companies at that time and even now. They did indeed meet the quota, but the diversity was always at the lower levels of the organization and seemed to remain there.
With all the policies, programs, and quotas put in place, the needle has only moved about 17 percent for women in executive positions. An even smaller number are CEOs and a similarly small number for other minorities.
Annual meetings of many organizations are still predominately white and male. Despite the growing availability of paternity leave policies for men, many men are hesitant to take advantage of them. More than half the men surveyed in a recent Deloitte survey said taking the leave would signal a lack of commitment to work, and more than a third said it would jeopardize their jobs.
So much for great policies that don't work because of the inherent bias that exists in organizations and in each individual.
We have to understand the root causes for why the needle has not moved substantially – why women are still earning less than men, and why minorities are still underrepresented.
Based on our research and experience, the root cause is unconscious bias. And by the way, we all have bias. The brain is wired to take mental shortcuts and reacts quickly to the 11,000 cues we receive per minute. In fact, studies of the brain indicate that we do unconsciously gravitate to people of our own “tribe.”
Our mind and emotions react before we're even aware of it. Is it any wonder organizational change is so challenging?
In order to create a truly inclusive environment with a level playing field for all, we need to understand the role of unconscious bias and the role the brain plays in our ability to connect with people who are different from us.
It is heartening to hear the dialogue going in this direction at some of the leading corporations. And the good news is, according to leading neuroscience researchers, the brain can be consciously rewired.
6. Technology
In the twentieth century, computing technology was in its infancy. It was used to speed communication, make information more readily accessible, and improve work processes.
Tech was hardware-driven and infrastructure-focused. Efficiency was the primary goal, and sometimes the only goal.
The twenty-first-century breakthrough in technology was largely missed: the ability to communicate, collaborate, and enjoy our work. But it's not too late. We'll address this and the other factors in future chapters.
The twenty-first-century breakthrough in IT is about discovering patterns that were previously invisible. For example, predicting certain outcomes, particularly in medicine, will forever change health care and health care systems.
Because of these trends, the organizational basics need reinvention, re-tooling, and in some cases rejection, never to see the light of day again.
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