Workforce Language Services

An article in Diversity Executive finds that the majority of corporate directors are against increasing minroity representation on corporate boards.  This is is sharp contrast to the general push to train historically underrepresented demographics and capitalize on their strengths and differing perspectives. 

It is up to companies to take a proactive stance in creating a diverse workforce, he explained.

“If you haven’t hired enough diversity at the more junior levels 20 or 30 years ago, you won’t have the people who have matured and had the business experience to be on par with the rest of the board members today,” Dysart said.

“You do diverse populations a disservice if you make huge compromises and put people in the room when they’re not ready because then the other directors have a negative opinion about a diversity candidate.”

It’s certainly true that companies should be responsible for cultivating the expertise of a diverse population, but whether a candidate is ready to serve on a board is quite subjective.  It’s also interesting that these directors see this issue in such a black and white way, especially as law firms stress the importance of peer mentoring to support minority lawyers.  Why are corporations not willing to mentor board candidates with potential even though they’ve not had decades of experience in upper managment?  By doing this as well as encouraging ongoing professional development, companies would truly be taking a proactive stance in creating a diverse workforce at all levels.