. Source: Reproduced with permissio...
Figure 6.3 Sample Recruitment Diversity Plan Template. Source: Reproduced wi...
Figure 6.4 Sample Retention Diversity Template. Source: Reproduced with perm...
Chapter 7
Figure 7.1 CAPE 30-Day Template.
Figure 7.2 CAPE 60-Day Template.
Figure 7.3 CAPE 90-Day Template.
Chapter 8
Figure 8.1 CAPE Template for DE&I Mission Values Alignment.
Figure 8.2 Gales Inc. DE&I Mission-Vision Alignment completed version.Source...
Chapter 10
Figure 10.1 Sample Leadership for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commitmen...
Chapter 11
Figure 11.1 Sample Guidelines for ERG.
Chapter 12
Figure 12.1 Rules for a Better DE&I Committee.
Chapter 13
Figure 13.1 DE&I Leader Expectations.
Figure 13.2 ADKAR for DE&I Organizational Change.
Chapter 14
Figure 14.1 Forms of Exclusion and Inclusion. Source: Reproduced with permis...
Figure 14.2 CAPE Inclusion Tracker. Source: Reproduced with permission of CA...
Guide
Cover Page
Table of Contents
Praise for Diversity and Inclusion Matters
Title Page
Copyright
Preface
Foreword
Begin Reading
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Index
End User License Agreement
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Praise for Diversity and Inclusion Matters
“As a Diversity Officer, implementing DE&I programs can be challenging. Having known Jason and worked with him, his insight and knowledge on DE&I will provide CEOs an understanding of how they can lead and support DE&I initiatives impactfully. This is a must-read for all working in the professional world.”
—Dominic F. Martinez, EdD, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Office of Inclusion and Outreach, Undocumented Student Services; Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
“Since I have known Jason, diversity and inclusion have always been of utmost importance to him in every professional leadership role he has held. This book is only an extension of him making those important lessons of how to shift your organization through diversity and inclusion accessible to everyone.”
—Kimberly Morgan, DE&I Sr. Director, GOJO Industries
“I first met Jason when our company hired him to develop and implement a DE&I program. His expertise, coupled with clear and practical advice, was instrumental in the development of our program. Diversity and Inclusion Matters is a much-needed roadmap for any corporation looking to implement a state-of-the-art DE&I program.”
—Beth Pauchnik, RN, JD, Senior Healthcare Executive
“Jason's approach to activating DE&I within an organization is spot on. In Diversity and Inclusion Matters he outlines concise and clear guidelines on how to implement DE&I and maintain and create transformational change. As an entrepreneur with a longtime career in team management and organizational development, I highly recommend this for any leader who wants to really embed DE&I into the DNA of their organizations.”
—Andrea Perdomo, Director, Economic Inequality Initiative, Uncharted
“As we all know, DE&I has been at the forefront of business as a differentiator, and yet there are almost no practical, real-world examples of how to implement an effective program. I liked the way Jason approached trying to change the organization culture by attending and speaking at comparable sporting organizations such as PGA, MLB, and the NFL.”
—John (JR) Register, Mindsight Warrior; Paralympic Silver Medalist
“I met Jason early on in my pharmacy career in 2003, and to this day, the positive impact he had on me as a person and professional is everlasting. Jason was always a safe place to ask questions regarding my position and the expectations. Jason was committed to diversity and inclusion before it became a buzzword, and he represents a wealth of knowledge and experience.”
—Leticia (Tisha) Smith, PharmD, BCACP, Assistant Director of Ambulatory Clinical Pharmacy, Denver Health
“The continued drive towards DE&I in health care is an imperative to our success and future. Jason always impresses with his unique approach and practical applications. His insights allow you to tailor a DE&I program that aligns with your company's culture. This book is an excellent tool for your team!”
