Why Representation Matters

Posted on October 02, 2021 by Alexandria Scobee, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.

“It’s hard to be what you can’t see.”
-Marian Wright Edelman

Humans, like other animals, have survival programming that makes it easier to exist and survive in the world. This programming is triggered and runs much like a computer program; we call it psychology. While we fancy ourselves better than Pavlov’s dog, who would salivate to a bell, the reality is we aren’t, at least when it comes to being conditioned. A way we stand apart from our four-legged friends is our ability to become aware of our conditioning. By becoming aware of the programming lying in wait to be triggered, we have the opportunity to make a different choice. Lucky for us, we have researchers such as Brene Brown and Robert Cialdini PH.D. that have dedicated their lives to unpacking the things that are human-like, vulnerability, courage, authenticity, shame, and our social psychology conditioning.

What does this have to do with the representation of people of color and women in all sectors of the economy, and why does it matter? First, I would like to define what my understanding of representation is specifically in the workplace. Representation is when an organization has people from many different communities and orientations at all levels of the organization, including and most importantly in the top echelon of leadership. To understand why this matters, we need to understand as humans, we have a profound psychological survival drive to belong.
“A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong.”
-​Brené Brown
It took whole communities working together to ensure that we all got to be here today. So it is no wonder that we continue to strive for belonging today. I believe that our need to belong is one of the factors behind under-representation in industries that continue to be dominated by white males, such as the tech industry where I work. As Marian Wright Edelman said, “It’s hard to be what you can’t see.” When we don’t see examples of ourselves in jobs or industries, it triggers the Social Proof principle; then, it is perpetuated by the Authority principle.
Robert Cialdini PH.D. talks about the power of social proof and authority as levers of influence in his book, Influence. The social proof principle found that we look to those surrounding us to determine the proper way to act or be. For example, when in a crowd of people and we see a human in distress, it is unlikely that anyone will stop to help because the social proof of the situation tells us not to. If we look around and don’t see anyone else concerned, we take that as a cue to not be worried. This principle can be compounded if we see a person of authority like a security guard or paramedic around and see they aren’t helping the person who appears to be in distress. Our brains run the authority programming and decide that if the professional isn’t concerned, then it must be nothing.
Both principles are at play as we grow up and decide who we will be when we grow up. We seek social proof from our family, friends, school, and the media. If all we see in each of those places are examples of people who aren’t like us, the story becomes that it isn’t a place for me. So when a young girl is only shown examples of boys who play with computers and men who then work in the tech industry, the social proof says that isn’t for her. However, let’s say that this girl is audacious enough to keep looking because she is interested in computers and gets to college. What happens when she walks into her first computer science class, and the professor expects her to have knowledge and experience already? The authority principle kicks in to confirm the story that tech isn’t for her. Above is just one example of one industry in which the social proof and authority principles can affect who decides to pursue them. Neither principle has to be engaged from a place of malice. While there are plenty of examples of industries that women and people of color were actively barred from, that isn’t the point I am examining here.
We are living in a time of expansion and growth. Voices that historically have been quieted or ignored have more platforms than ever before. Conversations are being had in new ways that cannot be overlooked anymore; it isn’t enough, though. Systemic issues that were centuries in the making don’t get fixed because we know better. The systems are still in place, the social proof is still in front of our eyes, and while the authority principle is being engaged less, it is also still in play. In 2018 only 20% of all tech industry jobs were held by women, and only 18% of computer science majors were women. That means the social proof says that tech is for men. However, it isn’t open for all men according to the social proof; it is open for white men. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission estimated the Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous population together account for 16% of the people working in tech. The numbers get worse the higher in the chain you go. The 2020 People of Color in Tech Report shows, “Only 21% of tech professionals report that their company’s leadership teams are more than a quarter POC. 67% report their leadership teams are ¼ or less POC.”
The benefits of diversity are undeniable and have been studied. McKinsey found that companies with diverse executive boards had 53% higher returns on equity. Credit Suisse’s found that diverse executive boards outperformed male-only boards in money generation, with higher ROEs and lower debt to equity ratios, higher price/book value, and higher average net income growth. Tufts found that diverse groups had more in-depth conversations about the business. Diverse groups having discussions are more likely to consider more angles and make better decisions than a homogenous one. Northwestern and BYU both echo these findings that new perspectives lead to better outcomes. The Journal of Empirical Finance found male CEOs at firms with female directors exhibit less overconfidence, and firms with female directors show a smaller drop in performance during the crisis. Like Donald Rumsfeld said, “We don’t know what we don’t know.”
How do we change these systems that continue to cause underrepresentation in many industries? First, we have to be aware of unconscious bias and the echo chamber of our own experiences. To do this, we need people with different experiences than ourselves, which means people from different cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, races, religions, and orientations. The experiences of each diverse group affects how each human views the world and how they would solve problems. Having differing perspectives when making decisions leads to more discussion, more understanding, more rounded, better decisions. Until bias can be eliminated, we can leverage applicant tracking systems to make the application process more anonymous. For example, the ATS could remove the name and location of the applicant. Doing so would be akin to how The Philharmonic began doing blind auditions to address gender inequalities. Companies can support apprenticeship programs and return pathway programs. Apprenticeship programs allow people to get their feet wet in the industry before spending money on college to realize it isn’t a fit. Return pathways provide an avenue for people to catch up after an absence from the industry. Finally, companies can do the work to create environments of inclusivity and address equal pay. By publicly announcing and following through with those initiatives, it will draw in more diverse candidates. Women make up 51% of the population in the U.S., and 40% of the population is people of color.
We know better; now it is time to be better. We are all here together, and it will take us all working together to continue moving forward to a better world for everyone. Regardless of where we come from, our skin color, or our country of origin, we are all human. Humans need a community to survive. This is why representation matters.