Diversity, equity and inclusion: Action over eloquence please

livemint.com:

Asix months’ grace period was something I learnt to negotiate in assignments as one of the first women working in the infrastructure sector. When I was posted in the ports sub-sector, or in a large infrastructure project, many would question my suitability as a woman officer for a role in a male-dominated field. Inevitably, I would ‘beg’ for six months before a decision was taken to re-post me to an assignment considered more conducive for a woman officer.

Things have somewhat changed today, and many women are contributing at different levels in these ‘tough’ sectors. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is much propagated. Yet, once senses some impatience with gender diversity.

While organizations claim commitment to DEI, only a few companies, boards and nomination and renumeration committees (NRCs) prioritize what has long been ignored. Who a board includes as member is a strong leadership signal to others in the company. As the Companies Act mandates that the board must decide its own composition, every board has an opportunity to ensure its own diversity and lead by example.

Very often, for inducting members, boards rely on their own networks as this provides comfort and continuity. However, known networks are not socially neutral and exclude diverse groups from legitimate opportunities. As Abraham Maslow observed, boards can either step forward towards growth or step back into safety.

Diversity assumes centre-stage in an organization once it goes beyond the stipulated mandate and has more than one woman as a board member. Nuances in interactions create perceptions and these weave an organizational culture. Often, women employees state that they are hardly aware of board agendas that include a diversity component.