PROBLEM-SOLVING APPLICATION CASE

White, Male, and Asian: The Diversity Profile of Technology Companies

Managing diversity is a hot topic among technology companies, some of which have started to display transparency by publishing their diversity profiles.

Googles diversity report reveals its workforce is 69.1 percent male and 30.9 percent female. Ethnicity data for Googles U.S. workforce indicates 53.1 percent white, 36.3 percent Asian, 4.2 percent of two or more races, 3.6 percent Latinx, and 2.5 percent black.113 This pattern is similar to Apple (32 percent female and 54 percent white, and U.S. ethnicity data showing 21 percent Asian, 13 percent Hispanic, 9 percent black, 3 percent of two or more races, and 1 percent other)114 and Facebook (36 percent female, and U.S. ethnicity data of 46.6 percent white, 41.4 percent Asian, 4.9 percent Hispanic, and 3.5 percent black).115

Executives within the technology industry have started to implement a variety of programs and policies to change the demographic profiles of their companies. For example, Pinterest established a 2018 goal to have 25 percent of new hires in engineering roles be female and 8 percent from underrepresented ethnic groups.116 Intel established a hiring goal of full representation of underrepresented minorities and women in its U.S. workforce by 2020.117

Is setting diversity hiring goals fair? While companies that set them note the hiring goals are not meant to be quotas, some managers may perceive them that way. This would likely create feelings of reverse discrimination, fueling resistance to hiring diverse employees.

What has led to the skewed demographics at technology companies? Some experts believe the root cause goes back to patterns and norms in elementary and high school, where girls are not encouraged to focus on the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math). If this is true, female high-school students are not developing the proficiency that would help them major in STEM subjects in college. Further, a writer for Forbes concluded that an unconscious bias exists that science and math are typically male fields while humanities are primarily female fields, and these stereotypes further inhibit girls likelihood of cultivating an interest in math and science.118

A related issue is the information gap. High-school students simply do not know which jobs are in high demand. For example, research shows that 24 percent of high-school seniors have no idea of what career they want to pursue. Of high school seniors who have pinpointed a desired profession, 23 percent said they made their career choice based on something they saw on TV or in a movie.119 This is a problem because TV shows often depict technology-oriented people as geeky males. Who wants to be a geek?

Others claim the tech industry has a pipeline problem. In other words, not enough females and minorities are majoring in STEM subjects in college. Statistics conflict on this subject. Some data indicate that females earn fewer than 20 percent of college degrees in computer science and engineering, even though they achieve the majority of bachelors degrees in the United States.120 In contrast, other studies suggest there is not a pipeline issue. According to EdSource writer Carolyn Jones, about half of the students in high-school science and math courses are female.121 Data from the National Science Foundation indicate that women earn approximately 50 percent of science and engineering bachelors degrees.122 A USA Today study further showed that top universities graduate black and Hispanic computer science and computer engineering students at twice the rate that leading technology companies hire them.123 There must be some reason these students are not being hired.

If the above data are accurate, then it is possible that companies have a systemic problem based on hiring managers beliefs, stereotypes, or unconscious biases. This occurred at Pinterest, for example, when it tried to increase the number of women and minorities being hired. Although recruiters found qualified applicants from nontraditional backgrounds, managers often continued to prioritize people from places like Stanford and MIT, which have less broad student bodies. And while Adam Ward, Pinterests head of recruiting, and Abby Maldonado, its diversity-programs specialist, had encouraged colleagues to pass along rsums from a range of candidates, most of the referrals were still white or Asian, according to Fast Company.124 Pinterest founder Evan Sharp believes technology companies may not be giving diversity the same type of attention they give to product development initiatives.

There may also be more overt causes of the underrepresentation of female and minority tech employees. Consider results from a survey of 1,000 women who had held technology positions. These women explained why they believe females leave the tech field at a rate 45 percent higher than males. A perceived lack Page 158of career growth/trajectory was the most common factor in females decisions to leave tech. Further, almost 50 percent of the women interviewed believed they had been paid less than their male counterparts. Other top reasons, particularly among women in tech aged 2534, were difficulties breaking into management and leadership roles, perceived bias and discrimination, and a lack of female leadership representation in the company.125

Could something as subtle as gender-based communication contribute to the problem? The answer is yes, according to a recent report presented in Fortune. A study of 1,100 technology resumes from 512 men and 588 women uncovered gender-related differences that may affect a recruiters perceptions. For example, womens rsums are longer, but shorter on details. . . . Yet when it comes to providing details about previous jobs, the men present far more specific content than the women do, according to the Fortune report. Women were also found to lead with their credentials and include more personal background. On average, the womens rsums cite seven personal distinctions apiece, while the mens cite four. Overall, women tend to use more narrative while men are more precise about their experiences.126

Assume you are a senior leader at a technology company. What does the information in this case tell you about managing diversity?

QUESTION

STEP 3: Make recommendations for solving the problem. Consider whether you want to resolve it, solve it, or dissolve it Which recommendation is desirable and feasible?

what are your best recommendations? provide insights about how other individuals or companies are handling the topic at hand. Create an action plan for implementing your recommendation.