Submitted by Darryl
What is the first image that comes to mind when you are asked to envision a computer programmer? Chances are, you conjured up a white male, possibly bespectacled, and nursing a steaming mug of coffee. It may be a generalization, but this image is—in fact—not far from the mark.
In 2014, prominent tech companies in the United States published their diversity reports, promising to increase diversity in their workforces. In the present day, however, it seems that this has mostly been lip service as the industry continues to be entrenched in a largely monoracial ‘boys club’.
With countries like China and India ramping up their IT development sectors, tech companies in the US must shake off old habits and embrace the benefits of the diversity on their doorstep.
An Orchestra of Ideas
Fundamentally, diversity helps us become more innovative. It allows us to consider and accept ideas that exist outside of our knowledge and insight.
Imagine going to watch a performance by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra but only the violin players show up. While they could probably still play some very lovely music, it could never compare to a show featuring the full ensemble. From cellos to flutes and even a piccolo, the beauty of an orchestra is the sum of all of its parts.
Now, apply the same concept to a tech company. You may have a group of employees who tick the boxes regarding education and relevant work experience. These employees may mirror your current team, leading you to feel that there would be easy integration and cooperation. But, at the end of the day, is your team made up of only violin players?
‘Easy to hire’ personnel may not have had the same experience in life as someone you would view as more ‘challenging’. Perhaps a recent migrant, who might not speak English so fluently. Or a middle-aged mother, who only had time to go to college after her kids were grown up. How about an army veteran, with an incredible knack for creative problem-solving?
When specialists in a company come from different social and cultural backgrounds, it becomes an everyday occurrence to interact with diversity. From sharing food over lunch to contributing various points of view about current events, diversity becomes normalized, and we become more open-minded and accepting of new ideas. Our view of technology becomes more human-centric and empathetic.
This, in turn, leads to drastic changes in innovation and product development. In this age of highly competitive tech, where custom software development needs to work for a broad audience, diverse teams bring valuable insight to deliver superior products that appeal to—and are accessible to—a greater variety of users.
Building the Dream Team
So how do we start to remedy the homogeneous workforce? First of all, tech companies need to address inequality by acknowledging their biases. This includes both conscious and unconscious biases that any person from the management to floor levels may hold.
Then we need to create a safe place where everyone can share their perspectives freely. In this environment, it is important to define the meaning of diversity and inclusion. Create a culture within the company that emphasizes active listening, especially to minority voices. Companies can also give employees a voice by allowing them to contribute to the organization’s blogs or newsletters.
Provide diverse employees with a stake in the company culture by empowering them to organize events that celebrate their identities or cultural backgrounds. These could include religious holiday festivities such as Eid al-Fitr feasts, volunteer events such as soup kitchens, walks within a community, or watching a sports game like cricket together.
When hiring new staff, a blind recruitment technique can be used where the personal information of applicants is removed. Only relevant information such as education, experience, and skills are left on the anonymous CVs. This avoids any unconscious bias from decision-makers.
Tech companies can also partner with tech education organizations to find more diverse candidates. They can sponsor positions for interns as well as provide mentorship to foster relationships with students currently pursuing tech training. This could be the difference in confidence that would prevent a minority student from dropping out of the tech sector.
On a more serious front, companies need to provide a secure feedback process for employees who may need to file discrimination or harassment complaints. In addition, many companies are setting up Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DE&I) councils to craft policies and codes of conduct to guide the organization in the right direction.
It is essential to emphasize here that companies need to look at this exercise as more than just fulfilling a ‘diversity quota’ of sorts. The change should be on all levels of the company, including board members. Regular inclusivity assessments and listening tours with staff should be conducted to ensure that issues are addressed and that the company progresses as a whole.
Fostering a diverse culture within tech companies ultimately benefits the company itself, with happier and more motivated staff, better products and services, and an improved bottom line.
As big tech continues to move towards providing superior services for the greater good, we must start by cleaning house and making sure that we make the most of the good people around us.