Daily Buzz: Using Data to Diversify Your Organization

No matter the industry, it’s important for organizations to be diverse. A report by McKinsey & Company  (opens in a new tab) demonstrated that companies with the most ethnically diverse executive teams are 33 percent more likely to financially outperform their peers.

“But while companies understand why they need to have a more diverse workforce, many aren’t sure how to make it happen,” Sandy Cross and Porter Braswell say in Harvard Business Review  (opens in a new tab).

How do you promote diversity within your organization? First, gather data to find out why your organization is not reaching diverse candidates.

“Having accurate data is fundamental to any inclusion and diversity effort,” Cross and Braswell say. “Many people anecdotally have a hunch about what the barriers that prevent diverse candidates from applying are, but gathering actual data points motivates, validates, or disproves decision makers and empowers leaders to take action.”

Cross and Braswell highlighted PGA of America as an example. To increase diversity, PGA partnered with Jopwell, a career advancement platform for Black, Latinx, and Native American students and professionals. Jopwell collected feedback from its community and found the top two reasons why people were not applying for jobs in the golf industry were a lack of awareness of opportunities (27 percent) and a lack of access to contacts in the industry (26 percent).

“Many other companies are facing similar challenges in modernizing and diversifying their workforces and would benefit from taking time to hear from the candidates they’re trying to reach,” Cross and Braswell say.

From there, your organization can create a plan of action that is backed up by data.

Offering Sustainable Professional Development Strategies

Should your association consider a more sustainable professional development strategy? | WBT Systems https://t.co/6ksWiyE6Wu  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) #profdev  (opens in a new tab) #elearning  (opens in a new tab) pic.twitter.com/aHyIbEbAi6  (opens in a new tab)

— TopClass LMS (@TopClassLMS) December 9, 2019  (opens in a new tab)

Looking to change your professional development offerings? Embrace a sustainable approach, one that doesn’t rely heavily on in-person experiences and instead offers online learning experiences, WBT Systems recommends  (opens in a new tab).

Online learning is accessible to a larger audience and includes people who can’t afford to travel. Plus, your organization can benefit financially, according to the WBT Systems team.

“Your association can save money by shifting some of your programs to an online platform,” the team writes. “You won’t have to print and ship materials (handouts and evaluations) or pay for staff and instructor expenses, meeting rooms, AV, and catering.”

Other Links of Note

Millennials vs. Gen Z: Do you know the difference? If you’re a marketer, you need to, says Pamela Bump on HubSpot  (opens in a new tab).

This time of year is always busy. Nonprofit Marketing Guide offers tips  (opens in a new tab) on how to deal with stress during the holiday season.

Event safety: Faced with increased security risks at events, the industry has responded. Event Marketer has the scoop  (opens in a new tab).

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