The document discusses creating inclusive environments in technology. It notes that the speaker, Meri Williams, comes from a diverse background as a woman, gay, foreign-born, disabled, and atheist individual who grew up in apartheid South Africa. Williams acknowledges her privilege from growing up white. The document advocates for moving beyond just tolerance or non-discrimination towards actively building inclusive environments where people feel respected, expected, and able to be successful and true to themselves. It provides tips for reducing fear, checking for implicit bias and systems that may disadvantage some groups, using role models, and making sure people feel someone like them can succeed.
4. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
I’m A Bit of a Diversity Statistic
Woman… (working in tech)
Gay…
Foreign…
Employed (this is a bad thing if you’re foreign…)
Disabled…
Atheist…
BUT grew up hugely aware of (unasked & undeserved)
privilege I had growing up white in Apartheid South Africa.
5. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
My childhood
was FULL of
signs like these
Horrible & horrific
but impossible
to escape
6. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
I CANNOT DENY THAT PRIVILEGE
In fact, the most useful thing I can do is assess,
understanding & acknowledge that privilege
7. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Check out the original article from Peggy McIntosh:
http://www.amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html
In Apartheid South Africa,
ALL systems were set up to
actively & blatantly give
advantage to white folks and
disadvantage non-whites.
We are less good at spotting
this when it isn’t so blatant.
8. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
“We have to aggressively, and uncompromisingly,
attack the pernicious lie that the technology
industry is a meritocracy. Perpetuating this myth
only serves to bolster the egos of those who have
succeeded already, at the expense of saying that
people who are underrepresented in tech today
aren’t present because they aren’t good”
– Anil Dash
11. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
BUT TOLERANCE IS A
TERRIBLE WORD
Would YOU want to be tolerated?
12. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
WOULDN’T A FULLY
INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT
BE BETTER?
PROTIP: Helps Everyone!
13. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Diversity is a Spectrum
Active hatred &
discrimination (*isms)
Micro
aggressions
Indifference
Active inclusion
Tolerance
14. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
“A micro-aggression is
telling young boys that
they are very smart,
and telling young girls
that they are very
pretty. ”
- Faruk Ates @kurafire
15. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
So How Do We Move Right Way?
1. STOP allowing underprivileged groups to be
pushed away
(actively/deliberately OR passively/unintentionally)
2. START building actively inclusive
environments
17. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
WE NEED TO STOP LEVELLING
PEOPLE OUT TO EQUAL
CONSISTENT MEDIOCRITY
AND INSTEAD
FOCUS ON GETTING THE MOST OUT
OF DIFFERENCE
26. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Craft Inclusive Environments
1. Am I EXPECTED here?
2. Am I RESPECTED here?
3. Can I BE MYSELF and BE SUCCESSFUL
here?
27. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
IT’S TEMPTING TO FOCUS
EXTERNALLY, BUT STRIVE TO GET
YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER FIRST
(AUDIT & UPDATE POLICIES,
TRAININGS, ETC)
29. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Check the Signals You Send
• Logistics matter – do all your events exclude
people in particular groups? (e.g. those with
caring responsibilities)
• People can’t judge your intent – only your
actions (you can harm without meaning to)
• Language matters (what default are you
assuming?)
30. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Reduce Fear
Increasing opportunities is worthy & important.
But reducing fear is equally so.
(tips: reduce impact of failure, risk of
humiliation, acknowledge risk IS DIFFERENT for
those in underprivileged groups)
31. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
EDUCATE YOURSELF & OTHERS
ABOUT PRIVILEGE & IMPLICIT BIAS
If you keep doing what you always did, you’ll keep
getting what you always got
33. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Privilege = Difficulty Setting of Game of Life
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/05/15/straight-white-male-the-lowest-difficulty-setting-there-is/
34. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Implicit Bias
Very interesting Harvard research into implicit
bias – we don’t realise it, are not ACTIVELY but
rather PASSIVELY discriminating
There is a site with tests you can do that reveal
your bias: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
36. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Check If Systems are Loaded
Companies that assess effectiveness / performance and then
AUTOMATE pay rises based on this tend to reduce the gender
pay gap.
One interpretation:
“Pitching for a pay rise” inherently favours men, who tend to be
more confident in their abilities and more comfortable talking up
their results.
Shy/humble guys suffer too.
37. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Johnny Clegg
They taught us to forget our past
And live the future in their image
…
They said
“Learn to speak a little bit of English,
Don’t be scared of a suit and tie.”
Learn to walk in the dreams of the foreigner.
I am a third world child.
38. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
MOST ADVICE READS AS
“BE MORE LIKE A STRAIGHT CIS
AMERICAN WHITE GUY”
Finding a way to be successful and still be yourself is
important
41. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
VALUE THE WHAT OVER THE HOW
Know when people need telling what to do
(Hint: it’s not often)
Help them get what they need the rest of the
time (Hint: not just someone else telling them what to do)
Learn, practise, use coaching skills
42. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Frame Guidance Altruistically
• Advice which focuses on how to “do better for
yourself” has a very limited appeal. (a la
“steal more pie”)
• Altruistic advice (a la “bake more pie”) appeals
to a much broader audience (including non-
individualistic cultures…)
44. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
As much as 40% better
Much energy is spent
if you have to hide
your private life, or
pretend to be
something you’re not
45. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Role Modeling Matters
• When a woman presents/represents at
recruitment events, more women apply
• When you present a monoculture, people
make assumptions you won’t like
46. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
“Did You Always Know You Wanted to
Be So Senior?”
Men leaders tend to say:
“Yes, I always knew I could do more.”
Women leaders tend to say:
“No, but my mentors believed in me, and I
trusted they were right.”
47. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
The Most Important Question
Best predictor of recruitment AND retention?
Someone’s ability to agree with:
“Someone like me can be
successful here”
48. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Practical Diversity
1) Assume fear. Understand risk. Then focus on reducing.
2) Advise people to bake more pie, not steal more pie.
3) Understand & educate about privilege & implicit bias.
4) Connect people with role models.
5) Grow more role models. Encourage them to be visible.
6) “Someone like me can be successful here?”
7) Tell people you believe in that they can.
8) Tell people you believe in that they are there because of their
skills. (no one likes being a diversity stat)
9) Find ways for ALL to be true to self AND successful.
10) Look at whether your processes/systems discriminate. Fix.
49. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Craft Inclusive Environments
1. Am I EXPECTED here?
2. Am I RESPECTED here?
3. Can I BE MYSELF and BE SUCCESSFUL
here?
50. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
GO!
SHAPE/MAKE SPACE
BE AWESOME
BE INCLUSIVE
And thank you for participating
Need help? meri@chromerose.co.uk