What Most Companies Get Wrong About “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion”
Spoiler alert - it's in the wrong order!
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) programs have become controversial. On the surface, they shouldn’t be remotely controversial. Why would anyone want to surround themselves with an echo chamber, treat others unequally, or exclude individuals or groups of people? I can think of a million reasons. Only a few of them are not mean spirited, self-serving, or solipsistic.1
For this article, I spoke with Lynn Dohm, Executive Director of Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) (pronounced “wee-sis”), to look at how organizations and individuals can turn DE&I programs into a force for good.
A few weeks back, Adrian and Tyler were discussing the Rezvani Vengeance supercar during the Enterprise Security Weekly (ESW) podcast. The manufacturer offers all kinds of crazy add-on features, including military and (physical) security packages. Not being a car fanatic,2 I didn’t have much to add. Until they started talking about gas masks, electrified door handles, and pepper spray defense. While Tyler and Adrian were musing on how drivers could use these features maliciously — like to spray jaywalking pedestrians — I was thinking, “Never gonna buy it, but this isn’t the worst idea for anti-assault scenarios.”
I raised this point, and the two of them (uncharacteristically) were silent for a moment. It hadn’t occurred to them that the functionality could be for the protection of the driver — to help her defend off an attacker if one were to break into her car. They had their cyber hacker hats on and were thinking about it from a “how much ill-intentioned harm could be done to unsuspecting individuals” point of view. But as soon as I said it, they both realized that the use cases for pepper spray, gas masks, and glow-in-the-dark car door handles were diverse.
They might not have ever thought of it without the female perspective.
Case in point
Think of the new features and/or marketing opportunities of adding diverse points of view to business conversations! Diverse perspectives add potential, not limit it. And that’s what people in favor of DE&I programs have been saying for years.
Individuals not in favor of DE&I programs have been arguing that they can go too far — the programs end up being a checkbox activity that can exclude qualified people from positions solely because the person doesn’t tick off the “diversity” box. This is a no-less-valid argument.
I don’t want to get into social or political arguments here. Still, the numbers show that cybersecurity isn’t the most diverse industry on the planet. Just go to any cybersecurity conference — especially the more technical ones — and you’ll see what I mean.
Now, I’ve been an advocate for women in cyber for a long time, so my thoughts and feelings on this topic are no secret.3 However, anytime I’ve written or spoken about increasing the number of women in security, it’s been with a focus on women’s strengths and expertise rather than fulfilling a quota. And frankly, if we could take away the shoehorning of people (women or any other underrepresented group) into positions, I think more security practitioners might agree that diversity is a good thing. Find qualified people who also have diverse attributes.
Enter: A new voice
In my mind, I’ve been a positive advocate for DE&I in the workplace. That is until I met Lynn Dohm, Executive Director of Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS). My friend Steve Moscarelli had invited me to speak at an ISSA event in Chicago, and Lynn was the first speaker. Her talk was amazing — I was a little nervous to get on stage after her — and she opened my eyes to a number of things. Mainly, that focusing on diversity before inclusion is a mistake. Yes, the acronym is ubiquitous so most people start at “diversity.” The problem is that they often also stop at “diversity.”
To get back to my earlier anecdote about ESW, if Adrian and Tyler had heard my comments about the Vengeance and thought, “OK, fine. That’s not the point, though,” my differing point of view wouldn’t have mattered. At all. You can have plenty of diversity in the room, but if there’s no inclusion, none of it matters.
“Diversity” may be the focal point of hiring conversations, but it’s less common for people to leave workplaces because of a lack of diversity. Exclusion and absence of opportunity are the prevailing reasons for people — especially people in underrepresented groups — to change jobs or leave the industry altogether.
I wanted to explore the idea of inclusion with Lynn a bit more. She’s been a powerful force for change in the industry, so what could I learn from her?
Katie: From your experience and research, what do people get wrong about DE&I programs?
Lynn: Everyone puts “diversity” in front of “inclusion.” And it’s understandable, but they’re very different. “Inclusion” is about wanting everyone to be active contributors; when you create inclusiveness, diversity comes. When you start putting the emphasis on inclusion, diversity will thrive. Because at that point, you’re empowering people. You’re giving them opportunities. But you have to follow through. You can’t just ask for ideas and opinions and then dismiss them. That will backfire, and people will feel more excluded than ever.
