Why Hiring a Chief Diversity Officer is Not Enough to Solve Your Diversity Issues – and What to do instead
When we discuss the issues surrounding diversity, inclusion, systems, and structures, we are including everyone in our organizations, communities, and society, so we cannot depend on one person to correct all those issues either. This is what is being asked when an organization believes hiring a Chief Diversity Officer will solve their “diversity issues.” Apart from the apparent reason why one CDO cannot solve all your issues, here are three critical factors that need to be considered. Three reasons why it takes more than a Chief Diversity Officer to solve your diversity issues: Reason #1: They become a mascot. When all the organization’s issues are left to one person, it becomes easy to make them the mascot of diversity for your company: a smiling face but with someone completely different on the inside. Unless organizational changes have occurred, or are occurring, the same issues that the organization experienced will recur eventually. It takes company culture, leadership support, and accountability to effect sustainable change. One person may launch fantastic initiatives, but without everyone, those initiatives will crumble over time, leaving the environment back at square one, if not worse. Also, it is common for organizations to hire a CDO as a reaction to a public misstep. At this point, the CDO is then tasked with putting out fires and becoming the representative (the mascot) for a renewed and improved organization. Since there is not much follow-up or accountability, it is easy to say, “With our new CDO, we’re a diverse and inclusive organization.” Without sustained structural support, the CDO becomes a shadow virtue signaler leaving the organization still susceptible to missteps, blind spots, and more severe fumbles. What to do instead: Make sure you have a clear understanding of what outcomes you are seeking to achieve with an individual and creating a role that allows the individual to be successful. Ensure that CDOs are set up for success. This means making sure they report directly to the CEO with a dotted line partnership with HR. This means ensuring that the CDO has allocated a budget to execute strategic goals and priorities. This means that the CDO has the authority to make key decisions and partner with other leaders within the organization. It also means providing the CDO with options to either hire staff or hire external consultants to support their work. Reason #2: a misunderstanding of the scope of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Viewing diversity issues as something a person occupying a singular role can fix demonstrates that the organization does not fully grasp the task at hand. Improving the diversity and inclusiveness of the organization is serious work that takes dedication, expertise, and, most importantly, an engaged supporting cast invested in bringing new ideas and initiatives to life. What to do instead: Take the time to educate yourself and other leaders on the scope of the CDO’s role but also the DEI strategy that is being put into place. Understand the complexities of the efforts but also the level of adoption it will take an organization to make based on its current state. Reason #3: not allowing the officer to do their job. The concepts that constitute diversity and inclusion, or “social justice,” matters tend to be heavy and complex at times and require honesty and openness from the team as a whole and separate support from leadership. Without it, the CDO may not receive the proper structural support and resources needed to do their job and may be forced to introduce new ideas and concepts to an unresponsive and uncooperative crowd, the team. When leadership does not understand the scope or nature of the work, they tend to present hesitation when the work is being done. A common complaint among CDOs of color is that when the heavy concepts are discussed, they are asked to temper the subject matter because it creates discomfort. This goes against the very work they were hired to do and brings us back to leadership not fully grasping the scope of the work. Understandably, some organizations are unaware of the weight this work can carry. Still, it would be counterintuitive to assume that the weight that created the trauma, pain, and disparity would somehow be lightened when addressing these issues. One officer is not a system, an infrastructure, or a self-contained checks, balances, and accountability mechanism. And all of these are needed to ensure the success of an implemented diversity and inclusion initiative. Many diversity initiatives fail because organizations place such a heavy responsibility on the back of one person instead of a concerted effort from the leadership and staff alike. One set of hands is not made to carry such weight. What to do instead: To make real progress, DEI must be viewed as a team sport that might be led by a CDO, enabled by HR, but ultimately is the responsibility of every leader at an organization. allow the CDO to do their job. And be willing to back them up, particularly at times when the company needs to take a stance. Understand that backing up the CDO may ultimately mean changing the way you do things internally. It also may mean that you have to hold your leadership team accountable to stop behaviors that are no longer positively serving the company towards its ideal vision of inclusion.