—Avilla Williams, Vice President Clinical Services, Integris Health
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION MATTERS
TACTICS and TOOLS to INSPIRE EQUITY and GAME-CHANGING PERFORMANCE
JASON R. THOMPSON
Copyright © 2022 by Jason R. Thompson. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750–8400, fax (978) 646–8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748–6011, fax (201) 748–6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762–2974, outside the United States at (317) 572–3993, or fax (317) 572–4002.
Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Thompson, Jason (Professor), author.
Title: Diversity and inclusion matters : tactics and tools to inspire equity and game-changing performance / Jason Thompson.
Description: Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, [2022] | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021039751 (print) | LCCN 2021039752 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119799535 (Hardback) | ISBN 9781119799559 (epdf) | ISBN 9781119799542 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Diversity in the workplace. | Equality.
Classification: LCC HF5549.5.M5 T47 2022 (print) | LCC HF5549.5.M5 (ebook) | DDC 331.13/3—dc23/eng/20211007
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021039751
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021039752
COVER DESIGN: PAUL MCCARTHYCOVER ART: © JUSTUS THOMPSON
Preface
Telling Stories and Bridging the Disconnect
In order to make connections and foster understanding, we must cross bridges. Selma, Alabama, is the site of one of the most powerful bridge crossings in the history of the United States. On July 26, 2020, the body of civil rights leader and American statesmen John Robert Lewis was taken across Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge one last time as his funeral procession made its way to the Alabama state capital. In 1965, Lewis had nearly lost his life during the Bloody Sunday march on that bridge, which peaceful Civil Rights demonstrators crossed in order to reach Alabama's state capital. In the decades that followed, Lewis worked tirelessly to make sure that bridge would remain open and crossable – both literally and figuratively – for everyone.
My work in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in no way compares to Lewis's commitment or accomplishments, but I have endeavored to honor the importance of his historic crossing. I feel strongly that the more we can bridge the divides that separate us, the better we can make this world. As a DE&I professional, building bridges is fundamental to my work.
Over the last 25 years of working on DE&I programs for the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), major sports organizations, institutions of higher education, and large corporations, I have developed a reputation for telling stories that help people build and cross bridges. People often tell me they enjoy my simple stories, and some even go as far as to tell me I have a gift. If I have a gift, it is as a motivator to help people bridge divides, create new understandings, and collaborate – not despite their differences but because of their differences.
My Story
I was born in Japan on a military base to an African American father and a Japanese mother. I have no memories of Japan because after I was born we soon moved to Hawaii. We were a family of six, and I am the youngest of four children. After five years in Hawaii, my dad was transferred to the Air Force base in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I lived in Wyoming until I was in my late 20s.
Growing up in Wyoming was difficult because there are few people with brown skin. My family did not have much money, partly because my parents did not make a lot of money and partly because my dad always made bad decisions with the money we did have. I struggled in school, yet somehow, despite my dyslexia, I graduated from the University of Wyoming with both a bachelor's and a master's degree.
Probably even more unlikely, as a graduate student, I became the first Person of Color to be the student body president at the University of Wyoming. The election process was full of tension and heavy with undertones of racism. On the first day I put up my posters, I received a phone call from someone threatening to beat me up. In addition, it seemed as if my campaign posters were being ripped down within an hour of my putting them up. On a daily basis, students would say to me, “You need to put posters up, or people are not going to know you are running for student body president.” What they did not know was I spent the first hour of every morning walking all over campus putting up posters only to have someone rip them down.
In what now seems like a scene from a story made for a movie, one of the two candidates I was running against wore a hat with the Confederate flag on it. To make the story even more outlandish, the advisor to the student government allowed the fraternity brothers of the incumbent student body president to count the votes for the primary election. The incumbent's fraternity brothers decided it was necessary to throw out ten votes, which meant that I came in ten votes behind the incumbent. Nonetheless, I still made it to the general election runoff against the incumbent.
