It wasn’t supposed to be a recruiting inducement. It simply turned out that way. SHE was an executive of a global organization who had been asked to speak to a group of mid-level women managers. Her talk had gone well. The audience was impressed by her presence and style. Her message was clear, professional, and substantial. It was evident that she had won her audience with her humor and wisdom. And then, as she was just about to leave the stage, she gave them one more nugget.
When the speaker gave her parting wisdom, she discussed the power of ERGs and BRGs without equivocation. She didn’t say her involvement with the ERGs/BRGs made her a better black leader – though she could have said that. Nor did she say her participation in the organization made her a better woman leader, although, that too was true. Rather, when she talked about being in her ERG/BRG, she spoke of the growth in her ability to confidently lead a global organization. A belief she didn’t have a scant few years before.
Originally created as “Affinity Groups,” in the late 1960s, as clusters of employees, often based around race or gender, came together to support each other through their journey in corporate America. Since then, the Affinity groups have evolved into ERGs and BRGs. These new organizations are typically made of single identity groups that range from gender, race, and ethnicity to those who identify as LGBTQ, Differently Abled, and Veterans. Indeed, groups for White males are also finding an organizational foothold. More than the gathering spots of earlier times, ERGs/BRGs have evolved into organizational entities that bring a diverse lens to organizational perspectives, processes, and opportunities. Because their viewpoints are influenced by their experiences, ERGs/BRGs often see different issues and/or opportunities that are typically different from the mainstream perspective.
This alternate view has allowed organizations to garner new business insights and opportunities they likely wouldn’t have noticed on their own.
Yet, in spite of the work ERGs/BRGs do to increase revenue, improve recruitment and retention, enhance organizational processes, and provide customer insights, there is increasing tension around whether such groups still have value or if they have become organizational anachronisms.
For example, last year, Deloitte chose to drop their ERGs/BRGs in favor of having the groups come together as inclusion councils. In this way, they hope to create a venue where people can talk across individual groups and hear and better understand the concerns and issues other than their own. Further, by bringing groups out of their solitary gatherings, Deloitte and other such organizations believe they are more likely to increase the number of allies to whom they have access.
The problem is not with Deloitte’s thinking, nor with the thinking of any of the other organizations which are choosing to go down a similar path. The problem is the “either/or” mentality that suggests organizations must choose between single identity groups or a multi-faceted group.
The truth is, there does not need to be a “this or that.” Research has shown that it is important for groups who don’t represent the mainstream to come together for safety and to gain clarity about who they are in context of the larger organization. ERGs and BRGs support this function of creating safety and meaning-making. Too often, those who are outside of such groups, may assume, prematurely, that the people within the groups feel safer or are more secure about how they are perceived in the organization than they truly are. Indeed, the cry that “difference is no longer an issue,” is one that has been proven incorrect on numerous occasions.
Further, individual ERGs and BRGs are likely to give more employees opportunities to practice and expand their leadership skills than one grand organization is likely to do.
The fact is the wisdom of coming together does not have to compete with the wisdom of being apart. Each has its merits. Further, ERGs and BRGs are not just about what groups and individuals can do for each other, but also for what the organization can do for them. As the speaker to the woman’s conference showed so clearly, ERGs and BRGs do more than give back to the organization through financial and cultural metrics. They build leaders.
GUEST BLOGGER: Ancella Livers, Ph.D. is the President of PRISM International, Inc.