Inclusion is a feeling, and you only feel excluded when it’s happening. Tracking diversity is easier than inclusion — that’s why it’s used for measurement.
We have to get away from diversity as a “feel good” metric. So many people don’t understand what inclusion means, but in order to take responsibility, we have to define it. We have to explain what it looks like — without being confrontational or dismissive. The sad fact is that people who are being excluded from conversations and opportunities don’t speak up. It’s hard for them to address and easier to leave. And then we’re left with the echo chambers that have existed for years.
Katie: All of that is good, but we’re only making slow progress, and now we have people who view DE&I programs as negative. The initial intentions of these programs are getting buried because of poor execution. What do we do?
Lynn: Allyship. We have to focus on allyship and helping others. Speak up for others when they’re being excluded. It is so hard to speak up for yourself when you’re the one who is being excluded, especially if it’s constant or consistent. Everyone wants someone to support them when they’re not being included or treated unfairly. When you see and hear exclusion in the workplace, be that advocate, be that educator. Offer time, effort, and help.
Many of us have been in these situations, so it’s easy to spot. But only if you’re paying attention. It’s easy to look the other way. That's why allyship is so hard sometimes — it's less awkward to ignore a bad situation..
Some of the most well-intentioned people have exclusionary patterns and traditions ingrained in their behaviors. The best way to approach a conversation about inclusion is with empathy and understanding. Be active in the conversation, but without calling someone out. That will only lead to defensiveness and ultimately, inaction on that person’s part.
Katie: How would you approach a conversation with someone who is excluding someone or a group of people in the workplace?
Lynn: First and foremost, build your own awareness skills. If you don’t come at inclusion from a place of understanding, we’re going to end up with more aggressive individuals than when we started.
I’ve found that the most successful approach to conversations about exclusion starts by letting your natural curiosity be the driver. If you can stay calm and rational, it’s more likely the person you’re approaching will, too. Then, repeat back parts of a conversation to the person. For example, “I am trying to gain a better understanding of something that happened yesterday. In our team meeting, you put Tim, Bob, and Joe on a project but said that Sara won’t participate since she has to leave the office at 4 pm to pick up her kids. Can you help me understand why this excludes her from the project?” Initiate a conversation that has the person repeating back what they said so they can hear it in a different key.
Katie: Changing people’s minds is hard! A lot of people won’t ever try.
Lynn: True, but the only way to start a shift is by being an ally, by speaking up. It’s hard, but it will pay off.
If you’re not ready to start those hard conversations, there are some things you can do to limit your exposure to exclusionary behavior in your workplace. When looking for a new job, look at the composition of the executive team and the board of directors. If the “leadership” webpage is homogenous, it’s likely their thoughts and actions are, too. This is not a failsafe — it will only give you visual clues about diversity, not inclusion, but it’s a start.
Katie: What is the most surprising thing about exclusion?
Lynn: WiCyS partnered with Aleria for the first-ever study on the state of inclusion for women in cybersecurity. From that work, we know that 57% of women in cyber say that the exclusion they experience shows itself in the form of a lack of career growth and advancement. Women hit the glass ceiling in year six of their careers! This is while men continue to have greater opportunities as they get older and gain more experience. Women feel they have to change jobs to advance, and that harms not only women but the entire industry.
Katie: There are some researched benefits to building an inclusive workforce. Can you share a few?
Lynn: Absolutely! Before you can get to benefits, you have to focus on trust, respect, and a sense of belonging. Now, if these seem like fuzzy measures, there is plenty of research to suggest that giving employees and coworkers trust, respect, and a sense of belonging results in increases in productivity and even profits. Practicing inclusion is the right thing to do. But if you’re in charge of a company or a business unit and your goals are more bottom-line-focused, the proof is there too.
Fun fact: One of The Reformed Analyst’s favorite words is “solipsistic.” Other faves include “ambiguity” and “pamplemousse.”
My level of interest in cars is a “1.” A car gets me places. Hopefully safely and without using a lot of gas.