Dr. Sullivan has been writing for over twenty years starting with Diversity Recruiting — The Compelling Business Case. This page contains a selection of John’s articles on D&I for the last 20 years.
Why? Many diversity programs are well supported by top management but often for the wrong reasons. Some do it to avoid legal issues (we might be sued) while others do it to be “politically correct.” Executives give speeches, announce diversity targets and some executives even have the top diversity manager report directly to them in the hope that it will send a message that diversity recruiting is important. While all of these reasons have value, if you really want your diversity programs to be successful you have to go beyond these traditional arguments and make the economic case to managers for having a diverse workforce.
The most powerful and effective arguments that can be made for excellence in diversity recruiting relate to the business and dollar impact that diversity recruiting can have on the bottom line of the organization. Does having a workforce with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas have an impact on the firm’s profitability? The answer is a resounding yes!
Table of Contents:
- Reducing Unconscious Biases
- Diversity Recruiting Solutions
- Recruiting STEM Women
- Building a Diversity Retention Program
- Building The Compelling Business Case for Diversity
- Take Action On Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives
Reducing Unconscious Biases
There has been a great deal of recent coverage on unconscious biases. However, almost all of the attention has been on becoming aware of these unconscious biases. This is problematic because even data-driven Google could not prove that unconscious bias training actually resulted in an increase in diversity hires. So it’s time to move on from awareness and on to actionable solutions.
If a firm really wants to meet its diversity hiring goals, than it needs to move beyond the typical BAND-AID awareness training solutions. Instead, corporate recruiting leaders and executives need to shift into “solution mode.” That’s because I estimate that all varieties of biases taken together result in the loss of up to 25 percent of your firm’s qualified potential diversity hires.
- The Definitive Action Guide for Minimizing Bias and Increasing Diversity Hires (Part 1 of 2)
- The Definitive Action Guide For Minimizing Bias and Increasing Diversity Hires (Part 2 of 2)
- Want Diversity? Counter Unconscious Biases That Limit Your Diversity Recruiting
- How to Reduce Hiring Bias Against Women
Diversity Recruiting Solutions
By looking at the many business impacts of diversity, it is easy to see the potential financial impacts on a firm. Generally, the impact of having a diverse workforce on an individual firm is well in the millions of dollars. At that point, excellence in diversity recruiting no longer becomes an option. I would argue that this point has already been reached and that excellence in diversity recruiting is already a business necessity!
- DIVERSITY RECRUITING IS A FAILURE – IT’S TIME TO RAISE THE BAR!
- Diversity Recruiting – What’s Wrong with it? Pretty Much Everything (Part 1 & 2 of 2)
- Pinterest Produces Amazing Diversity Results … Using Proactive Targeted Referrals
- Instantly Improve Diversity Recruiting Results With a Bonus for Diversity Referrals
- Diversity Recruiting Fails … When You Lump All Diverse Groups Together
- Diversity Recruiting Metrics
Recruiting STEM Women
The concept of recruiting women for diversity purposes is not new. However, if you want to multiply that impact many times over, add a program that focuses on recruiting women into executive and senior-management jobs. Adopt this Wonder-Woman recruiting approach primarily because of the business impacts that these new hires bring. But do it also because attracting female industry icons will help to retain your current employees and it will also serve as a magnet to attract others who want to work at a place where both men and women share executive roles.
- Wonder Woman – Why Every Firm Needs to Hire One
- Need Women Applicants? Why Micro-targeting Women Triggers More to Apply
- Need Women Applicants? A List of the Targeted Information That Triggers Applications
- Revealing the Factors That Restrict the Recruiting of STEM Women (Part 1 of 2)
- Revealing the Factors That Restrict the Recruiting of STEM Women (Part 2 of 2)
- End the Shortage — Recruit STEM Women Who Are Working at Your Competitors
- Metrics for STEM Women – a Critical Examination of the High-tech Approach
- Looking For Bold Recruiting Approaches? Best Practices For Recruiting STEM-Women and Diversity Candidates
Building a Diversity Retention Program
Most firms have no idea that they have a revolving door that is bleeding diversity talent because unexplainably, they don’t measure and report diversity turnover and the cost. But what if your executives knew that diversity turnover “was off the chart,” where “women were two times as likely to leave as men, while black and Latino tech workers were 3.5 times more likely to quit than white or Asian colleagues”?
- Diversity’s Revolving Door — With 2x The Turnover, A Diversity Retention Program Is Needed
- A 12-Step Program For Retaining Your Diverse Workforce
Building The Compelling Business Case for Diversity
Understand how diversity increases innovation. Most organizations already have a formal diversity effort. However, it is not often fully resourced or data-driven. We have found that diversity receives an increased focus once executives realize the impact that it can have on innovation. There are several studies that show its business impact but one North Carolina State study actually showed a causal effect between workforce diversity and increasing innovation.
- Diversity Recruiting — The Compelling Business Case
- Stop The Insanity: You’ll *Never* Reach Diversity Goals Until You Shift To A Data-Driven Approach
- Blow-Up Your Diversity Approach And Maximize Business Results With Customer Reflection Diversity
- Revelation! Unconscious Bias Hurts Your Hiring Results Across All Candidates
Take Action On Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives
- Black Jobs Matter Too – An Opportunity To Fix Diversity Hiring
- Your HR VP Should Resign When They Fail To Produce Diversity Results
Dr. Sullivan has written over 1,200 articles, a dozen white papers, conducted over 50 unique webinars, dozens of workshops, and has been featured in over 35 videos. He is an engaging corporate speaker who has excited audiences at over 300 corporations/organizations in 30 countries on six continents.