Diversity and Inclusion Matters. Jason R. Thompson

programs have tension because inclusive and equitable work cultures create an environment where people can speak up and disagree without retribution.

       DE&I officers need a range of skills to help them set realistic expectations within the organization.

       Overly broad goals will undermine your success.

       The CAPE process can help you move forward by bringing focus to your efforts.

Notes

      1 1. One of the insights derived from the McKinsey Global survey on technology strategy, in data analyzed by the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Development, is the commitment to impact Black-equity by Fortune 500 companies on the heels of the killing of George Floyd. Titled “It's a start: Fortune 500 companies commit $66 billion to racial-equity initiatives,” the full document was published on December 4, 2020 and was accessed on April 5, 2021 at https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/coronavirus-leading-through-the-crisis/charting-the-path-to-the-next-normal/its-a-start-fortune-1000-companies-commit-66-billion-to-racial-equity-initiatives

      2 2. To start off the new year on January 1, 2020, Karen Gilchrist, a CNBC correspondent, published an article on the anticipated rise in demand for diversity and inclusion professionals, entitled “Hiring experts expect demand for this role to surge in 2020 – and it can pay a median of $126,000.” Accessed on April 5, 2020 at https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/02/demand-for-diversity-and-inclusion-professionals-set-to-rise-in-2020.html

      3 3. CNBC continued its coverage of the DE&I professional space with an article by Seema Mody on July 29, 2020, entitled “Diversity officers are in demand across corporate America but are often underpaid,” and raising cautions about challenges to the role. Accessed on April 5, 2020 at https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/29/diversity-officers-are-in-demand-at-us-companies-but-often-underpaid.html.

      4 4. A recent article by Denise Hamilton (January 18, 2021) in Bloomberg Opinion suggests that burnout may be one of the pitfalls of working as a professional in the diversity and inclusion space. She cautions that the work can lead to burnout rather than promotion due to a number of factors, including recruiting diversity officers from Human Resources who have a lack of experience in the DE&I profession. Accessed on April 4, 2021 at https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-01-18/don-t-let-chief-diversity-officer-be-a-dead-end-job

      5 5. In a February 2018 article in the Washington Post, Jena McGregor reports on why GE was engaged in a major overhaul of its board of directors following a lengthy list of struggles. Accessed on April 7, 2021 at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2018/02/27/why-ge-is-making-a-dramatic-overhaul-to-its-board-of-directors/

      6 6. The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance published a memorandum by Michael Hatcher and Weldon Lathan on May 12, 2020, about how a dozen or more states were enacting requirements for corporations and businesses to enhance diversity on their boards of directors. The article details the actions in California, Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania among others. Accessed on April 7, 2021 at https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2020/05/12/states-are-leading-the-charge-to-corporate-boards-diversify/

      7 7. The seven most embarrassing branding mistakes of 2018 were chronicled by Brit Morse in an article for INC. The majority were culturally, racially, or ethnically insensitive and offensive. Accessed on April 7, 2020, at https://www.inc.com/brit-morse/2018-biggest-marketing-branding-fails.html

      8 8. Sam Dean and Johana Bhuiyan, writing for the Los Angeles Times on June 14, 2020, called out the tech industry for lacking diversity and for being far less than transparent about it, entitled “Why are Black and Latino people still left out of the tech industry?” the article primarily reports on diversity at Google, who released the data on racial and gender diversity of their workforce demographic data in 2014, but the lack of diversity throughout the tech industry is evidenced. Accessed on April 7, 2020 at https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2020-06-24/tech-started-publicly-taking-lack-of-diversity-seriously-in-2014-why-has-so-little-changed-for-black-workers

      9 9. Tina Shah Paikeday, “A Leader's Guide: Finding and Keeping Your Next Chief Diversity Officer,” Russell Reynolds. Accessed June 23, 2021, at: https://www.russellreynolds.com/insights/thought-leadership/a-leaders-guide-finding-and-keeping-your-next-chief-diversity-officer

      10 10. Chip Cutter and Lauren Weber commented on the future of work for, and the turnover of, Diversity Officers on July 13, 2020 in an article for the Wall Street Journal. They noted, “It's one of the hottest jobs in America – and it has a revolving door.” Accessed on April 7, 2021 at https://www.wsj.com/articles/demand-for-chief-diversity-officers-is-high-so-is-turnover-11594638000

Chapter 2 DE&I Fundamentals, CAPE, and Organizational Change

      Overwhelmed and Needing a Process

      When I was a graduate student at the University of Wyoming, I remember being overwhelmed with the thought of starting my thesis. It had to be over 100 pages and, in some way, add to the field of study. At that point in my life, I had never even written more than ten pages, so writing 100 pages seemed like an impossible task for me. I remember thinking, Why did I even start this graduate program?!? There was no way I could write 100 pages of anything. I had no idea where to start or even what to start researching. With my history of being a slow reader and terrible writer, the task was way too big, and I stopped doing anything.

As luck would have it, a faculty member, Dr. Garth Massey, saw me struggling and told me a story I will never forget. I often reflect on this story when I begin to feel immobilized by a task that seems too big. Dr. Massey shared a parable with me about a parent, their young child, and a large walnut tree.

      As this story goes, the child (who was about six years old) was called out to the front yard of the home where there was a large walnut tree. The parent pointed to the walnuts that had fallen out of the tree and said to the small child, “You need to pick up all these walnuts.”