By Derek Barnes–
The recent death of U.S. Representative John Lewis reminds us of his enduring vision and the work that one individual can pursue to attain a legacy that embodies so much sacrifice for change. His voice, kindness, unassuming power, fortitude, compassion, and courage left an indelible mark on so many.
Rep. Lewis also left us a blueprint for the work we must continue in our strident march towards full emancipation, participation, and representation. In times that seem to be rife with chaos comes an opportunity for businesses and institutions to step up and bring more people to the table to solve our extensive social defects. Individual leaders, who hold power, influence, or wealth, can also help to steer our nation toward a moral path of shared prosperity.
His resounding message as a 60+ year veteran for social justice and equality in America, and as someone who always appeared to be “at the table” and being the voice for so many, is that we must continuously scrutinize and rigorously reform the U.S. economic and legislative structures that fail to protect our nation’s people. If one group cannot participate fully and equally access this country’s vast resources, then none of us can be free.
Advancing humankind via meaningful sacrifice and sharing personal power was central to Rep Lewis’ beliefs. They are vital components of modern philanthropy and must include visible examples of diversity. All are equally crucial today as more social imperatives are driven by our business and philanthropic communities. Let’s examine the business of representation further.
What is the problem today?
Most statisticians know that the U.S. population is comprised of roughly 50% women, 14% Black, 12% Hispanic/Latinx (non-white), and 5% LGBT people. However, it is hard to find many privately held or publicly traded companies, nonprofits, and foundations with a workforce that aligns with these statistics—including state and federal legislative bodies. The numbers get even worse as you look at senior leadership, executive teams, and boards of directors.
No one is surprised that adequate racial and gender representation is lacking in many institutions trying to solve some of the hardest problems we face today without the benefit of well-rounded and diverse perspectives. This is why representation and who is sitting at the table matter.
Atg-dii Enterprises, we have concluded that many organizations, even large multi-nationals, lack comparative data on demographic groups and representation (e.g., Asian women vs. Black women). The sample sizes can be so small, which makes it harder to capture and discern any objective data relating to Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Equity (DIBE) when it comes to underrepresented groups.
To achieve “diversity,” organizations that take a data-driven approach to identify problem areas encounter another issue: they have a great deal of data about the experiences of certain groups, who generally hold a majority, but far less on others. In other words, organizations are limited in assessing targeted demographic intel because they may only have data in a broader group category (e.g., women) or vague generalities about people of color (POC). They miss the intersection of other distinguishing characteristics (race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.) and are forced to revert to broad groupings to develop DIBE programs, which begins the vicious cycle.
Nonprofit, philanthropic, and social enterprise organizations may have a slightly better story to tell, but share similar stats in that their workforce, leadership teams, and boards don’t represent U.S. demographic data or the communities for which they provide services and resources.
A real-world example can come from a large tech company like Google, with about 90K employees in 2019, but Black women are less than 0.5% of its technical workforce: about 50 people. This number drops precipitously when you look at management, senior leadership, executive, and board roles. This certainly does not reflect the demographic makeup of Google’s end-users and consumers.
What else do we know?
g-dii discovered that demographic parity and inclusion can begin with racial and gender representation at the highest levels in organizations. Adjustments within senior leadership need not be a zero-sum game for those currently holding power. In fact, it promotes better overall organizational performance. Research shows that it helps to bring in new talent, problem-solving skills, and innovation to teams, as well as the ability to objectively interrogate systems and practices that may overtly or covertly exclude. Parity is what is necessary, not arbitrary quotas that are feared or rejected by some.
For many leaders and managers, the truth about how well their organizations are advancing representation and DIBE is literally staring right at them. Look around. Observe your teams. Examine your board of directors. No in-depth organizational analysis or intelligence is needed. Additionally, a gap in collecting “the right data” does not mean there should not be accountability or action. This is the “perfection trap” that exists for many teams, and it regularly promotes inaction.
To counteract the lack of data, a manager can ask a few simple questions without a lot of in-depth data gathering or analysis: Who is sitting across from me as a peer when I’m consistently engaged in critical decisions about the organization or business? Do they most identify with my race, gender, and ethnicity, and if so, how did this occur? Where are the “other” people with whom I have little contact, and how are we perpetuating a homogenous condition that shapes my personal experience?
What can we do?
In the wave of protests in 2020, people from all walks of life have seized this moment and their power. They are demanding more from their government, and from organizations and their leaders, where they have an affiliation—internal and external. In coalition, this brand of advocacy and activism is necessary to engage “good trouble” as Rep. Lewis often encouraged.
Organizations must take immediate steps to improve visible representation within senior management, the executive suite, and their board of directors. At a minimum, representation at these levels should more closely align with U.S. demographic statistics mentioned previously. All leaders can start here to pursue their DIBE goals and seek out others for guidance who have successfully done the work; always remembering to act first, and then to share results publicly. People will be more impressed by demonstrating explicit action and achieving outcomes than grand statements and promises that go unfulfilled.
Everyone in an organization can push out and up when making demands to address underrepresentation. This shared accountability begins to dismantle unspoken systems of exclusion. With the help from external resources like g-dii, organizations can more authentically engage in advancing DIBE, social justice, and racial equality within their culture.
Representation also means fully participating in our democracy, so all voices are heard. We have to remind people in our families and networks of the importance of being counted by completing the 2020 census, registering to vote (or checking to see if you are registered), and actually voting in November—up and down-ballot. Eject leaders who continue to support the status quo and elevate leaders who can engage bold ideas, fresh workable solutions, and a big vision to move us forward.
Finally, channel the late John Lewis and demand that the businesses and organizations you are affiliated with do more to increase the representation of minorities (especially Black and Brown people) and women at leadership levels and on boards. It’s 2020, and there is a great deal of change needed in the world that requires new decision-makers, alternative perspectives, and a wider distribution of power. Look at the organizations you are affiliated with. If their leadership and board do not fully represent or reflect the broader U.S. demography, consumer population, or communities being served, it’s time to demand that they do better.
Derek Barnes is the Chief Operating Officer at g-dii Enterprises ( www.g-dii.com ) and a Senior Consultant at Ignition Point Consulting. He currently serves on the boards of Horizons Foundation and Homebridge CA. Follow him on Twitter @DerekBarnesSF or on Instagram at DerekBarnes.SF.
Published on August 13, 2020
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