Innovating for Diversity

Foreword xxv Introduction xxix Chapter 1 Why Are We (Still) Here? 1 A Brief History of Diversity in the U.S. Labor Workforce 2 The Current United States Labor Workforce 2 Examining Labor Workforce Dimensions 3 The Murder of George Floyd, the Rise of the Black Lives Matter Movement, and the Corporate Response 7 Why Haven’t We Made More Progress? 9 Fixed Practices: Reluctance to Let Go of Entrenched Formulas 13 Fixed Attitudes: Continued Pervasiveness of Ingrained Personal Ideas and Beliefs 14 The COVID- 19 Pandemic: DEI Response to Long- term Structural Impacts 15 Why Diversity Matters 18 The Business Case for Diversity 19 The Moral and Ethical Imperative for Diversity 20 What Got Us Here Won’t Get Us There: The Diversity- Innovation Paradigm 21 Conclusion 22 Summary 22 Chapter 2 Defining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 23 What Do Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Actually Mean? 23 What Is Diversity? 24 What Is Equity? 24 Equity ≠ Equality 24 Equity > Compensation 25 What Is Inclusion? 26 Inclusion, Explained Further 26 Diversity Can’t Thrive Without Equity and Inclusion 27 What Is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiative? 27 How Leaders Shortchange DEI 28 Common DEI Pitfalls 28 No Overarching Strategy 28 No Commitment from Leadership 29 DEI Work as a Checklist 29 DEI Work as a Human Resources Function Only 29 Ignoring Intersectionality 30 Not Establishing (The Right) Metrics 30 DEI as a Marketing Campaign 30 Ineffective Recruiting Practices 31 Ineffective Diversity Training 31 Ineffective Talent Development Programs 32 No Accountability 32 No or Low Compensation and Recognition for DEI Work 33 Not Listening to Employees 33 No Transparency 34 “Copying and Pasting” DEI Initiatives from Other Organizations 34 Going Alone 34 The Consequences of Ineffective DEI Initiatives 35 Conclusion 35 Summary 36 Chapter 3 The Virtuous Cycle of Innovation and Diversity 37 The Power of Innovation 38 Why Companies Get Stuck 39 Innovation Is Simply Not Prioritized 39 Inertia Is the Mortal Enemy of Original Thinking 40 The Power of Humility Is Overlooked and Undervalued 40 Diversity Drives Innovation 42 Innovation Principles 45 Chapter 4 Courage 46 Risk- Taking 48 Trust 49 Collaboration 52 Leadership 53 Conclusion 58 Summary 58 Innovating the Apprenticeship Model to Advance Diversity in Tech 59 The problem: Recruiting and retaining more tech talent from diverse and military backgrounds 60 “It’s time to get creative!” 60 “We can do better” 62 What Needed to Change? 64 The Solution 66 Adding Structure 66 Engaging Partners 68 Improving the Apprenticeship Selection Process 69 First Pilot Outcomes 70 The Importance of Consistency to a Good Start 70 The Role of Battle Buddies 71 The Citi Salutes Impact 71 Glitches Along the Way 73 Unsuccessful Recruitment Choices 73 Supervisor Limitations 74 Skill Mismatches 74 Two- Year Outcomes at Citi 78 From Pilot to Operationalizing: Expanding Irving Success across Citi 78 Conclusion 82 Summary 83 Chapter 5 Creating High-Impact Mentoring Programs 85 Coca- Cola’s Journey to DEI Success 86 The Costs of Inaction and Not Listening to Employees 87 Positivity from Turmoil 88 Measurable Results 89 Moving on from the Past 91 Mentoring Innovation at Zendesk 93 Zendesk’s Women Mentorship Program: Initial Pilot Program 95 Application and Matching Process 95 Support 96 Measurements for Success and Feedback 96 Pilot Observations: What Worked and What Didn’t 96 Chapter 6 Improving on Success 97 Measurable Results 97 Conclusion 99 Summary 99 Looking Beyond Traditional Talent Sources for “Hard to Find” Roles 101 Northrop Grumman and Tessco: Shifting Long- Standing Perceptions of Who Can Succeed 102 Northrop Grumman: Focus on Novel Thinking and New Talent 103 Roadblocks and Pathways 105 Shared Values Shaped by Common Experiences— and a “Secret Mission” 106 Selecting the Right Talent 107 Onboarding and Upskilling: “Building Software Engineers” 108 “Relentless Focus on Culture” 110 Week 12: The Beginning of a New Employment Pathway 113 How Success Ultimately Looked 114 Tessco: Reinstalling the First Rung of a Career Ladder 115 The IT Helpdesk Solution 116 A Career with Upward Mobility 117 Building a Successful Talent Incubator 118 Conclusion 123 Summary 124 Chapter 7 Innovations for DEI in Small Business 125 The Challenge for Small Businesses Implementing DEI Programs 126 DEI - Not Impossible for Small Businesses 128 Setbacks and Progress: Online Optimism’s DEI Journey 129 Turning Point: Developing a Deeper Appreciation for DEI 130 Blackout Tuesday: Paving the Road for Meaningful DEI Innovation 131 Today’s Outcomes, Leading to Future Impact 133 From Concept to Realization: Creating DEI for Small Businesses 136 Conclusion 139 Summary 140 Chapter 8 Rethinking Retention Through the Lens of DEI 141 Understanding Employee Retention and Turnover 142 Contributing Factors for Recent Turnover Trends 143 Compensation 144 Limited Career Development or Advancement 145 Inflexible Workplaces 145 Retention, Turnover, and DEI 146 Promoting Diverse, Mid- Career Talent 147 Promoting from Within: Target Engineering Manager Immersion Program 150 Retaining and Promoting Women in Engineering 151 Outcomes: Increased Representation of Women and Focus on Other Groups 152 The Positive Impact of Remote Work for DEI 153 What’s Needed for Hybrid and Remote Work Success 156 Compensation: Innovate with Employee Benefits Programs 159 Conclusion 163 Summary 163 Chapter 9 The Inescapable, Undeniable Role of Executive Leaders 165 Words and Actions: Do Behaviors Match the Script? 166 A Focus on Systems Thinking 168 National Hockey League: DEI as a Movement, Not a Moment 169 Employment: Building an NHL Talent Strategy to Reflect Local Communities 170 Youth Participation: Diversity as a Growth Mindset 172 Systems as a Movement- Making Innovation 173 World Wide Technology: The Power of Successfully Scaling Culture 174 The Story of WWT’s Culture and Values Begins with its Founders 174 Codifying and Scaling Culture at WWT 176 Key Business Concepts 177 How the Principles of WWT’s Culture Supports Innovation for Diversity 178 Training as Innovation 179 Radical Listening as an Innovation Pathway 180 Creating Career Pathways for All Employees 181 Conclusion 185 Summary 186 Chapter 10 Final Thoughts and Next Steps 187 Lessons in Innovating for Diversity 188 Revisiting the Virtuous Cycle of Innovation and Diversity 192 Applying Innovation Principles in Your Organization 194 Index 197