Recent Release | 31 Aug 2021
Diversity and inclusion in the US
Thought Leadership Team
Oxford Economics
Oxford Economics recently worked with the IBM Institute for Business Value to survey nearly 7,000 US-based professionals as part of a program on diversity and inclusion. The sample included more than 750 Black female professionals, 1,455 Asian-American professionals, and 700 individuals who self-identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Each group reported on-the-job obstacles that far exceed those of others surveyed.
Every organisation has its own priorities and needs, but the data suggest several key steps toward improving equity and inclusion, including:
- Start with trust.
Dialogue around different experiences and expectations – and the ceding of power and privilege – requires a culture of mutual support and openness.
- Foster visibility and authenticity.
Getting more members of underrepresented groups into visible leadership roles is critical to changing mindsets and expectations.
- Broaden the recruiting pool.
A thin talent pipeline must be a challenge, not an excuse. Carefully-built AI may avoid unconscious biases—both positive and negative.
About the team
Our Thought Leadership team produces original, evidence-based research made accessible to decision-makers and opinion leaders. Principals for this project included:
Tom Ehrbar
Senior Editor, Thought Leadership
Tom Ehrbar
Senior Editor, Thought Leadership
New York, United States
Tom Ehrbar sits at the centre of the editorial and production flow for all Thought Leadership studies, overseeing the firm’s primary research activities and managing the group’s extensive global editorial network of more than 500 researchers, writers, and analysts. Tom has worked on a range of research programmes, from global talent and diversity studies to surveys of financial advisors and wealthy investors to global country risk indicators.
Tom joined Oxford Economics in 2012 after two decades at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), where he managed a team of editors focused on cross-border trade and finance. While at the EIU he also contributed to client research papers on topics ranging from a review of labour trends in the Mozambique mining sector to the prospects for private equity in Latin America. He is the editor of Business International’s Guide to International Licensing (1992). Tom holds a BA in English from Kenyon College.
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