Talk given at OpenTech 2013 sharing experiences of creating inclusive diverse cultures, giving some practical tips for improving diversity.

1. PRACTICAL
DIVERSITY
MERI WILLIAMS
@GEEK_MANAGER

2. DIVERSITY
EXPERIENCE
• Moved recruitment from 70-30 M-F to
50-50 in IT function of a large
company.
• Founded LGBT network that was
recognised by Stonewall as a Star
Performer; 5 years in the Workplace
Equality Index.

4. I’M A BIT OF A
DIVERSITY STATISTIC
Female…
Gay…
Foreign…
Employed (this is a bad thing if you’re foreign…)
Disabled…
Atheist…
BUT grew up hugely aware of (unasked & undeserved)
privilege I had growing up white in Apartheid South
Africa.

5. IT’S A SPECTRUM
Inclusion
Discrimination

6. NOT
DISCRIMINATING
IS IMPORTANT
LEGALLY, IF NOTHING ELSE

7. BUT TOLERANCE
IS A TERRIBLE
WORD
WOULD YOU WANT TO BE TOLERATED?

8. WOULDN’T A
FULLY INCLUSIVE
ENVIRONMENT
BE BETTER?
PROTIP: HELPS EVERYONE!

9. SOME THINGS
THAT WORK…
(SOME OF THESE SURPRISED ME)

10. REDUCE FEAR
Increasing opportunities is worthy &
important.
But reducing fear is equally so.
(tips: reduce impact of failure, risk of
humiliation, increase friendly audience)

11. FRAME GUIDANCE
ALTRUISTICALLY
Advice which focuses on how to “do
better for yourself” has a very limited
appeal. (a la “steal more pie”)
Altruistic advice (a la “bake more pie”)
appeals to a much broader audience
(including non-individualistic cultures…)

12. WHEN WE REFRAMED
NETWORKING…

13. ROLE MODELING MATTERS
• When a woman presents/represents at
recruitment events, more women
apply
• When you present a monoculture,
people make assumptions you won’t
like

14. THE MOST IMPORTANT
QUESTION
Best predictor of recruitment AND
retention?
Someone’s ability to agree with:
“Someone like me can be
successful here”

15. PRIVILEGE 101
The number one thing that privilege gives
you is a belief that you CAN.
(… go to university … work in the industry
you want … marry who you want to … get
out of bed each morning…)
BELIEF YOU CAN IS A PRIVILEGE.

16. PRIVILEGE 102
The other thing that privilege convinces
you of is that you are there because of
your skills & abilities.
BELIEF YOUR INNATE SKILLS GET
YOU WHERE YOU ARE IS A
PRIVILEGE TOO.

17. “DID YOU ALWAYS KNOW YOU
WANTED TO BE SO SENIOR?”
Male leaders tend to say:
“Yes, I always knew I could do more.”
Female leaders tend to say:
“No, but my mentors believed in me,
and I trusted they were right.”

18. JOHNNY CLEGG
They taught us to forget our past
And live the future in their image
…
They said
“Learn to speak a little bit of English,
Don’t be scared of a suit and tie.”
Learn to walk in the dreams of the foreigner.
I am a third world child.

19. MOST ADVICE READS
AS
“BE MORE LIKE A
STRAIGHT CIS WHITE
GUY”
FINDING A WAY TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND
STILL BE YOURSELF IS IMPORTANT

21. SOMETIMES SYSTEMS
ARE LOADED
Companies that assess effectiveness / performance
and then AUTOMATE pay rises based on this tend to
reduce the gender pay gap.
One interpretation:
“Pitching for a pay rise” inherently favours men, who
tend to be more confident in their abilities and more
comfortable talking up their results.
Shy/humble guys suffer too.

22. PRACTICAL
DIVERSITY
RECAP
SOME THINGS THAT HELP

23. PRACTICAL DIVERSITY
1) Assume fear. Then focus on reducing it.
2) Advise people to bake more pie, not steal more pie.
3) Connect people with role models.
4) Grow more role models. Encourage them to be visible.
5) “Someone like me can be successful here?”
6) Tell people you believe in that they can.
7) Tell people you believe in that they are there because
of their skills. (no one likes being a diversity stat)
8) Find ways to be true to self AND successful.
9) Look at whether your processes/systems discriminate.