A questionable article by WSJ.com on diversity

A recent article on wsj.com discusses certain company’s efforts to de-marginalize diversity departments primarily by placing white males in the chief diversity officer (CDO) role. It’s an interesting article, but like some other recent articles on diversity, it assumes that the actions of a few companies represents a trend.

While white males exemplify the indicia of power in corporate America, it does not necessarily follow that having one of them as CDO will increase the reception of diversity in organizations. Frankly, a company that has to put a white male in charge of a division to legitimize it is showing why it needs diversity initiatives to begin with.

Diversity studies show that it is not the race or gender of the person in charge of diversity that determines how well the initiatives are received, rather it is the level of commitment from the CEO. The vast majority of research views CEO commitment as integral to the success of organizational diversity. In contrast, the article suggests that these companies are relying on the informal networks of a white male CDO to generate organizational commitment to diversity–this does not bode well for diversity in those organizations. The CEO, after all, wields considerably more influence than any CDO, no matter what their race, ethnicity, or gender.

The article neglects to note that most companies are not adopting this strategy, precisely because it lessens the importance of the CEO’s commitment–which diversity research shows to be the most important factor in achieving organizational diversity. It also leaves some important questions unanswered, such as whether it is necessary to put a white male in charge of diversity to get other white males involved, or if getting them involved with diversity councils (e.g., PwC) is equally effective.

Another question the article neglects is how men and women of color might perceive a company that has a white male CDO. The article only focuses on diversity’s reception among white males, and neglects its impact on the groups these companies are trying to recruit. (Of course, ethnic minorities are not the only stakeholders in diversity, but the article focused on racial diversity.)

If companies are trying to find out how to get diversity to permeate their cultures, research shows that the best way to effect this is with a committed CEO, and a multicultural diversity council, which can and should include white males. But the CDOs don’t have to be white males, although they certainly can be.