As the general election drew nearer, things continued to become more contentious. I experienced threats of violence, and my campaign posters, which included a picture of my young son, were defaced with insults and put everywhere to make sure I saw them. The defaced posters were put on the door of the graduate student office I shared with other graduate students in the Sociology Department and on the door of the Multicultural Resource Center where I worked. My wife worked on campus at that time, and she, too, was threatened at work by students who supported the incumbent. The election became so charged with tension that the city of Laramie was asked to bring in their official election equipment, and the city employees conducted the voting process. This was the first and only time in the history of the University of Wyoming when a student election required the oversight of professional election staff and equipment.
In the end, the majority of students at the University of Wyoming saw the divide and crossed the bridge. I won by a landslide on a predominantly white campus with barely 100 Black students. My personal story is one of crossing bridges and overcoming obstacles.
The Bridge Between Intent and Impact
Every company, institution, organization, or association will, at some point either realize the benefits – economic, moral, and social – of diversity, equity, and inclusion, or, in spite of its blindness, will be forced to create programs to survive. There are a lot of DE&I programs, and even more are being started every day. Unfortunately, many of them struggle to fulfill their intentions, and they make common mistakes.
To help illustrate how difficult this process can be, I like to share a story from my personal life. I have dyslexia but was not diagnosed until adulthood. Growing up, I was often told that I was a terrible reader, but my teachers and parents didn't know that I was dyslexic – and I wasn't even aware such a condition existed. Because no one knew the root of my reading troubles, I was often told to work harder on becoming a better reader. To become a better reader, I needed a bridge. It wasn't just about working harder. Identifying a problem (I was a terrible reader) is different from diagnosing it (I am dyslexic), so simply working harder was never a solution. I have worked on being a better reader and writer, but the turning point was being able to type on a computer that can identify my mistakes in real time as I make them. For example, no matter how often I type my first name, I typically misspell it. Luckily, spellcheck puts a red line under my name whenever I make an error. The computer is a bridge to better reading and writing because it helps me see the errors and the solutions. Without that bridge, I simply could not see the errors I was making.
My daily misspellings are a reminder that disconnects can cause problems everywhere. When I cannot consistently spell my name correctly, despite all the repetition, it causes me to wonder whether the disconnect is in what I see or in something that got lost between my brain and hands. These personal challenges have made me think about DE&I differently. In my work, whenever I wonder Why are so many DE&I programs struggling? I know the real question is Where is the disconnect? To become a better reader, I had to identify the root of the problem. There is still some disconnect between my brain and hands, but there are tools that help me achieve. Similarly, trying to figure out where the disconnect is between intent and impact for diversity programs has driven me to find and create the tools to bridge the disconnect. For many diversity officers, there has been a gap between theory and execution, and the recommendations haven't worked.
This book was written to help diversity professionals, corporations, small businesses, large institutions, and associations cross the bridge from theory to execution. The message from the Ivory Tower is clear: We need bridges. But the high-level theory is less clear about where or how to build the bridges your organization needs. There are a lot of books and articles on the importance of DE&I and how it can make your organization more successful, yet companies have struggled to create diverse, equitable, and inclusive workspaces. They have not found the bridge.
Instead of theory, this book will give you time-tested tools and tried-and-true techniques to help you overcome the challenges of running DE&I programs. My coaching, advice, and techniques come from thousands of hours working with the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, major sports organizations, large corporations, tech companies, universities, and countless DE&I professionals on what is needed to build successful DE&I programs. Throughout the book, you will also find Jason-isms. Jason-isms are things that people have pointed out that I say often to illustrate a point or concept.
I recently received a copy of a book on DE&I, and after reading it, I realized everything was theory. Nothing was practical. I then looked at the author's work experience and saw that the author had never actually ever worked as a DE&I professional in any capacity. Everything in the book was summarizing other articles, but there were no actual practical examples. Like most books and articles in this space, it explained the goal but not how to get there. The resources were good, but they lacked a practical application. As a result, I have gotten regular calls from seasoned professionals, as well as individuals new to working in the DE&I space, asking me for advice and recommendations.
