多样性就是多样化

自2018年我们进行了上一次全球董事会多元化追踪以来，世界发生了巨大变化。对多样性的需求只会增加:全球大流行已经证明，非传统类型的领导技能——无论是增强能力、勇气、更高的情商，还是适应数字优先的方法——比以往任何时候都更需要。与此同时，全球对根深蒂固的种族主义和歧视文化进行了痛苦而公开的反思，这给企业带来了越来越大的压力，要求它们在董事会内外对领导团队做出迅速而重大的改变。

董事会领导人有权力通过一些大胆的举措实现公司治理的现代化。改变在我们掌握之中。

吉尔阿德

亿康先达董事长

商业决策是通过不同经验和观点的人之间的公开辩论来提高的。现在是时候在董事会中汇集不同的声音了。

埃迪尔森•卡马拉

亿康先达首席执行官

公司如何才能成功地推动多元化?公司可以采取一些长期和短期的行动来实现有意义的改变。

A focus on diversity and inclusion has to be a core part of a company\u2019s strategy and must come directly from the top. This means that chief executives and board and committee chairs must truly buy into the fact that diversity is an imperative rather than good public relations or a political statement. Shaming executives can also backfire, says Cynthia Soledad, co-head of Egon Zehnder\u2019s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council. \u201cYou can inadvertently create barriers if you activate defense mechanisms,\u201d she says. Criticism can be transformed into an opportunity to learn new behaviors. Soledad also suggests making the business case to connect diversity to engagement and performance by using stories of real people in addition to data points, which can sometimes feel impersonal.<\/p>"},{"title":"Inclusion Matters","body":"

Traditional boardroom culture is hierarchical, with a tendency to show deference based on tenure and committee leadership. A survey of 700 directors<\/a> conducted by PwC in 2019 revealed that 43 percent of respondents felt it was difficult to express dissent in their boardroom. For new directors representing different backgrounds, it can be even more challenging. If the goal is to encourage different perspectives to make better decisions as a group, experienced directors must take it upon themselves to welcome new voices and dissenting opinions. Says Nadia Shouraboura, a member of several boards: \u201cTo me, the most inefficient spend of executive time is to sit for two hours and for everybody to agree and move on without any interesting debate.\u201d The chair can set the tone before new directors even come to their first meeting. Says Enrique Lores, CEO of HP: \u201cI think having a diverse board or a diverse team is only the beginning because the most important thing is that you need to listen to it. You need to pay attention to these different points of view.\u201d<\/p>"},{"title":"Power Through Numbers","body":"

The drive to diversify your board does not end with the hiring of one woman or person of color. First, candidates can sense a low commitment to diversity and will not accept tokenism. Without breadth, the board cannot grow and change. Second, without a multiplier, inclusion is lower; without inclusive spaces, the ability of all to contribute is limited. When a dominant majority remains, minority voices are too easily drowned out. <\/p>"},{"title":"Pick for Potential","body":"

Now that diversity has moved to the top of many board agendas, many directors who fit the bill and who already have significant boardroom experience are finding themselves in high demand. Our own research and client feedback has found that executives with certain leadership attributes can deliver enormous positive impact, even in business situations or industries in which they have no prior experience. These traits\u2014curiosity, engagement, insight, and determination\u2014make up what we call executive potential. Choosing based on these traits can create an entirely new pool of diverse directors. Those who are not current or retired CFOs or CEOs but who have tremendous experience in critical functions such as marketing, supply chain, digital, and technology can also be evaluated using this approach, adding to the pool of available candidates with diverse backgrounds.<\/p>"},{"title":"Expand the Network","body":"

According to a recent survey, What Directors Think 2020<\/a>, the majority of current board seats are filled with people already known by one or more current directors. Network bias can work against diversification, as we naturally gravitate toward people who are similar. The antidote is for directors to deliberately and strategically expand beyond known networks and to include people who are different both from them and from each other. Enlisting others from outside the board can add to the effectiveness. But change starts by recognizing that the perceived lack of diversity among board-ready candidates may be as much about the limitations of one\u2019s network as anything else. Says Shellye Archambeau, a director of several companies, including Nordstrom and Verizon: \u201cThere are lots of people out there. If you fish in the same pool, you\u2019re going to catch the same fish.\u201d<\/p>"},{"title":"Build the Pipeline for Others","body":"

It\u2019s impossible to discuss board diversity without also talking about diversity in management and in the employee base. Directors who are also working executives also bear significant responsibility for helping to develop a group of diverse leaders in their own<\/span> companies. If they do so, that pipeline will create a group of people who could become directors elsewhere. There is an additional responsibility for directors, whose job is in part to provide advice and guidance to the company\u2019s top management team: They must hold the CEO accountable to prioritize diversity and inclusion inside the company\u2014and to assess the CEO in part on his or her own personal commitment to change. Having diversity in a leadership team can lead to inefficiency and sometimes to conflict; it\u2019s not an easy thing to embrace, particularly in these very fraught times. But if the directors hold their CEOs to the same standards they hold themselves, change will come quickly.\n <\/p>"},{"title":"Ride the Wave","body":"

In times of great change, one\u2019s natural inclination might be to play it safe, defaulting to those we know and trust. This also can happen in the boardroom, as people default to those with more experience rather than less in times of volatility. But it is precisely when there is change that a more diverse set of perspectives and skills is most needed. This is also true with a new or reconstituted board, which is another period of flux. Says Shellye Archambeau: \u201cThe best time to build a diverse board is in the beginning, because in the beginning you need all the skills.\u201d From crisis\u2014or from uncertainty\u2014comes opportunity. Whatever shifts your company is facing, take advantage of the moment to gain as many new perspectives as possible.<\/p>"}]">