How to get serious about diversity and inclusion in the workplace | Janet Stovall | TED

Summary

In this inspiring speech, the speaker shares her single-minded focus on combating racism. Drawing from her experience at Davidson College, she recounts the creation of 'Project '87,' which challenged the institution to improve racial diversity. She argues that businesses, with their vast reach and influence, are uniquely positioned to dismantle racism. The speaker advocates for setting real problems, numbers, and consequences to achieve diversity and inclusion, emphasizing the transformative power of single-mindedness in driving change.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker humorously identifies herself as a single-minded friend, always steering conversations towards her focus: racism.
• 🎓 In 1984, as a junior at Davidson College, she experienced racial segregation and took action by initiating 'Project '87', which set specific diversity goals for the college.
• 📈 'Project '87' was impactful, leading to a 77-page report that laid the foundation for significant changes in the college's diversity and inclusion efforts.
• 🏆 The speaker emphasizes the power of single-mindedness in driving change, as demonstrated by the transformation at Davidson College post-'Project '87'.
• 💼 As an executive speechwriter in a predominantly white and male profession, she continues to be a 'single-minded unicorn' advocating for racial diversity.
• 🏢 The speaker argues that businesses, with their vast reach and influence, are uniquely positioned to dismantle racism, unlike colleges or churches.
• 📊 She points out the business case for diversity, noting that diverse companies outperform their peers and that diversity fuels innovation and customer insight.
• 🔢 To address the lack of diversity, she suggests setting 'real numbers' for representation, such as aligning the racial composition of the workforce with that of the population.
• 💡 Inclusion is distinguished from diversity; while diversity is about numbers, inclusion is about ensuring minority voices are heard, with a suggested threshold of 30% minority representation.
• 🛠️ Accountability in diversity and inclusion should be enforced with real consequences, similar to how businesses handle other critical performance metrics.
• 🌟 The speaker envisions a corporate environment where diversity is not just present but celebrated, and where the lessons of diversity at work extend into everyday life.

Q & A

What is the speaker's single-minded focus?

The speaker's single-minded focus is on addressing and combating racism.

What was the racial demographic at Davidson College when the speaker was a student?

Out of 1,200 students, only 52 were black, with one black professor and one black assistant dean.

What was the main goal of 'Project '87'?

The main goal of 'Project '87' was to challenge Davidson College to enroll 100 black students, hire 10 black professors, create five Black Studies classes, and hire one black dean by 1987.

How did Davidson College respond to 'Project '87'?

Davidson College responded by creating a task force to address the issues raised in 'Project '87', which led to a 77-page report that became the foundation for subsequent changes.

What is the current racial demographic at Davidson College as a result of the changes brought about by 'Project '87'?

Today, there are 185 black students, 16 black or multiracial professors, four black deans, and an entire degree-granting Africana Studies Department.

Why does the speaker believe that businesses are in a unique position to dismantle racism?

The speaker believes businesses can dismantle racism because they have a large and diverse workforce, and by creating diverse and inclusive work environments, they can influence societal attitudes and behaviors.

What are the three things that the speaker suggests businesses can learn from 'Project '87'?

Businesses can learn from 'Project '87' to address real problems, set real numbers, and establish real consequences to effectively tackle diversity and inclusion.

What is the significance of the statistic that ethnically diverse companies perform 33 percent better than the norm?

This statistic underscores the business case for diversity, suggesting that companies with diverse workforces are more likely to outperform their peers.

Why does the speaker argue that diversity and inclusion are not the same things?

Diversity is about the numbers and representation, while inclusion is about creating an environment where everyone's voice is heard and valued, regardless of their background.

What does the speaker propose as a potential 'real consequence' for companies that fail to achieve diversity and inclusion goals?

The speaker suggests that consequences for companies failing to achieve diversity and inclusion goals should be as serious as those for failing to meet sales targets, including potential job loss.

How does the speaker envision a workplace that effectively addresses diversity and inclusion?

The speaker envisions a workplace where people of all races and colors are represented at all levels, feel safe to bring their authentic selves to work, and where their differences are recognized and respected.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 The Power of Single-Mindedness Against Racism

The speaker humorously introduces herself as a single-minded individual focused on combating racism. She uses humor to illustrate how she ties any conversation back to the issue of racism, emphasizing her deep commitment to the cause. She recounts her experience as a student at Davidson College in 1984, where she observed racial disparities and decided to take action. She initiated 'Project '87,' a challenge to the college to increase black enrollment, hire black faculty, and develop Black Studies courses. The project was successful, leading to significant changes in the college's diversity and inclusion policies. The speaker's story demonstrates the impact of single-minded determination in driving social change.