That is why I decided to write this book. I have taken what I learned over 25 years of working in the DE&I space in four different industries to create practical tools and offer tips for creating DE&I programs. For example, it has been well documented that DE&I programs need CEO commitment, but what does that look like? What does the CEO do to show commitment? When does this happen? How can you measure it? I will give you practical advice and tips in this book to answer questions like this and many others that are about the day-to-day tasks that DE&I leaders need to execute to be successful.
My experience and approach have evolved to become a process I call CAPE. Each letter stands for a step you need to build a DE&I program:
C
– Collect: Collect the necessary data.
A
– Analyze: Review the data to identify the problem.
P
– Plan: Create a plan to address the problem.
E
– Execute: Progress toward meeting your goals and execute on your vision.
CAPE was specifically developed for solving DE&I problems, and it allows you to build the bridge to the right programs and measure the return on investment (ROI).
How the CAPE Process Works
In 2016 the Diversity Scorecard I developed for the US Olympic team was recognized as the number-one innovation in diversity by the Profiles in Diversity Journal.1 With a budget of less than $60,000, I beat out companies like HP Inc., Cisco, Electronic Arts, and KPMG. I also received the Diversity Champion Award from the Colorado chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (COSHRM), and I was twice named a Diversity Leader by Profiles in Diversity Journal.2 I have been quoted in the New York Times,3 the Washington Post,4 the Guardian,5USA Today,6 FOX News,7 and CNN.8
Even before I had recognized it as a formalized process, I was using the CAPE principles to design award-winning DE&I programs. Now that the CAPE process is fully developed, this book will guide you through best practices and techniques that are very important but rarely explained. An article in Fortune titled “Chief Diversity Officers Are Set Up to Fail”9 identified four major issues facing chief diversity officers:
They are new to the role.
They don't have the power they need to make a difference.
They don't have the data they need to make a difference.
Other leaders aren't on board.
In this book, you will learn first how to use the CAPE process to overcome these four challenges as well as others I have identified through my work with a range of organizations. Then, you'll learn more specific recommendations based on practical DE&I experiences that I've had with clients. To show you how DE&I looks in practice, I provide examples and solutions. For example, I will teach you how to set appropriate expectations for a DE&I program with the CEO and the executive leadership team. Unrealistic expectations are one of the biggest challenges for DE&I programs and chief diversity officers. You will benefit from my failures and successes.
Let's begin this journey together, and let me help you build your own bridges for DE&I.
Notes
1
. On December 22, 2016,
Profiles in Diversity Journal
ran a headline naming the US Olympic Committee (USOC) and its D&I Scorecard as the number one innovation in diversity. Now an annual feature of the journal, the scorecard innovation was the brainchild of Jason Thompson who was the director of diversity and inclusion for the USOC. Accessed on April 5, 2021 at
https://diversityjournal.com/16620-u-s-olympic-committee-di-scorecard-program/
.
2
. On March 8, 2018, Jason Thompson was given the Diversity Leader Award by the
Profiles in Diversity Journal
for over a decade's work and a series of accomplishments with the USOC including the QUAD hiring program, and the FLAME pipeline development program. Accessed on April 5, 2021 at
https://diversityjournal.com/17083-jason-thompson-united-states-olympic-committee-2/
.
3
. On February 12, 2018, Jason Thompson was interviewed by and quoted in a
New York Times
article about diversity at the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Read the article: Talya Minsberg, “A diverse Winter Olympics: but on the ground?”
New York Times
, February 12, 2018. Accessed on April 5, 2021 at
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/12/sports/olympics/olympics-diversity-Maame-Biney-Fenlator-Victorian-Adigun.html
.
4
. Jason Thompson was interviewed by and quoted in a
Washington Post
article about diversity on the US Olympic Team going to the Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Read the article: Rick Maese, “Trying to make team USA look more like America,”.
Washington Post
, February 4, 2018. Accessed on April 5, 2021 at
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/trying-to-make-team-usa-look-more-like-america/2018/02/02/422ca13a-04fe-11e8–8777–2a059f168dd2_story.html
.
