There appears to be some progress in increasing the roles of women and minorities in corporate management, and technology is assisting in this effort. Techniques like as data analytics and internal talent marketplaces may aid in the advancement of more individuals into leadership positions. And, undoubtedly, artificial intelligence will assist. But, technology is only a tool; present management must completely support such endeavours.
According to Chandra Robinson, director in Gartner’s HR practise, nearly half (49%) of organisations saw at least a one to 10% increase in the percentage of women in senior leadership over the past year, with 43% citing a similar rate of change for racially and ethnically underrepresented talent segments.
The broader influence of technology on flattening companies — from rigid hierarchies to networks of people — also allows people to thrive and advance to positions of leadership. “By introducing automation and reducing manual processes, organizations can move away from traditional hierarchical structures,” says Linda Shaffer, chief people and operations officer at Checkr. “This allows for faster decision-making and shorter lines of communication, making it easier for employees to collaborate and share ideas.”
Data analytics is a strong tool for increasing the number of underrepresented persons in leadership positions. “Diversity analytics capabilities help companies better understand their demographics and representation, as well as deeper intersectionality factors such as differing employee experiences,” says Robinson.
Historically, diversity proponents have “struggled to identify tools that could provide data and insights into what’s actually going on within their companies when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion,” says Jyl Feliciano, global head and VP of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at Highspot. “Now, with technology such as platforms to collect and analyze employee feedback, and predictive analytics to help us proactively be aware of hiring trends, we have insights into the actual data on who our leaders are, where they come from, and identify if there are any areas where we can continue to improve diversifying the talent we have in leadership positions.”
Artificial intelligence is also playing a growing role in fostering managerial diversity. “Companies can positively reshape employee experiences by using AI, to detect, mitigate and prevent biases across talent sourcing and selection activities, particularly hiring managers who are integral to key decision points,” says Robinson.
“AI-driven algorithms can be used to detect unconscious biases in recruitment,” Shaffer agrees. “This helps ensure everyone has equal chances of being hired, eliminating any discrimination or biases in the process. Data and analytics can also be used to monitor diversity in management roles and help companies identify areas of improvement. This can allow them to build better processes that ensure greater opportunities for diverse talent. “
It is critical to develop future CEOs from within, and this is another area where technology may help women and minorities advance. “the internal talent marketplace,” Robinson explains. The marketplace “is a newer technology solution transforming the employer-employee relationship,” she explains.
“Traditional human capital management suites that require HR practitioners, managers, and employees to enter data manually, where job levels are used to describe each worker’s level of responsibility, competencies, and compensation,” she says. “This approach is limiting for an employee as it does not factor in the full breadth of an employee’s skills to adequately plan for today and tomorrow.”
Internal talent marketplaces, she says, “are more adaptive, resilient, and agile, enabling organisations to harness the power of AI to align employees with opportunities that closely align with their interests, availability, and developmental aspirations while considering other optimization criteria. ” This is particularly important for underrepresented talent segments who often miss opportunities for high-visibility projects and other development opportunities.”
Leveraging approaches such as a talent marketplaces “empowers both the employee and employer to gain greater access to richer and multidimensional talent profiles,” Robinson states. “This creates a real opportunity for employers to unlock the full potential of their workforce’s skills while also empowering employees to acquire new skills and then demonstrate what they’ve learned.”
Technology may help employees plan their careers as they advance up the management ladder.
“When employees can visualize what they’ll need to do or learn to be successful, it removes a previously existing barrier to upward mobility in their field,” says Shaffer. “Technology can be a helpful aid in mapping towards these goals and visualizing your career journey from the first day at your company.”
Of course, organisational challenges and financial constraints tend to reduce chances for deploying useful technologies such as internal markets – according to the Gartner poll, just 10% of executives consider such technologies to be a priority at this moment. Business executives must step up and drive these efforts ahead, and data analytics may be a valuable tool in this regard.
“Organizations must proactively uproot and mitigate bias and inequity in structures, systems, and processes and purposefully advocate for needed change,” says Robinson. “Part of this transformational change involves organizations understanding the as-is state, which means getting comfortable with key data points by using diversity analytics. As organizations get comfortable with key data points, they must then strategize to identify potential solutions, competencies, and resources needed to support and sustain a cultural shift that defies the status quo and positions people for success to gain access for senior leadership roles.”
Transparency is key, Feliciano adds. “Leaders should strive to create a workplace norm and culture of discussing representation data and progress against goals. Diversity is a company-wide effort, and having open and real conversations about hard numbers helps to drive accountability for leaders across functions, not just for HR and DEI leaders. A communal understanding of the role we all play in DEI provides a foundation to move the needle together.”
The Information shared here was researched at published by Joe McKendrick for Forbes.
