The Diversity leader’s job is ever more complex. Originally sequestered in human resources, today’s role is much more expansive, touching on just about every aspect of the business including marketing, manufacturing, global operations, mergers and acquisitions, governance and everything in between. The recognition of the need for diversity to play in the larger business realm has caused many companies to position the chief diversity officer (CDO) position in the “C” suite reporting directly to the CEO.
But it is not enough to upgrade the reporting relationship and give CDO’s the latitude to venture outside of the confines of the human resources world, CDO’s must think differently about how diversity relates to every other aspect of the business. CDO’s must become systems thinkers.
What is a system?
A system is a collection of elements interacting with each other to function as a whole. Each of the elements within a system is a system itself and every system is an element of a larger system. Systems thinking, therefore, is the study of the elements within a system that interact to produce certain behavior(s).
What is a systems thinker? It’s someone who sees wholes rather than parts, and stresses the role of interconnections, especially the role we each play in the systems at work and in our lives.
In his book Presence, Management Guru Peter Senge, suggests that “we remain stuck in old patterns of seeing and acting. It is only through encouraging deeper levels of learning, we create an awareness of the larger whole, leading to actions that can help shape its evolution and our future.”
When it comes to moving the diversity agenda, using a systems thinking approach can help organizations uncover interconnections, interactions, and key leverage points for change.
For example:
What is the connection between discovering new market opportunities and recruiting a diverse slate of candidates? Candidates with expertise in emerging markets can help organizations move more quickly and avoid blunders such as the well know story of GM marketing Chevy NOVA’s in Spanish speaking countries where “No va: means “no go”.
How might cultural competence relate to the success of an upcoming merger of two companies? I worked with a client that merged with another company because of the synergy in their product and service offerings. No one considered how different the organizational cultures were…one company from the mid-west and the other from the east coast. The cultural clashes were so bad that they ended up “divorcing”.
How does the rise in the Latino population relate to the design of hospital waiting rooms? One of my clients discovered that their Latino patients brought up to 4 times as many family members when a loved one sought care in the emergency room. The waiting rooms were just too small to accommodate the numbers. In the design of new hospitals, these differences were considered and they built larger waiting rooms.
Organizational Barriers to Systems Systems Thinking
Although the results of using systems thinking are often extremely effective in solving the most complex corporate problems, there are some barriers to overcome. First, diversity is still often viewed as being solely an HR function instead of being part of a larger organizational system. Second, organizational silos get in the way. Most managers still think mostly about their own role and function and not how it connects to the rest of the system. Thirdly, some senior level executives want to see immediate cause and effect, but the connection of internal changes to results is seldom linear and immediate when using a systems approach.
CDO’s must continue to “peel back and Uncover”
Becoming a good systems thinker is not necessarily easy. It requires discipline and a razor sharp, detective like mind. It is about looking in the most unusual places for connections and relationships. It means believing that somehow everything is connected to everything else and being curious about how?
The system cannot and will not change if we do not understand how it really works, not how it is supposed to work but what is really triggering behaviors and actions and outcomes.
Systems thinking is not only good for diversity work but for effective business outcomes in general. Why not, after all there is a connection!
Dr. Mary-Frances Winters is President and Founder of The Winters Group, a 25-year organization development and diversity-consulting firm, specializing in research, strategic planning, training, and public speaking with an emphasis in ethnic and multicultural issues. She is the author of three books, Only Wet Babies Like Change: Workplace Wisdom for Baby Boomers, Inclusion Starts with “I” and CEO’s Who Get It: Diversity Leadership from the Heart and Soul. She is also co-author of the recent report, ”A Retrospective View of Corporate Diversity Training from 1964 to the Present.“