5
. In February 2018, Jason Thompson was quoted in the
Guardian
in an article about the diversity in the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Read the article: Benjamin Haas, “Meet the Winter Olympians making big strides for diversity,” The
Guardian
, February 16, 2018. Accessed on April 5, 2021 at
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/feb/17/winter-olympians-diversity-simidele-adeagbo-jazmine-fenlator-victorian
.
6
.
USA Today
quotes Jason Thompson in its article about diversity on the US Winter Olympics team. Read the article: Martin Rogers, “United States seeing uptick in diversity for Winter Olympics team,”
USA Today
, February 5, 2018. Accessed on April 5, 2021 at
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/winter-olympics-2018/2018/02/05/united-states-seeing-uptick-diversity-winter-olympics-team/308775002/
.
7
. A Fox News executive's comments about diversity on the US Olympic Team are called an embarrassment, and Jason Thompson's quotes from the
Washington Post
interview are explained and clarified. Read the article: Evan Grossman, “Fox News exec an American embarrassment for ripping idea of a more diverse Team USA at Winter Olympics,”
New York Daily News
, February 10, 2018. Accessed on April 5, 2021 at
https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/fox-news-exec-embarrassment-ripping-diverse-team-usa-article-1.3810206
.
8
. CNN's Anderson Cooper quotes Jason Thompson in his Ridicu-List while blasting the Fox News exec who criticized USOC diversity initiatives. Watch the video here. Accessed on April 5, 2021 at
https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/02/13/olympics-john-moody-fox-news-ridiculist-sot.cnn
.
9
. In March 2019 Ellen McGirt wrote a piece in
Fortune
magazine that highlighted four reasons why diversity officers were set up for failure, including the newness of the role, the lack of power, data, and CEO support. Read the article: Ellen McGirt, “Chief Diversity Officers are set up to fail,”
Fortune
, March 4, 2019. Accessed on April 5, 2021 at
https://fortune.com/2019/03/04/chief-diversity-officers-are-set-up-to-fail/
.
Foreword
Dear Reader:
Covid-19. Amy Cooper. George Floyd. Police brutality. Black Lives Matter. The presidential election. The Capitol Riots. Social justice, systemic racism, equity – these are buzzwords from the past taking on new meaning, emphasis, importance, and scorn for a broader array of people. The United States is stepping into the global spotlight once again while casting a shadow that did not, and will not, serve its legacy well. Diversity and inclusion, for the first time, is becoming one of the most coveted roles in domestic and international corporations. The years 2020–2021 are years that have and continue to redefine how we view the world, how we view our neighbors, and how to have long overdue conversations within our communities and with corporations and governments. A roadmap for these conversations has never been more necessary or critical for the next generation.
A roadmap created and generously shared by my friend and colleague Jason R. Thompson is what you have here. Jason and I met through our mutual love of sports, he at the United States Olympic Committee and I through Major League Baseball (MLB). After many iterations of practicing law, I had the good fortune of securing my first diversity and inclusion role at the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and have not looked back in eleven years. It was a discipline I was not particularly familiar with, especially in professional spaces (my entry point thoroughly predates the current norm of DE&I practitioners at every law firm and government agency). But once exposed, I quickly realized I was more than ready for this work and that, in essence, I had been a DE&I champion my entire professional and personal life. My USTA experience exposed me to the nuances of a corporate America with the layer of a nonprofit entity. It was a unique and serendipitous starting point to say the least, and it prompted me to go further by gaining experience in other industries that offered a global lens to the agenda. This led to my pivot into DE&I roles at some incredible brands across several industries that prepared me for leadership roles at companies such as Gucci, Major League Baseball, and Harry's. In addition, I lead a DE&I consultancy through my company VegaRobles Consulting, LLC.
