Diversity Trickles Down From the Top

by Betsy Bruening

Executive Vice President
The Prout Group

The role of a Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) is to promote an inclusive culture within an organization that can effectively interact with all the communities they serve including customers, employees, suppliers, and investors. In order to collaborate with those stakeholders, the CDO needs to aggressively instill a culture that can attract, develop, and retain diverse talent.

“In order to develop and retain talent the CDO may instill initiatives such as establishing affinity groups, providing mentoring opportunities, and conducting diversity training.”

As search consultants focused on assisting our clients with diversity initiatives, we find that women and people of color will often look for diversity at the board level and within top management ranks to determine whether or not they want to consider working for a company. Not seeing someone like them raises a red flag on the organization’s commitment to diversity. As our demographics shift, organizations will need to attract the best and the brightest from the entire available workforce.

Some organizations focus their diversity efforts at the college recruiting level and find that they work very hard attracting diverse talent only to lose them to more progressive companies. In order to develop and retain talent the CDO may instill initiatives such as establishing affinity groups, providing mentoring opportunities, and conducting diversity training. Initiatives that identify and develop top diverse talent have proven to be effective retention tools.

Many organizations from Fortune 100 companies to small non-profits have someone focused on the role. If you need to hire a CDO, an assessment of where your organization falls on the diversity continuum should take place.

A CDO for a level two organization may need different skill sets than for a level five organization. To move your organization upwards, a CDO will need outstanding leadership and communication skills and experience in implementing change. The right person may already be within your organization. It could be a leader that is willing to take on an important visible role. Appropriate training will provide an internal person with needed skills and access to resources.

If there is no one internally, you will need to find someone who can come on board with a great deal of credibility. This may come from education and experience in a similar role. However, a strong leader with a passion for diversity may be right for your organization. Bringing someone in without the resources to implement desired change could have a negative impact on the organization. Strong commitment from the very top of the organization is required both in terms of visibility and resources. With that commitment, a CDO can have a major positive impact on your organization’s ability to attract and retain talent that can positively interact with all the communities they serve.

This article has been sponsored by:
Chevron