It may seem odd to discuss diversity by talking about including white males. Yet white men already play a critical role in diversity because without their cooperation diversity and inclusion will have difficulty advancing. Why? The answer is simple. The higher you go in most organizations, the more likely you will find white men in the top management positions.
Despite the progress that has been made over the last couple of decades, white males remain in control of most large corporations and are therefore in positions where they can ensure diversity is a core value. The reality is that trying to exclude white men from the decisions that lead to diversity only serves to alienate them, and diversity is not about alienation. It is about inclusion.
Here is an interesting concept to consider: Diversity and inclusion is as much about awareness within a particular group as it is about asking people of different races and ethnicities to work together. The fact is that white men continue to hold the vast majority of leadership positions. If they are not fully aware of the true meaning of diversity, they will not fully understand their influence and role in promoting diversity.
Unfortunately, for many companies, diversity as a concept has come to be associated with the law rather than a sound business principle. As a result, business leaders put rules into place that meet the letter of the law, but they do little to promote a business culture of awareness. Even in countries where diversity is not mandated or promoted by government, too many businesses manage the concept as a numbers game – number of people of color hired, number of people from different ethnic backgrounds promoted, number of women in management positions and so on. When staff is led to believe that diversity is on the same level as the laws governing safety or financial reporting, diversity and inclusiveness suffer because people of different backgrounds, gender and ethnicities are viewed as ‘goals’.
What does this have to do with white men? Since white men are in the positions of power, it is up to them to create an inclusive workplace culture. However, inclusive means getting past the numbers and developing a business culture of awareness of people of color and ethnicity. Awareness in this sense means that the organizational members are sensitive to the racial, ethnic and gender differences influencing responses, the interactions among staff members in workgroups, and perceptions. In this kind of setting, it is not the number of people of color or ethnicities that are used to claim success in inclusion. Instead, successful inclusion considers how freely people interact, share information and ideas, and willingly and civilly share workplace experiences to promote greater understanding.
Most people agree that inclusiveness must start at the top of the organization. If the people at the top are mostly white men, how they approach diversity will set the tone for the whole organization. For example, if white men in power refuse to acknowledge that inequities exist in the organization, those inequities will not be addressed. If white male leaders make decisions based primarily on white male perspectives, the unspoken message to the organization is that diverse perspectives are not important. If the white male manager refuses to acknowledge diversity tension even exists within a department or within the organization, the issues will never be addressed.
Everyone Is In
Since white men clearly have control of most leadership positions, it is actually easy for them to marginalize themselves. Under pressure to add diverse people to the organization, they do not view themselves as part of the initiative. Yet, as the concept of diversity matures, the engagement of white men in diversity and inclusion is an imperative, if the case for inclusion is to advance. Inclusion does not mean excluding white men. It means that everyone in the organization is recognized as having something to offer, and that includes white men.
The 2012 Study on “White Men Leading Through Diversity” defines inclusion succinctly by stating, “Everyone is in.” The purpose of the study is to use a structured approach to find out what the white men in power are thinking and doing as white leaders functioning in a diverse environment. People in leadership positions in 46 companies are participating in focus groups and research surveys that will be analyzed by management professionals who will provide confidential feedback to each participant. The results of the analysis will be released in December 2012, and all organizations will have an opportunity to learn from white leadership responses.
The two Gold Sponsors of the survey are PepsiCo and PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC). These two companies have already acknowledged that global success can only come through diversity and that inclusion means white men in leadership are not operating outside of the diversity initiatives. They are full participants along with other diverse groups.
Companies like PepsiCo and PWC are leaders in diversity and inclusion. PepsiCo defines diversity as the talent mix, while inclusion refers to people with different backgrounds collaborating and working together in support of the business case. PepsiCo has established eleven employee resource groups, and one of them is for white males. The White Male Inclusion Group represents PepsiCo’s willingness to take a leadership role in diversity and inclusion practices and show how diversity and inclusion strategies can be integrated with all business groups.
PriceWaterhouseCoopers created an initiative named “White Men as Diversity Champions.” The initiative is a strategy for educating and engaging white males in diversity. The purpose of the initiative extends beyond just educating and sharing viewpoints. The purpose is to engage white males in a way that moves awareness of diversity to inclusionary actions – real actions that bring business success. These actions include hiring, developing and promoting diverse peoples, and, taking it a step further, including them as full participants in business processes. Once again, by its very definition, a culture of inclusion does not have marginalized groups of any kind.
Using Privilege to Break Down Barriers
Corporations are taking different approaches to engage white males. Some typical strategies include discussing white male engagement in various employee groups, offering training programs for white male managers, holding group sessions to specifically talk about diversity, and tying white male participation in diversity strategies to company brand and performance. PepsiCo took the unusual approach of creating diverse employee groups and then having someone who is a different race, ethnicity or gender than the participants head the group.
To deliver business outcomes through white male inclusion, compelling metrics have to be established. White male groups cannot devolve into closed sessions that perpetuate closed and exclusionary thinking. There must be strategies and tools to ensure the white males are full participants in corporate diversity. Best practices include developing white male leadership in alignment with the diversity and inclusion strategy, engaging white males in other diverse groups, and establishing performance metrics that tie diversity and inclusion to business results. There needs to be measurable returns on investment that can be identified. For example, how much additional revenue can be attributed to diversity initiatives?
The Study on White Men Leading Through Diversity represents an effort to listen to white males in a disciplined manner. The strongest and most successful companies will be those that recognize white male privilege exists and are willing to leverage that understanding to strengthen diversity and inclusion. It is just another way to break down barriers.