I have had a fortunate journey in the DE&I space, but to this day the sports industry remains my first love. It is where I gained my most substantive experience as well as where I built, and have enjoyed, my best professional relationships, many of which have become lifelong friendships. I am proud to include Jason in that pool. I had the honor of meeting Jason in 2014 while I was the chief diversity officer (CDO) at Major League Baseball where I was responsible for developing and leading the D&I strategy for the entire league and its thirty club markets. It was my first CDO role, and I was completely stressed out about destroying the DE&I foundation built by my predecessor. It takes a village, as an adage goes that is worth its weight in gold, in the sports industry.
Enter Jason, CDO of the USOC, and his brainchild, the Diversity and Inclusion Sports Consortium (DISC). Jason was one of the visionaries and co-founders of DISC, a coalition of DE&I leaders from every major sports organization in North America. This is no small feat, as you can imagine, And yet Jason was able to convince all of us of its need, utility, and the potential impact we could have on the industry. Jason was uniquely able to establish individual connections with all of us through his passion for the subject matter and his general unselfishness as he readily shared his unique approach to DE&I. Jason was deep-diving into data and metrics in DE&I well before they could be Googled. He created programs with detailed scorecards designed not only to hold himself accountable to his role but also to hold his organization accountable to the agenda. Jason's approach (one many of us DISC members riffed upon and leveraged) and DISC influenced many of our approaches to DE&I in sports, moving beyond the performative to the quantifiable impact. New developmental programs were established for existing and aspiring diverse professionals in sports, DE&I education became the norm, and social justice conversations became a bit less daunting (albeit they still remain challenging, but at least we have started).
There is no silver bullet, outlining a perfect way to strategize and deploy DE&I. First of all, every organization is different, and the culture and leadership are incredible influencers on DE&I's success at the company. Second, I know firsthand how difficult it is to find practical advice and guidance when starting a DE&I program. Much of the information out there is either overly aspirational without any real practical or tactical insight or overladen with a heavy dose of metrics/data that only skim the surface by overemphasizing hiring and representation without consideration of promotion, development, marketing, CSR investments, and so forth. Finally, even the good information out there is remarkably dense and (inadvertently) presupposes that DE&I departments are naturally the size of a small army à la Amazon, Google, or Starbucks. Spoiler alert: most are not.
These challenges lend themselves to the beauty of this book. It provides a comprehensive roadmap for either the DE&I professional just starting out, the seasoned expert seeking a new prospective, or anyone in between. Jason has successfully broken down all the components of a successful DE&I program that lays the responsibility not only of the DE&I leader (as most how-tos do) but also of the organization itself. From his emphasis and insights on engaging internal stakeholders, as well as positioning of DE&I as organizational change to your own self-care as a professional in a very tough discipline, Diversity and Inclusion Matters weaves a comprehensive narrative that will allow any professional with the appropriate dedication, will, and finesse to drive diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout their organization. And the individual chapters equally stand on their own for the professional looking for guidance on a particular subject to help push them to the next level of their DE&I strategy.
Where the book shines is Jason's clear explanations of the role of data in DE&I. We live in a world where data is king. The use of this data has not always been clear or robust enough to allow for systemic overhaul. For most organizations, DE&I data usually stops at representation and Employee Resource Groups(ERG) participation numbers with targets set to hit achievable and less-scary goals, Jason shares a detailed look at the opportunities available to leverage data beyond representation and optics, moves toward analyzing the numbers to set logical but challenging goals, and most uniquely, explains how to measure the elusive and subjective idea of inclusion.
So why this book versus others? Why not just conduct an internet search for plans or reach out to a colleague on LinkedIn? Because Jason's work is proven. His methodology has made, and continues to make, an impact. His work remains intact at every organization he has been a part of. This is not to say that his work has saved the world (all seasoned DE&I professionals know that is not the goal). This discipline is meant to set into motion cultural and systemic change that will allow diverse voices to find professional equity in the workplace in a manner that is sustainable and a proverbial win, not only for the individuals impacted, but for the organization as a whole. Jason's work has accomplished just that. He has pushed organizations to think about DE&I holistically and set foundations that have allowed them to embed the DE&I agenda in their business to build upon it as a strategic imperative versus a social initiative (the latter, while important, is merely one piece of the puzzle, but I'll wait for Jason to tackle that in his next book). This book gives you the tools to start that journey.
