Hiring a Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) Won't Fix Your Racist Company Culture

Catapult.com January 29, 2020: Many organizations hire a diversity leaders in an attempt to close the space between stated good intentions and reality. These leaders hold different titles: Chief Diversity Officer, Chief Equity Officer, Dean or Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion. The trouble is that, after hiring them, the company doesn't actually want them to do their job. Lack of diversity has an enormous impact on organizational culture, and also affects how initiatives CDO's are hired for—including those intended to serve people of color—are designed and implemented (or not). Inclusive Viewpoint: There is a saying that 'culture will eat strategy for lunch'. No matter how gifted and experienced a CDO, organizational culture can negate whatever they attempt to bring to the table. Leadership must daily model, visibly support and adequately resource CDO strategy to help slowly change culture and truly advance diversity and inclusion work.