05:02

🏢 Business as a Catalyst for Dismantling Racism

The speaker argues that businesses, with their vast reach and influence, are uniquely positioned to dismantle racism. She contrasts this with the limited impact of colleges and churches, which have fewer participants and are less integrated. She suggests that businesses should adopt a single-minded approach to diversity and inclusion, similar to 'Project '87,' by identifying real problems, setting real numbers, and enforcing real consequences. The speaker points out that despite the clear benefits of diversity, such as increased innovation and revenue, there is still a significant lack of racial diversity in leadership positions. She emphasizes the need for businesses to take urgent and targeted actions to create a more diverse and inclusive workforce, which in turn can influence societal attitudes and behaviors.

10:04

🌟 Envisioning a Diverse and Inclusive Corporate World

The speaker paints a vivid picture of a corporate world where diversity is not just a buzzword but a reality, with people of all races and backgrounds thriving and climbing the corporate ladder. She envisions a workplace where individuals can bring their authentic selves without fear of discrimination, and their unique contributions are valued and respected. The speaker concludes by urging everyone to move from passive hope for change to active participation in creating it, highlighting the transformative power of single-minded dedication to diversity and inclusion.

Keywords

💡Single-mindedness

Single-mindedness refers to having a focused and unwavering interest in a particular subject or goal. In the context of the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of being single-minded about racism, suggesting that a deep and persistent focus can lead to meaningful action and change. The speaker's own single-mindedness about racism led her to initiate 'Project '87', which aimed to increase diversity at her college.

💡Racism

Racism is the belief in the inherent superiority of one race over another, which often results in discrimination and prejudice. The video's central theme revolves around the speaker's single-minded fight against racism, highlighting its pervasive nature and the need for active measures to combat it. The speaker's experiences at Davidson College and her subsequent actions underscore the personal and societal impact of racism.

💡Project '87

Project '87 was an initiative created by the speaker to challenge her college to increase racial diversity. It set specific targets for the enrollment of black students, hiring of black professors, and the creation of Black Studies classes. This project exemplifies the use of clear goals and consequences as a strategy to drive institutional change, which is a key concept in the speaker's message about combating racism.

💡Diversity

Diversity refers to the variety of differences among people, including race, ethnicity, and cultural backgrounds. The speaker argues that businesses have the power to dismantle racism by fostering diversity, suggesting that a diverse workforce can lead to innovation and customer insight. The video emphasizes the importance of diversity in creating a more inclusive and equitable society.

💡Inclusion

Inclusion is the act of involving and empowering people, ensuring that they feel respected and valued within a community or organization. The speaker distinguishes between diversity, which is about numbers, and inclusion, which is about impact. She stresses that while businesses can mandate diversity, they must also cultivate an inclusive environment where minority voices are heard and valued.

💡Accountability

Accountability is the responsibility to report, explain, and be answerable for one's actions. In the video, the speaker calls for businesses to hold themselves accountable for diversity and inclusion, suggesting that there should be real consequences for failing to meet diversity goals, just as there are in other areas of business performance.

💡Consequences

Consequences refer to the results or effects of an action. The speaker argues for the implementation of real consequences for businesses that do not achieve diversity and inclusion goals, using the analogy of salespeople who face job loss if they do not meet their targets. This keyword is central to the speaker's call for businesses to take action against racism.

💡Workforce

The workforce encompasses all individuals employed in a particular industry or economy. The speaker suggests that the workforce should reflect the diversity of the population it serves, emphasizing the business case for diversity and the potential for a more inclusive and representative workforce.

💡Customer Insight

Customer insight refers to the understanding of customer needs, preferences, and behaviors. The speaker mentions that diverse companies perform better because they can offer deeper customer insights, which can lead to innovation and better products or services. This concept ties into the broader theme of how diversity can benefit businesses.

💡Authenticity

Authenticity is the state of being genuine and true to one's own personality, spirit, or character. The speaker envisions a workplace where individuals can bring their unassimilated, authentic selves, suggesting that authenticity is valued and recognized as a strength in a diverse and inclusive environment.