The DE&I field is crowded now. The last year has seen companies invest in DE&I in ways never imagined by those of us who have been in the trenches a bit longer. But the reality is that change is remarkably slow. While it is great to see more diversity in marketing campaigns and to hear about companies creating more developmental and celebratory programs, sustainability remains elusive. The real work involves the day-to-day management, accountability, and investment in driving that cultural shift that normalizes and empowers diverse perspectives and people at all levels of the organization. Diversity and Inclusion Matters outlines how to get the real work done and accomplished in a way that allows it to live well beyond changing CDOs or business priorities. Investing in this goal goes well beyond investing in your company's agenda. It's an investment in your own success and, if applied thoughtfully, the success of future professionals and the culture. As my trusted colleague, friend, and someone I continue to call for guidance and perspective, Jason has created this book with a voice reflecting empathy, intellectual curiosity, and expertise I trust implicitly. I hope you enjoy it and get as much out of it as I have. I wish you the best of luck on your journeys. You have the right companion piece by your side.
Pa'lante,
Renee E. Tirado, Esq.
Part IThe CAPE Process
Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.
—James A. Baldwin
Chapter 1How to Become an Exceptional DE&I Organization: Four Shades of Brown
Four Shades of Brown
When my daughter Piper was in her second year of college, she came to me and said, “Dad, look at this!” Piper put a makeup advertisement under my nose and said, “This makeup company makes twenty shades of makeup for White people and only four shades of brown! This company needs a diversity and inclusion program!” We both laughed, but the reality of this statement hit too close to home. For my daughter, her brown skin is both beautiful and a reminder of the work we need to do.
This experience with my daughter was an example of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), both literally and metaphorically. DE&I work is about more than four shades of brown. The makeup ad provides an entry point to the framework I use to think about diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Using the ad, I considered the company that developed the makeup and asked myself some questions related to DE&I.
Diversity:
Were any of the company's employees from non-dominant ethnic groups, genders, or countries? Did anyone working on this ad or product line have brown skin?
Equity:
Did any of the employees of the company realize the disparity in the ad?
Inclusion:
If so, did they believe they could speak up?
I also wondered about the process this company used to make decisions. Was there a group of employees who sat together in a room to approve the ad? Was it possible that a group of employees saw the ad, and everyone agreed that there were only four shades of brown skin? Did they decide that four shades were all that was needed for people with brown skin, but twenty variations were needed for White people? Did they give any thought to the many different cultures in the world and how they use makeup?
DE&I work is about pointing out these types of disparities and developing solutions.
The challenge is not simply to develop an equal number of shades for people with brown skin. Rather, it is to change a company's culture so employees can recognize the disparity and see the opportunity. The more I thought about this experience with my daughter, the more I began to think about the opportunity that DE&I brings to companies. When companies have a great product and start to think there are more than four shades of brown, they expand their perspective and, therefore, their potential for success.
I wanted to do this work because it was a way to let people know there are more than four shades of brown, so to speak. The world is a diverse place full of people with different skin tones, identities, backgrounds, and experiences. Inclusion is about developing a culture that prevents moments like the one my daughter pointed out and about realizing that developing more than four shades of brown is an opportunity to expand a company's customer base.
The Importance of DE&I Now
Diversity, equity, and inclusion have become an imperative for nearly every major corporation, educational institution, and government agency in the United States, as well as globally. The many calls for substantial systemic change and protests supporting social justice in the United States require that all organizations and institutions must do more than make pledges – they must install the practices that make real change. To introduce you to your first Jason-ism: Audio must match video.
JASON-ISM
Audio must match video.
