Andrew Mayo carefully approaches the issue of why he is tired of today’s obsession with the ‘diversity agenda’, explaining that diversity is about the celebration of difference, not statistics.

I am going to take a big risk in this article. I am going to come out into the open. I know I am not supposed to say this, but I am going to do so. I am sick and tired of today’s obsession with the so-called ‘diversity agenda’, and particularly as it is promoted by public sector organisations.

I had better say immediately, before I am reported to the Commission for Racial Equality, that I hope anyone who knows me would testify to my love of, and encouragement of, the true diversity of individuals of every kind. I have been fortunate to have travelled in nearly 80 countries; have taught students of many origins here in our own society and abroad. I spent nearly six months in total with the Islamic Development Bank in Saudi Arabia which encompasses every one of the 57 countries in the muslim ummah. In fact I love diversity – which is probably why I am so happy as a ‘portfolio’ manager (in Charles Handy’s terms) – wearing many hats in many places.

My particular work and research passion is understanding and promoting ‘human capital management’. For me this is the recognition of the true asset value of individuals at whatever level. ‘Talent’ is surely not confined to the top and to the ‘hipo’s’. It encompasses all those people who possess (rather than ‘are’) value creating assets. It’s not just the ‘whizzkids’ – it includes people like the receptionist who shows the face of a ‘this–is-a-great-place-to-work’ organisation; the call centre operator who makes me think my problem has been courteously and effectively solved and that his or her company is a great one to do business with; the bus driver who waits for me when I am running frantically; the council employee who has the patience to listen to me as a taxpayer.

All of these jobs might be filled by 100 different ethnic groups in Britain today – but, I suggest, it’s not their classification that matters, it’s what they do.

Celebrate the difference

Diversity is about difference, and difference is to be celebrated because it give a variety of views and approaches which enriches the options and choices we have. We do have to combat tribalism, which is a part of human nature, to ensure that one group does not dominate unfairly – I have no quarrel at all with that.

Indeed it is a fascinating study to look at the great worldwide organisations that claim to be ‘global’ and see how the top management team reflects their geographical footprint. The majority have a completely dominant homebase percentage.

I once asked a member of the Pirelli board (who I met at a networking event) why every board member was Italian. “It’s practical,” he said. “We can all speak Italian and we understand each other – in the end it makes for faster decisions which we can generally all agree with.”

So by now you may be asking why I am so against the popular ‘diversity agenda’? Firstly it seems to think statistics will solve everything. There are clearly some frontline public services where they need to understand and empathise with the community they serve. But the US and the UK (not, I am pleased to say, many other places) are obsessed with statistics and ‘community reflective agendas’.

I know one government agency where the entire content of ‘HR metrics’ is pages and pages of numbers in a quarterly report on minority representation against targets around the country.

Equal opportunities

Surely what the public needs is effective organisations which deliver the best service, and yes, we do expect them to operate internally with absolutely total equality of opportunity.

Would those global organisations be better if they had a distribution in their boardrooms that reflected their global coverage? There are a number of reasons why we might say yes, they would. But would that be the case if they forced this to happen artificially? No it would not. Every member must be there on merit, for their own benefit and that of the team.

The second area of my concern is the ‘gesture politics’ surrounding this subject. Firstly there is the universal ‘diversity training’, which starts from the assumption that we all need to be helped to understand and value others since we are all naturally prejudiced.

Personally, I would take that assumed need as an insult to my integrity. Then there are the box-ticking exercises. In a recent public tender for training, four of the 11 criteria for evaluation were about diversity. Furthermore, they wished the mix of trainers to mirror their own workforce – which was 44% BME. Not only is that impossible for a small company, but one has to ask what has that to do with delivering excellent training?

I wish the amount of effort and expense that is put into the diversity agenda was matched by an appreciation of each individuals’ worth and potential, and their amazing diversity of talent recognised and utilised. Many public sector opinion surveys (and there are good exceptions) reflect a poor view of leadership, of valuing me as an individual, or of progression opportunities.

My skin and religion and gender are not the issue. What I am as a person is what matters. The truly great Martin Luther King, in one of the most famous speeches of the 20th century, said: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Amen, Martin, may your dream yet come true.

Andrew Mayo is president of the HR Society. He is also a director of Mayo Learning International, and one area of their specialism is in building ‘competency organisers’ for all kinds of organisations. Andrew can be contacted at andrew.mayo@mayolearning.com

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“I wanna be strategic…”

“How competency frameworks have lost the plot”

“Prove we are valued….please”