💡Change

Change refers to the process of making or becoming different. Throughout the video, the speaker discusses the need for change in societal attitudes and institutional practices regarding racism. She emphasizes the importance of moving from passive hope for change to active efforts to create it, which is encapsulated in her concept of single-mindedness.

Highlights

The speaker humorously introduces herself as the friend who always brings up racism in conversations.

Single-mindedness is defined as caring enough about an issue to take action.

The speaker's experience at Davidson College in 1984 highlighted racial disparities.

Project '87 was a challenge to Davidson College to increase black enrollment and hire black faculty.

The campus reacted strongly to Project '87, leading to the creation of a task force by the new president.

A 77-page report from the task force became the foundation for significant changes at Davidson.

Davidson College now has a more diverse student body and faculty due to the changes initiated by Project '87.

The speaker emphasizes the power of single-mindedness in driving change.

As an executive speechwriter, the speaker finds herself in a predominantly white and male profession.

Business has the potential to dismantle racism due to its size and influence.

The speaker argues that diversity in business should be driven by the need for employees and customers, not just moral reasons.

Ethnically diverse companies outperform their peers, and diverse workplaces enjoy higher revenue growth.

Despite the benefits, there is a lack of racial diversity in leadership positions.

The business case for diversity should be urgent and relevant to all, not just people of color.

Diversity and inclusion are not the same; diversity is about numbers, inclusion is about impact.

Real consequences for failing to achieve diversity goals are necessary for accountability.

The speaker envisions a corporate environment where diversity is recognized and respected at all levels.

The power of single-mindedness can lead to real change in both the workplace and society.

Transcripts

Everybody has that one friend --

you know, the single-minded one,

the one who, no matter what the question is,

always finds a way to make the answer whatever it is she's single-minded about.

I'm that friend.

(Laughter)

And the thing that I'm single-minded about

is racism.

If someone were to ask me, "So, Janet, got any plans for the 4th of July?"

I'm subject to answer, "Yeah, I'm going to binge-watch 'Roots.'"

(Laughter)

Or if they said, "Janet, I've got a joke for you:

Why'd the chicken cross the road?"

"Uh, was it a black chicken?

Probably gentrification."

(Laughter)

(Applause)

But for me, single-mindedness is not just caring about something.

It's caring about something enough to do something about it.

It's not just thinking, it's doing.

It's not just praying, it is moving your feet.

And the reason I'm single-minded about racism is because I know

single-mindedness can destroy it.

I learned that many, many years ago.

Back in 1984, I was a junior at Davidson College

in Davidson, North Carolina.

Now, Davidson is a little-bitty town,

Southern town, split by railroad tracks,

with white Davidson on one side, black Davidson on the other side,

and, as black students lived on the white side of the tracks,

we got used to being stopped in downtown and asked for ID,

until the police memorized our faces.

But fortunately, that didn't take too long,

because out of 1,200 students, only 52 of us were black.

There was one black professor

and one black assistant dean.

Things weren't a lot better on campus.

Well, I wasn't OK with this.

And so, I started writing things.

And then I started yelling things.

And after about three years of that,

I got tired.

So I decided to write one more thing;

I wrote something called "Project '87."

Project '87 was really just a challenge to Davidson:

in three years, by 1987,

enroll 100 black students,

hire 10 black professors,

create five Black Studies classes

and hire one black dean.

It didn't seem particularly revolutionary,

but what was different about it was,

we also challenged Davidson to say that if you don't do this,

we will question your commitment to diversity.

It was a real problem.

We put some real numbers to it.

We gave them some real consequences.

Well, the campus went absolutely nuts.

But fortunately, in the middle of this,

Davidson got a new president,

and that president was single-minded about racism, too.

And so, he created a task force

to address the issues in Project '87.

And several months after that,

we produced a 77-page report.

That report was the foundation for all the change that came after it.

Now, I wasn't there to see that change,

because, actually, in 1985,

I graduated.

(Applause)

You are looking at the three happiest people on the planet that day,

because I am leaving.

(Laughter)

However, the change did happen,

and today, there are 185 black students,

there are 16 black or multiracial professors,

there are four black deans,

and there's an entire degree-granting Africana Studies Department.

(Applause)

Project '87 changed Davidson.

But it also changed me, because what it taught me

was there's a lot of power in single-mindedness.

Well, today, I'm an executive speechwriter

for one of the biggest companies in the world.

It's a profession that is 92 percent white and predominantly male,

which makes me a little bit of a unicorn.

