16
Thomas and Barak found that an
organization's culture comprises many
things, including shared values, practices,
and the behaviors of an organization.
Moreover, achieving a sustainable and
inclusive future requires that organizations
focus on much more than shareholder value
alone. Over the long term, managing the
interests of multiple stakeholders, including
employees, will result in a more resilient
future for all.
Diversity & Inclusion is
Important to Attracting the
Workforce of Tomorrow
"Research shows that many millennials
prioritize inclusion in their job search.
Millennials are demanding that
organizations value and be intentional about
diversity and inclusion, especially for long
term growth."
— Avery M. Blank,
Workplace and Leadership Expert
If a stronger financial yield isn't enough of
a compelling reason to invest in diversity
and inclusion, competing for the talent of
the workforce of tomorrow may be an even
more compelling reason as they not only
expect diversity and inclusion, but they
require it. By the year 2025, 75% of the global
workforce will be millennials. The 2018
Deloitte Millennial Survey shows that 74%
of millennials believe their organization is
more innovative when it has a culture of
inclusion.
10
According to Forbes, more than
half of millennials would gladly take a pay
cut to work for an employer who shares their
values. In addition, 47% of millennials are
actively looking for diversity and inclusion
when sizing up potential employers.
11
If
organizations are looking to hire and sustain
a millennial workforce, diversity and
inclusion must be a key part of the culture.
If your organization wants to continue to
flourish over the next decade, investing in
diversity and inclusion is arguably one of the
most important things you can do.
Best practices
"Most of the things worth doing in the world
had been declared impossible before they
were done."
— Louis Brandeis
According to the President and CEO of State
Street Global Advisors, Cyrus Taraporevala,
"Companies can only be as successful as the
broader economies and societies in which
they operate."
12
Undeniably, we can only
accomplish this by starting from within our
organizations to confirm we have the talent,
passion, and creativity of a diverse assembly
of legal professionals. We must, ourselves,
be as diverse as the clients we serve. The
following are some key actions discussed at
the ILTACON 2019 Diversity & Inclusion
session featuring speakers: Gillian Power –
Lathrop Gage CIO
13
and ILTA's new Chair of
Diversity & Inclusion; Skye Jones – Dell Legal
COO
14
; and Shawnna Hoffman – IBM Global
Cognitive Legal Leader
15
.
1. Create a Plan
Organizations need a comprehensive plan for
supporting and advancing diversity. It should
not be considered a one-time campaign, nor
should it be a one-off initiative. Promoting
diversity in the workplace should be in
constant development being maintained
and nurtured by an employee devoted to
an actionable plan. Furthermore, this may
require a paradigm shift in the organization
which minimally should include investing in
annual employee training. The first step an
organization can take is awareness training.
According to Francesca Gino, Professor
at Harvard Business School, "Awareness
training is the first step to unraveling
unconscious bias because it allows employees
to recognize that everyone possesses them
and to identify their own." The idea is to
create an "organizational conversation" about
biases and help spark ideas on "steps the
organization as a whole can take to minimize
them."
16
2. Counter Bias in the Hiring
Process
"I think unconscious bias is one of the
hardest things to get at."
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Unconscious biases have a critical and
"problematic" effect on our judgment, says
Francesca Gino. "They cause us to make
decisions in favor of one person or group to
the detriment of others." In the workplace,
this "can stymie diversity, recruiting,
promotion, and retention efforts."
17
First things first, look into rewording job
descriptions. Evidence shows that gendered
wording in job advertisements exists and
sustains gender inequality.
18
Furthermore, a great way for law firms
to confirm their commitment to diversity in
hiring is to include in their plan diversity
certifications such as the Mansfield 2.0.
The Mansfield Rule Certification measures
whether law firms have affirmatively
considered at least 30% diverse candidates
for leadership and governance roles, equity
partner promotions, and senior lateral
positions. The goal of the Mansfield Rule
is to boost the representation of diverse
lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening
the pool of candidates considered for
these opportunities.
19
The Mansfield 2.0
certification is considered a badge of success
for top law firms.
10
https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/deloitte-2019-millennial-survey.pdf
11
https://www.forbes.com/sites/annajohansson/2017/11/13/the-one-philosophical-difference-that-sets-millennials-apart-in-
workplace-diversity/#5945053b70c7
12
https://www.ssga.com/blog/2019/08/we-need-stakeholder-capitalism-to-achieve-a-sustainable-and-inclusive-future.html
13
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gmpower/
14
https://www.linkedin.com/in/skye-jones-3397a11/
15
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnnahoffman/
16
https://hbr.org/2017/06/7-practical-ways-to-reduce-bias-in-your-hiring-process
17
https://hbr.org/2017/06/7-practical-ways-to-reduce-bias-in-your-hiring-process
18
https://www.sussex.ac.uk/webteam/gateway/file.php?name=gendered-wording-in-job-adverts.pdf&site=7
19
https://www.diversitylab.com/pilot-projects/mansfield-rule-certified-firms-2018/
