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Business and the culture wars
How to cut
through the cacophony over DEI
through the cacophony over DEI
Outrage on right
and left obscures both the costs of DEI and the benefits of diversity
and left obscures both the costs of DEI and the benefits of diversity
Jan 11th 2024 |
商業與文化戰爭
如何穿透關於多樣性、同等和包括性（DEI）的喧囂
對右翼和左翼的憤怒掩蓋了DEI的成本和多樣性的好處
2024年1月11日
WHAT, IF ANYTHING,
should firms do to improve the diversity of their workforce? After the murder
of George Floyd in 2020, many bosses felt compelled to act. Partly out of fear
of being called out for prejudice, corporate America rushed to embrace
diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) schemes. By 2022 three-quarters of the
S&P 500 had a chief diversity officer; more than two-fifths of listed firms
set targets to increase the racial diversity of their workforce. Now many think
the pendulum has swung too far.
should firms do to improve the diversity of their workforce? After the murder
of George Floyd in 2020, many bosses felt compelled to act. Partly out of fear
of being called out for prejudice, corporate America rushed to embrace
diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) schemes. By 2022 three-quarters of the
S&P 500 had a chief diversity officer; more than two-fifths of listed firms
set targets to increase the racial diversity of their workforce. Now many think
the pendulum has swung too far.
公司到底應該採取什麼措施來提升他們勞動隊伍的多樣性？喬治·弗洛伊德在2020年被謀殺後，許多老闆感到有必要採取行動。部分出於害怕被貼上偏見的標籤，美國企業急忙採納多樣性、公平和包容（DEI）計劃。到了2022年，四分之三的標普500公司設立了首席多樣性官職位；超過五分之二的上市公司設定了提高工作隊伍種族多樣性的目標。現在，許多人認為這一趨勢已經過頭了。
The resignation of
Claudine Gay, a black woman, as president of Harvard University has ignited a
broader debate about merit and identity. Bill Ackman and Elon Musk, two
billionaires, have excoriated DEI for itself being discriminatory. After the
Supreme Court’s landmark decision to end affirmative action in university
admissions last summer, many activists and politicians increasingly have
corporate DEI schemes in their sights.
Claudine Gay, a black woman, as president of Harvard University has ignited a
broader debate about merit and identity. Bill Ackman and Elon Musk, two
billionaires, have excoriated DEI for itself being discriminatory. After the
Supreme Court’s landmark decision to end affirmative action in university
admissions last summer, many activists and politicians increasingly have
corporate DEI schemes in their sights.
哈佛大學校長克勞迪恩·蓋伊是一名黑人女性，她的辭職引發了關於功績和身份的更廣泛爭論。億萬富翁比爾·阿克曼和埃隆·馬斯克猛烈抨擊DEI本身就是種歧視。在最高法院去年夏天結束大學招生中肯定性行動（affirmative action）的里程碑式決定之後，越來越多的活動人士和政治家將企業DEI計劃視為他們攻擊的目標。
As America’s
culture wars rage on, bosses are being caught in the middle. Progressives argue
that DEI enables companies to do their bit to tackle America’s entrenched
inequalities. Conservatives see it as an attack on meritocracy. One side
ignores the costs of many DEI schemes, the other ignores the real benefits of
diversity. How should businesses cut through the noise?
culture wars rage on, bosses are being caught in the middle. Progressives argue
that DEI enables companies to do their bit to tackle America’s entrenched
inequalities. Conservatives see it as an attack on meritocracy. One side
ignores the costs of many DEI schemes, the other ignores the real benefits of
diversity. How should businesses cut through the noise?
隨著美國的文化戰爭持續激烈，老闆們被夾在中間。進步派認為DEI使公司能在解決美國根深蒂固的不平等問題上做出貢獻。保守派則視其為對精英制度的攻擊。一方無視許多DEI計劃的成本，而另一方則忽略了多樣性的真正好處。企業應如何在這種喧囂中保持清晰？
The critics are
right that the thinking on DEI is muddy, and that many DEI initiatives are
ineffective, even harmful. In 2015 McKinsey, a consultancy, identified a
positive correlation between the gender and ethnic diversity of the workforce
and firms’ profitability. Although academics have since criticised its
methodology, the findings were breathlessly cited by bosses and corporate
advisers, and the link was treated as causal and cast-iron. For example, from
2023 Nasdaq required firms listed on its stock exchange to have at least one
board member who was not a straight white man—or explain why they do not. It
was left to Jesse Fried, a professor at Harvard Law School, to point out that
Nasdaq was ignoring scholarship which finds that board diversity can have a
negative impact on performance.
right that the thinking on DEI is muddy, and that many DEI initiatives are
ineffective, even harmful. In 2015 McKinsey, a consultancy, identified a
positive correlation between the gender and ethnic diversity of the workforce
and firms’ profitability. Although academics have since criticised its
methodology, the findings were breathlessly cited by bosses and corporate
advisers, and the link was treated as causal and cast-iron. For example, from
2023 Nasdaq required firms listed on its stock exchange to have at least one
board member who was not a straight white man—or explain why they do not. It
was left to Jesse Fried, a professor at Harvard Law School, to point out that
Nasdaq was ignoring scholarship which finds that board diversity can have a
negative impact on performance.
