Thomas B. Franz
Why DEI? by Thomas B. Franz explores the true purpose of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion beyond political debate. Backed by research, this article dismantles myths about DEI harming workforce quality and reveals how diversity fuels innovation, profitability, and fairness. Read now to see why DEI isn’t charity—it’s smart business.
DEI is all over the news. Conservatives and liberals passionately debate its impact on the nation’s socioeconomic well-being. The right wing views it as unnecessary, while the left sees it as a social responsibility. I could chime in with my personal bias or feelings as a White man, but I’d rather examine DEI’s practical purpose and what it can do for a business or a nation.
RÉSUMÉ BIAS
DEI was intended to make space for people of color and genders not traditionally welcomed into certain work fields. Some conservatives claim that this happens at the expense of better-qualified White men, supposedly leading to a dumbing down and less qualified workforce. But research shows that when two identical résumés are submitted—one with a traditionally White-sounding name like Emily or Greg, and the other with a traditionally Black-sounding name like Jamal or Lakisha—the White name gets the interview 50% more often, while the Black name receives a “thank you for your interest.”1 Even when the résumé with the Black name is more qualified, the White-named résumé is still preferred. Another study, which sent thousands of résumés to more than 100 companies, found that applicants with traditionally White names received callbacks for interviews at a much higher rate. 2
BIAS AT THE ENTRY-LEVEL
This bias is not limited to high-level positions, where experience and education are key. Research shows the same pattern for entry-level positions. This means that jobs providing the experience necessary to qualify for higher-level roles are less accessible to minority applicants. As a result, the playing field is not equal, further amplifying the impact of name bias on minorities seeking advanced positions.3 Unsurprisingly, employers who oppose affirmative action are the most likely to exhibit this unseen discrimination. 4
Today, many companies use AI, or computer algorithms, to find the best-qualified people. That should help sort out this problem, right? Not so. AI learns from available information. Apparently, but not surprisingly, the available information is skewed.
Research indicates that when AI systems rank résumés, they choose culturally White names 85% of the time and choose male names five times more often than female names.5 By relying on automated systems, employers may believe they are being more fair, yet they unintentionally reinforce the exclusion of minorities. As a side note, if AI is only learning from what information is available, what does that say about the information that is available?
According to research, two types of companies are least likely to favor White applicants over Black applicants: government contractors and more profitable companies.6 Government contractors make sense. They had to adhere to the DEI guidelines to be eligible for lucrative contracts—at least until recently, when those guardrails were torn down in the name of “fairness.” More profitable companies also tend to break from racially biased hiring patterns. Now, the research is not conclusive as to which came first, the profitability or the equity, but I have a hypothesis.
THE BENEFIT OF VARIED PERSPECTIVES
When my kids were younger, my daughter brought home a pictorial riddle that required a creative solution: Which number comes next? I looked at the picture for a few minutes before I saw the solution; the picture was upside down. After flipping the page in my mind, I saw the next number was 87. My daughter then presented the problem to her brother. He stared for a while, so I gave him a hint. “You have to look at it differently.” Then, he did something I would never have thought of—he turned his head upside down. From that angle, he saw the solution immediately.
Companies thrive by solving problems: How can we solve this problem? Why is this product selling while that product is not? Where are the bottlenecks in our processes? The phrase “think outside the box” is often used to encourage creative solutions. Without diversity, the box is smaller. If everyone on the team has the same experience, education, and background, they are likely to approach problems from the same perspective. This stifles creativity and limits solutions. Diversity offers an answer. People from different backgrounds—with unique motivations, experiences, cultural perspectives, and philosophies—will approach problems differently. By examining challenges from multiple angles, teams can discover new solutions and help companies excel. Diversity can be a major contributor to profitability, but to harness its benefits, effective communication is essential.
コメント