Whilst InfoQ has long covered diversity we have decided to give the topic greater prominence on the site with a new section on diversity within the Culture and Methods area. We, the editors, are looking at different ways that companies and others are promoting diversity within organizations. We'll start this off with a couple of news items around organizations that are encouraging girls and young women to explore STEM skills.
The data is clear: diversity improves financial success. Women and minorities on boards and in the C-suite are positively correlated to financial success across industries. Diverse teams outperform their more uniform counterparts.
While the initial focus will be on gender diversity within IT, there will certainly be additional information about other population groups that are not well-represented in the industry - racial, ethnic, age, and neurodiversity affect our organizations as well. And, as recent news from Google shows, diversity of thought is also important (while nevertheless showing respect to others). We will not weigh in on the chain of events leading up to Mr. Damore being fired by Google in this article, as we can't pretend to understand all the information that he, his manager, and any HR representative may have used to come to that decision. That said, the topic was discussed on our recent culture podcast with Jez Humble.
How an organization addresses diversity is certainly an element of organizational culture. Susan McIntosh and Manny Segarra are currently writing an article about culture. They use a farming analogy to describe culture. And diversity is like some of the practices farmers have used for centuries. Companion planting matches multiple crops together, as they can support each other. In several Native American farming traditions, this is exemplified with "three sisters" planting: maize stalks provide a pole for beans to climb, beans enrich the soil with nitrogen, and the leaves of the squash plants provide protection from weed growth and helps keep the soil moist. A diverse culture can act in a similar fashion, where the varied knowledge, skills, and experiences within a group can foster a more creative and productive environment.
We at InfoQ seek to provide an environment rich with information, and welcome your feedback and suggestions. As we know that this topic can be unsettling and downright frustrating for many, we will do all that we can to be respectful in our writing, and we encourage our readers to use respect as well.