Connectivity, Clubhouse & Creating Change in DEIB

Connectivity has never been more seamless than it is today, in the digital age. 

 

Inspired, ready to take on the world. And armed with understanding and clear pathways on how I can take it on better.

 

^ One of the silver linings over the past year for me has been the ability to connect with people at the click of a button across the world. I’ve met hundreds of people that I’m not sure I would have otherwise had the chance to. I’ve heard countless new viewpoints and ideas in an incredibly short time.

 

This hit me hard when we hosted our first Clubhouse room (highlighting the intersection of DEIB with remote work, automation, and the future of hiring), in our new RAC Community Club, which you can join here.

 

During one of the questions about the impact of a remote environment on DEIB, Kesha Kent mentioned that the barriers to connectivity have never been lower, and access to events and resources has never been greater. (For example, here are 6 companies addressing DEIB in hiring.)

 

And Joseph Yeh pointed out that there has never been a greater opportunity – and ability – to rewrite existing social norms and networks when we’re able to get people together so easily.

 

The work of DEIB is often about education and about getting buy-in and commitment from people on the ground. “It’s really about getting organizations to understand that it’s a shared responsibility that we all pursue” -the incomparable Torin Ellis.

 

And one of the takeaways from our conversation is that there’s a real case for optimism is the way these opinions have been moving – certainly not fast enough but moving – in the right direction.

 

Quanasia Graham talked about being able to bring people together to talk about how what’s happening outside their company impacts what’s going on inside, and then advocate as a group. Essentially restoring the connectivity that might have been broken or never even existed due to archaic social norms.

 

The reduced friction of ideas and the increased ability to organize are finally starting to change the way companies prioritize and operate.

 

There’s still a long way to go (Torin shouted out this clip from Lars Schmidt’s conversation with Josh Bersin: the #1 challenge HR teams feel underprepared for today is DEIB), but things are inching ahead.

 

And it’s energizing to be reminded that it’s in our hands.

 

This was excerpted from the 3-11-2021 RAC Newsletter. Sign Up for the Newsletter here.