Time for this podcast’s quarterly Diversity Report.
Each quarter, we measure the leadership makeups of the teams delivering IT services.
Monitoring 301 companies, this quarter’s report tracks three thousand nine hundred twenty-five, up from last quarter. Identified on each organization’s website, they are then classified as white, and then nonwhite, as well as specifically Black. Additionally, they are classified as male or female.
According to the data for Q4 2022, 88.92% of the leadership team members tracked are white, a decrease of 1.5 percentage points from the previous quarter’s 89.19%. The percentage of male leaders remained relatively unchanged at 78.60%, compared to 79.12% in the last quarter. Black leadership increased by half a percentage point to 2.14%, but the increase in the Fortune 1000 from the previous quarter (2.43%) has decreased to 2.27%
In addition to these findings, it’s worth noting that the Kapor Foundation, an organization dedicated to reducing racial disparities in the tech industry, has identified several strategies for improving diversity and inclusion in the workplace. These include implementing programs that address belonging, advancement, pay, and harassment and having full support and accountability at the board and CEO level. Apprenticeships can also be effective, but the US has lagged behind other countries in establishing large-scale programs.
Data also of note, of the Fortune 500, only 8.8% have female CEOs.
Why do we care?
It’s important to highlight diversity and inclusion because it’s the right thing to do and because it can benefit a company’s bottom line. According to a Catalyst and Harvard Business School study, companies with more diverse leadership teams are more successful in their corporate social responsibility efforts and contribute more to charitable funds. A survey by Glassdoor found that 67% of job seekers consider workforce diversity when evaluating job offers.
There is a competitive advantage to be found for individual organizations because of the overall lack of progress. It’s why I continue to focus on it.