6 easy steps your board can take to become more diverse

Please be aware that this article was written way before COVID-19 and we’ve tried to keep this evergreen. That is, content that lives beyond our current climate of uncertainty and undoubted challenge.

Board diversity is, very simply, smart business. There’s a multitude of reasons why a diverse board is better for the CEO and the organisation as a whole. While appointing a board consisting of malleable members that are both easy to manage and compliant may be tempting to a CEO, a board’s purpose is to govern, not comply. An effective board is one that listens, contributes and when the occasion calls for it, challenges. A diverse board can offer a breadth of experience, perspective and insight that a more homogenous board simply may not be able to. In an ideal world, the concept of diversity would not refer to varying demographics of age, ethnic and gender diversity; rather it would encompass a valuable breadth of skills, competencies, ways of thinking and life experience.

Creating a diverse board may seem like a lofty goal or a daunting task for many organisations. Often the practices in place that determine how each board member is appointed and succeeded are so ingrained, it may often seem impossible to challenge the status quo and those fundamentals. However, there are a number of realistic steps that an organisation may take towards creating a diverse board, which would, at the very least, set them on the right path.

Step One: Declare and demonstrate your commitment

Ensure that the entire board and the organisation under its governance are aware of and supportive of the quest for inclusiveness and diversity. Prepare for the difficult conversations and the disruption of the status quo. Be sure to outline the benefits and challenges of the goal you’ve set, and encourage any naysayers to really see the inherent value of diversity in boardrooms.

Step Two: Do it for the right reasons

Take measures to ensure that new, diverse appointments to the board are not tokenistic. Appointing members that simply fit a profile or fill a quota will undermine the legitimacy of the board itself.

Step Three: Articulate your commitment

Set your commitment to diversity in stone by reiterating it at meetings, and by including it in reviews/annual reports. Tracking progress through certain measures of inclusiveness may also be of utility.

Step Four: Examine your processes

Investigate the processes your board currently has in place. This may include discussing considerations such as whether the current meeting structure allows all members to contribute equally? Are people from non-English speaking backgrounds catered for? Does your organisational space have disability access?

Step Five: Conduct a search

Diversify your existing recruitment strategy. Working towards improved workplace diversity is not difficult or complicated – it’s about having firm HR practices. These practices need to put aspects of diversity at the forefront of all their decisions when it comes to new hires. 

Step Six: Ease new members into the role

Newly appointed members may come from marginalised groups that have limited board experience. Your organisation may introduce induction processes and mentoring programs that would ensure new members will have access to advice and support. This will make their transition into a board role much more seamless, which in turn would allow them to find both their feet and their voice in the boardroom.