But I'm a single-minded unicorn.

(Laughter)

So the thing about speech writing is, it's very personal.

So I spend a lot of time in deep conversation

with the CEO and senior executives,

and a lot of times those conversations turn to diversity and inclusion,

which, of course, I'm always happy to talk about.

But after quite a few of these conversations,

I've come to a conclusion:

I believe that business is in a position to do something

that no other entity can do.

Business can dismantle racism.

Now, colleges can't do it.

There aren't but 5,000 of them in the United States

and only 20 million students enrolled.

Church can't do it, either --

only 35 percent of us go on a regular basis,

and when we do,

eleven o'clock Sunday morning is "the most segregated hour" in America.

But business?

There are a 162 million people in the US workforce alone --

people of all races,

united in the spirit of wanting a paycheck and having to show up to get it.

(Laughter)

Now, I'm aware that diversity is bigger than race,

and racism is bigger than America.

But racial discrimination is the most prominent form,

and Lord knows America is the absolute best at it.

So what if, though, what if

we worked in diverse and inclusive environments

that we had something to do something with?

And since we spend one-third of our lives at work,

what if we did that with people who didn't look like us?

I think the world would be a totally different place outside of work.

That can happen if business gets single-minded about racism.

But the question is: How is that supposed to happen?

Well, I think there are three things that business can borrow from Project '87:

real problems,

real numbers,

real consequences.

Like it or not,

diversity is not really a problem for business -- yet.

I mean, it's a nice thing to have, it's the right thing to do,

but for decades, we've been trying to make the case

that diversity fuels innovation and customer insight.

I mean, at this point, it's kind of a no-brainer,

a little bit like hearing a smoke alarm going off

and standing with your hand on the hot door,

waiting for some data to tell you that your house is on fire.

Because the data is already there.

Ethnically diverse companies perform 33 percent better than the norm.

Forbes's best workplaces for diversity enjoy 24 percent higher revenue growth.

And yet, here we are in 2018,

and there are only three black CEOs in the Fortune 500.

And if your name is Molly or Connor,

you've got a 14 percent better chance of getting a callback on your resume

than if your name is Shanice or DeShawn.

And all of this, despite the fact that by 2045,

America is projected to be a minority-majority country.

Here's the thing:

the business case for diversity, as it stands today,

doesn't really speak to any problem.

And the only way business is going to get single-minded

about racial diversity

is if it has a problem that is urgent and relative to somebody

other than people of color.

I got one:

How about employees and customers?

Because no matter what business you're in,

you're going to need those, right?

Well, let's talk about some real numbers.

If you have employees and customers, wouldn't it make sense

if they looked a little bit like the people that work for you?

So if that's the case, maybe your employee base should be 13 percent Black

and 18 percent Hispanic,

because that's what the population looks like.

Maybe that's what your customer base looks like.

But let's be clear:

diversity and inclusion are not the same things.

Diversity is a numbers game.

Inclusion is about impact.

Companies can mandate diversity,

but they have to cultivate inclusion.

And if inclusion is what you're after,

you've got to calculate some slightly different numbers.

How about 30 percent?

Because that's the point that research shows

at which the voices of minorities actually begin to be heard.

If you want a real problem,

you're going to need real numbers to fix it,

and if you're not willing to set real numbers,

then maybe you're not real serious about diversity and inclusion.

That brings me to my third point:

real consequences.

Think about this:

when salespeople forget what they're doing and don't come up with their numbers,

what do we do?

We give them a little time, maybe we give them some training.

But then if they don't hit those numbers eventually,

we fire them.

However, when you start talking about diversity and inclusion,

we use terms like "accountability."

And maybe we scold, and maybe we hold back an incentive or two.

But you know what the best incentive is?

A job.

And you know what the best disincentive is?

Losing it.

So if companies really want accountability,

they should assume that that is a given.

Consequences are what happen when you don't do what you're accountable for.

Imagine this:

imagine a place where people of all colors and all races

are on and climbing every rung of the corporate ladder;

where those people feel safe -- indeed, expected --

to bring their unassimilated, authentic selves to work every day,

because the difference that they bring is both recognized and respected.

And imagine a place where the lessons we learn about diversity at work

actually transform the things we do, think and say outside of work.

That is what happens if we all work together

to fix what's broken.

That is what happens if we stop praying for change to happen

and actually start moving our feet to making it.

That is the power of single-mindedness.

Thank you.

(Applause)