PPB August 2021

Creating Diverse, Inclusive And Equitable Workplaces— What Holds Companies Back? Businesses can take these steps to make real, sustainable change happen now in companies across the industry. by Tina Berres Filipski W hat can we do to create a workplace that is more diverse, equitable and inclusive than the one we have today? Arlene Pace Green, PhD, founder of Dallas, Texas-based Enelra Talent Solutions, asked that question while speaking at PPAI Women’s Leadership Conference Direct-2-You in June. Her virtual presentation, “At The Intersection Of Diversity, Inclusion & Equity: What We Can Do To Advance Systemic Opportunity In Our Workplace,” was aimed at examining the key definitions of diversity, inclusion and equity, and how these definitions have changed over time, along with exploring what individuals can do to advance racial and gender equity in today’s organizations. Green’s data reported that only six percent of S&P 500 CEOs are women, even though women make up 52 percent of the U.S. workforce. Likewise, one percent of these CEOs are African- American, while about 15 percent of the population is African- American, and about two percent are Hispanic, although this group represents about 17 percent of the working population. “We need strategies to bring a different approach, thinking and innovations to make a transformative change so, 20 or 30 years fromnow, we can look back and see that we’ve made a significant difference in the equity available in workplaces,” she said. Green went on to explain that organizations have traditionally thought of diversity as a binary construct based on establishing white males as the foundation and, for diversity, to pivot from there. “That is inaccurate and problematic for so many reasons,” she explained. “Organizations are moving beyond this binary construct to building a definition and understanding of diversity based on a much more multi-faceted foundation, and it’s not centered by any one category. That new way of thinking is more in line with the reality that we are seeing in the U.S. and globally. Instead of talking about wanting diversity, organizations should focus on under-represented groups and bring in people who add to our culture and give us new ideas about how to approach problems.” But how do companies accomplish this and what is holding them back? To further WAYHOME studio / Shutterstock.com 64 | AUGUST 2021 | THINK