MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Five Steps to Build and Sustain Diversity in Your Organization

No matter how diverse the pipeline of job candidates is, if we have not properly prepared our organizational landscape, the odds are stacked against the talented professionals we work so hard to find, recruit, and welcome aboard. Many organizations have instituted measures to monitor and increase their diversity hires; however, less attention is paid to what happens after the hire. Only when we effectively create a more equitable landscape and support women and people of color in navigating it can we benefit from the full engagement and contributions of all of our people and avoid losing them to turnover or disengagement.

Occupational minorities — those individuals who are relative rarities in their profession due to their gender or sexual identity, ethnicity, age, or other factors — have accomplished what countless more have only dreamed of: They have broken through the glass ceiling, navigated the often inhospitable corporate jungle, and often successfully negotiated the glass cliff. Although the executives who represent diverse populations in your organization have successfully overcome these challenges, an important task remains: building a path for others to follow. This is hard, painstaking work that requires many different tools and competencies, yet it is necessary if others are to safely navigate the landscape.

About the Author

Keith D. Dorsey, Ed.D., is a managing partner and the U.S. practice leader of CEO and Board Services at Boyden, a global executive search firm. He built his career as a turnaround (glass cliff) specialist in corporate America and writes on issues related to diversity, governance, and strategic growth for private and public corporations and boards.

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