What White men really think about workplace diversity

A new national study from the Center for Talent Innovation (CTI) has revealed what White men really think about workplace diversity and inclusion (D&I). With social movements such as #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo shedding light on systemic injustices in society and at work, it might be easy to assume that the men who benefit most from existing systems – predominantly white men – would stand in opposition to change. However, contrary to popular belief, the majority of White men do value D&I, according to CTI’s research.

In fact, CTI’s survey of US college-educated professional men reveals that only a small fraction of “majority men” think workplace D&I efforts hold no importance. In contrast, 90% place some value on D&I, including 42% who believe it is “very” or “extremely important” to them at work. The report, What Majority Men Really Think About Diversity and Inclusion (And How to Engage Them in It), reveals male attitudes towards D&I, majority male professional experiences and how organisations can engage them to create better workplaces for all. 

“White cis straight men hold the majority of power in corporate America and in our society. If we want equitable workplaces, we need them to be involved and engaged in action,” according to CTI President Lanaya Irvin. “This report gives us a roadmap on how to do it, and it comes at a critical moment when customers and employees are demanding an end to systemic racism and inclusive workplaces for all.”

THREE MALE ARCHETYPES

The study of 3,711 college-educated professionals, interviews and focus groups, explores the attitudes of majority men towards D&I. Majority men are defined as white straight cis-gender (cis) men (95% of the group) and nonwhite straight cis men (5% of the group) who are in the majority race/ethnicity of most people around them at work. Based on respondents’ answers to the question “How important is D&I to you at work?” majority men were categorised into three archetypes: Detractors, Persuadables and True Believers. Detractors (10% of the men interviewed) were those who said D&I was not at all important. Persuadables (48%) said D&I is “not very” or “somewhat” important. True Believers (42%) said D&I is very or extremely important and were the most likely of the three groups to report being involved in D&I efforts. 

“For years, D&I researchers have been examining every cohort of professional employees – except those who hold the most power,” stated Julia Taylor Kennedy, CTI’s Executive Vice President and primary researcher for this study. “If corporate D&I professionals want to have more impact, they should take a page from grassroots organisers by minimising attention to the small percentage of men who are harsh critics, and instead nurture their base of support and the men who are persuadable. To do so, employers also need to reward and promote leaders who can build diverse, inclusive teams – showing this work is core to success at their organisations.”

BELONGING AT WORK

The research finds that there are benefits to supporting D&I. True Believers tend to score higher on “belonging” at work compared to other majority men, which correlates with positive career outcomes such as engagement, loyalty and willingness to recommend their companies as a good place to work. Detractors, on the other hand, tend to score lower on “belonging” at work than True Believers, which is associated with higher likelihood of career stall. 

Being a True Believer doesn’t necessarily mean being active partner in D&I, however. The report points out that many of them could do a lot more to advance D&I at work. For example, fewer than half of True Believers have ever confronted behaviour demeaning to women, people of colour, or LGBTQ+ individuals. Most have never voluntarily attended an ERG meeting for employees with a different background than their own, or asked a colleague questions about an identity that is different from their own.

“It’s great that True Believers think D&I is important, but by and large, majority men haven’t gotten involved in D&I efforts in corporate America,” says Pooja Jain-Link, CTI’s Executive Vice President and secondary researcher for this study. “In interview after interview, we heard from majority men that they are eager to support D&I, but they don’t know how. We need to seize this historic moment and give them the tools and education they need to build their ability and confidence to convert goodwill into action.”  

ROADMAP FOR NEXT STEPS

The report also offers a roadmap and ‘next steps’ for activating majority men. They include: 

• Making D&I a key component of each employee’s work responsibilities. 
• Tying compensation conversations, including bonuses, to diverse hiring, retention and promotion. 
• Building competence and confidence through education and leadership. 
• Offer training for all majority men, including True Believers, on speaking up against bias in the moment, including against other majority men. 
• Creating a workplace culture of “belonging” that includes majority men in D&I.

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