Engaging White Males in Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

When I speak to diverse groups about their diversity and inclusion initiatives, I always ask the question, “What are you doing to engage white males in your diversity process?” More often than not, I get blank stares back. Sometimes, I get defensive statements like “We are the one’s that need the help. They already have everything. Why should we engage them?”

The answer is quite simple, in most organizations across the country, white men make up the majority of senior leadership, director and manager positions. They are the crucial decision-makers whose buy-in is crucial and necessary for substantive and sustainable D&I progress. Unless white males are invited to play a role—a leadership role—in improving diversity in the workplace, changes will not come.

Often, diversity leaders and ERG and Council leaders make the mistake of thinking that if their white male leadership simply voices support for their companies’ diversity and inclusion programs, that will suffice to demonstrate their commitment to these initiatives. What instead is needed for any inclusion program to be successful is the full commitment and involvement of white leaders, and this is where many organizations come up short.

While white, male leaders may say they understand the need for diversity and inclusion and that they support the corporate initiative, in reality, this key demographic group often feels excluded from the programs. A study by Greatheart Labs and Georgetown University in 2013 found that exclusion was the top challenge white male executives face when trying to incorporate diversity and inclusion into their leadership efforts. According to the study, nearly 70 percent of white male respondents agreed with the statement “It is still not clear diversity initiatives are meant to include white men.”

What can an ERG or Diversity Council do to start to bring white men into their initiatives and engage them in diversity and inclusion? We first need to acknowledge that white males must play a leadership role in diversity initiatives. Their positions, their influence, and their numbers in your organization make them critical to success. If they are not involved, engaged, and out in front, the initiative cannot succeed.

Secondly, we must also acknowledge that while top management support is essential, in most organization, middle managers and immediate supervisors have a more direct impact on the day-to-day experience of the people they manage than the leaders at the top. Every supervisor has to be a part of the inclusion effort in order to create a culture that is hospitable and welcoming to a diverse workforce. Engage leaders at the middle manager level and make it relevant to them, not just your group. Show them how D&I will improve their lives and make their job easier.

A diversity initiative must be inclusive to be credible. Defining diversity in a way that excludes the concerns of any group, or focuses only on some, undermines what should be the goal of every diversity initiative—to help every person in an organization feel comfortable and to realize his or her potential. A culture that values diversity will benefit everyone in an organization.

Finally, progress comes one person at a time. As important as metrics are, they should never distract from an organization’s focus on the individual. Sustained progress in diversity ultimately requires that each person in the organization be supported and given the opportunity to succeed. Take the time to reach out, invite, educate and engage your white, male leaders. Make them feel not only welcomed, but that they have a role to contribute in the success of your group. The one-person-at-a-time approach may be painstaking and slow, but it will drive lasting success and create a more inclusive and collaborative environment for all.

7 Ways to Engage White Men:

1. Talk about inclusiveness, not just diversity.
2. Reach out to middle level managers and help them build relationships across differences.
3. Welcome them to your groups and provide incentives for them to join.
4. Identify influential white male leaders to help champion your efforts and include them on your ERG and Council committees and encourage them to lead or co-chair one.
5. Educate them about the business imperative.
6. Help them become aware of bias and hidden inequities.
7. Assign them a list of tasks to complete so that they can contribute to your goals, feel part of the solution, and celebrate your achievements.