批評者認為，對於DEI的思考是模糊的，許多DEI計劃是無效甚至有害的。諮詢公司麥肯錫在2015年發現員工性別和種族多樣性與公司盈利性之間存在正相關性。儘管學術界後來批評了它的方法論，但這一結果被老闆和企業顧問們熱情引用，並被視為因果關係和確鑿無疑。例如，從2023年起，納斯達克要求在其股票交易所上市的公司至少要有一名非直男白人的董事會成員，否則就要解釋為什麼沒有。哈佛法學院教授傑西·弗裡德指出，納斯達克忽略了研究發現，董事會的多樣性可能會對業績產生負面影響。
Diversity schemes
often fail. Sometimes this betrays bad faith: firms with a discrepancy between
their words and actions are often accused of “diversity washing”. Some schemes
are well-meant but ineffective. Research by Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev
showed that diversity training programmes fail to reduce bias. In the worst
instances, DEI initiatives backfire. Targets can be seen as quotas, which
undermine the principle of fair competition and cast a shadow over minorities
who do well under them. Other research shows that adding equal-employment
statements to job advertisements can put minority candidates off applying. No
wonder support for votes on social issues at annual general meetings is
draining away.
often fail. Sometimes this betrays bad faith: firms with a discrepancy between
their words and actions are often accused of “diversity washing”. Some schemes
are well-meant but ineffective. Research by Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev
showed that diversity training programmes fail to reduce bias. In the worst
instances, DEI initiatives backfire. Targets can be seen as quotas, which
undermine the principle of fair competition and cast a shadow over minorities
who do well under them. Other research shows that adding equal-employment
statements to job advertisements can put minority candidates off applying. No
wonder support for votes on social issues at annual general meetings is
draining away.
多樣性計劃經常失敗。有時這暴露了不誠信：在言行不一致的公司常常被指責進行“多樣性洗白”。有些計劃出發點是好的，但卻無效。弗蘭克·多賓和亞歷山德拉·卡萊夫的研究表明，多樣性培訓專案未能減少偏見。在最糟糕的情況下，DEI舉措會適得其反。目標被視為配額，這破壞了公平競爭的原則，並對在這些計劃下表現出色的少數族裔投下陰影。其他研究顯示，在招聘廣告中新增平等就業宣告可能會讓少數族裔候選人卻步。難怪在年度股東大會上對社會問題的投票支援正在流失。
The case for
diversity does not need dressing up in pseudoscience. The simple reason for
businesses and their shareholders to care about recruiting people from a broad
range of backgrounds is that they want the most able people. Mr Musk and Mr
Ackman are both successful businessmen: they too want to assemble the best
possible teams.
diversity does not need dressing up in pseudoscience. The simple reason for
businesses and their shareholders to care about recruiting people from a broad
range of backgrounds is that they want the most able people. Mr Musk and Mr
Ackman are both successful businessmen: they too want to assemble the best
possible teams.
多樣性的論點不需要用偽科學來包裝。企業及其股東關心吸引來自廣泛背景的人才的簡單原因是，他們想要最有能力的人。馬斯克先生和阿克曼先生都是成功的商人：他們也想組建最好的團隊。
Opus DEI
Diversity should
be a spur to looking far and wide for talent, no matter someone’s gender, race
or sexual orientation. A firm convinced that it is overlooking the best
candidates from a particular demographic cohort, for example, could choose to
lengthen its shortlists to include more from that group. That will not
mechanically create workforces that mirror the population, but it can maximise
talent and diversity of thought. Quotas, by contrast, have the perverse effect
of narrowing the search by excluding talent. As with so many areas touched by
the culture wars, the row over DEI has become muddle-headed. The clear, simple
argument for diversity is being drowned out.
be a spur to looking far and wide for talent, no matter someone’s gender, race
or sexual orientation. A firm convinced that it is overlooking the best
candidates from a particular demographic cohort, for example, could choose to
lengthen its shortlists to include more from that group. That will not
mechanically create workforces that mirror the population, but it can maximise
talent and diversity of thought. Quotas, by contrast, have the perverse effect
of narrowing the search by excluding talent. As with so many areas touched by
the culture wars, the row over DEI has become muddle-headed. The clear, simple
argument for diversity is being drowned out.
多樣性應成為廣泛尋找人才的一個刺激因素，無論個人的性別、種族或性取向如何。例如，一個確信自己忽視了來自特定人口群體中最佳候選人的公司，可以選擇延長其候選人短名單，以包含更多來自該群體的人。這不會機械地創造出反映人口結構的勞動力隊伍，但它可以最大限度地發掘人才和思維多樣性。相比之下，配額有著扭曲的效果，透過排除人才來縮小搜尋範圍。就像許多被文化戰爭觸及的領域一樣，關於DEI的爭論變得混亂。多樣性明確、簡單的論點被淹沒了。
