To fix Silicon Valley’s diversity problem, we need to focus on companies’ DNA

To fix Silicon Valley’s diversity problem, we need to focus on companies’ DNA

6 years ago
Anonymous $CLwNLde341

https://thenextweb.com/contributors/2018/05/27/to-fix-silicon-valleys-diversity-problem-we-need-to-focus-on-companies-dna/

Diversity is a complex and urgent issue facing many corporations today, particularly so in Silicon Valley. When it comes to African American employees in particular, representation hovers near a dismal 2.6 percent (in contrast with 17 percent of the general population).

The Congressional Black Caucus and deeply well-intentioned task forces like Tech 2020 have mobilized to push for better numbers, to little genuine effect. But, as a Black man with over 20 years of experience in the tech industry, I think the answer to our diversity problem should lie not just in pushing that needle of quantitative representation, but in the deeper qualitative measures we can take to nurture and connect previously marginalized employees once they’ve landed. In other words, tackle the culture to let a population grow organically.