A report on Silicon Valley's technology industry showed
how little ethnic diversity there is in one of the world's most
advanced and influential IT sectors.
It found that 6.8% of technical employees are minorities,
despite the fact that minorities represent 27% of the overall US
population. And ethnic minority women make up less than 2% of
high-level technical positions.
But almost more importantly, the
report by the
Anita Borg Institute, tells us why there is such a dearth of
minorities in IT, and what can be done about it. There are no
similar figures available in the UK but the industry's
lack of women is well documented, and there are important
lessons to be learnt in the way diversity problems can be
tackled.
Companies should be concerned about diversity because of the
growing body of evidence that more diverse teams are more
successful. Diverse teams mean problems are approached in different
ways, allowing the best option to surface, and they are more
innovative and original. A BCS and Intellect report on gender
quotes a 2007 McKinsey report, which found that "European companies
with the highest proportion of women in senior management
experience better-than-average financial performance."
Kate Craig-Wood, a director at IT trade association Intellect,
added: "We have seen from research that companies with a good mix
of gender at the top level perform over 30% better in financial
terms."
Not only this, but a dominance of one social group creates a
"significant disconnect between those designing technology and
those using it," leading to lost commercial opportunities for
companies. And the competitive edge of the UK technology industry
is at serious risk if it doesn't start leveraging the talents of
women and minorities in IT, because numbers of entrants to the
sector keep falling.
Why minorities are not well represented
Technology faces a lack of diversity for a multitude of reasons.
The report says there are "widespread misconceptions about computer
science as a discipline and career. The perception that computing
is a "white male profession" discourages girls and minorities from
entering". There are also few role models in the higher echelons of
IT, sending the message that women and minorities "do not
belong".
Minorities can suffer isolation - feeling as though they are
"the only one" - and this can take its toll, leading to them being
more likely to leave the sector. They can be excluded from
important social groups at work, and the report says: "There is a
large body of literature on the ways in which workplaces are
organized around and support white men's work styles and life
cycles, even those that appear to be meritocratic. Biased hiring,
promotion, evaluation practices and salary levels are common across
organisations."
Tackling the problem
- Mentoring programmes that actually work are one of the biggest
steps in advancing women and minorities. While many companies do
have programmes, they need to be part of the working culture and
properly applied before they work.
- Women are generally responsible for caring for families,
meaning they rely more on flexible working, telecommuting,
part-time work options and parental leave.
- Opportunities for technical training are important for all
employees, but especially for women who may not have the spare time
to learn skills on their own. The report says: "Companies can
especially benefit in the areas of retention and advancement of
minority employees from opportunities to update technical
skills."
- Minority employees are likely to come into IT through less
traditional backgrounds. They are less likely to hold degrees
because of poor access to high-quality education, and companies can
help them advance by basing their requirements for promotion on
experience, for example, rather than academic qualifications.
- The report says: "An absence of diversity at the top sends the
message that there is no path for advancement for underrepresented
employees." Companies need to look at the board and upper
management, because its policy on diversity will be best
illustrated by who is leading the company. Diverse hiring teams are
also very important.
The Anita Borg Institute interviewed 1,795 members of staff
at seven technology companies in Silicon Valley,
California.
Case study
Ibukun Adebayo is based in London and is director of IT at
Turning Point, a social enterprise company. She says: "Diversity is
a problem in technology, but it's only at certain levels. In the
average IT department, the higher up you go, the less diverse the
staff are.
"Ethnic minorities have to go out and get way more in terms of
qualifications. I have been asked why on earth I have every
certificate under the sun, and have been told by my male English
colleagues that they haven't had to do that. We have to fight
harder to get to the same position.
"A lot of women have to be a wife and mother, and are not able
to go out there and get all the training and qualifications.
They're going to be at a disadvantage to men who have time to learn
everything.
"I was a non-achiever in school, and found myself a single
parent of three children. I knew I had to set an example to my
children. I read books on the bus on the way to work and would read
at night, but not all women are able to do this. Employers need to
be supportive by providing training during work time."
Ibukun now has five children and says specialist technology
secondary schools would be a good way to encourage those who show
early promise in IT.