The Orange Blog

“Women don’t want to be programmers” and other famous myths that serve as common excuses for not setting and measuring specific diversity goals. There are plenty of myths circling around about why there aren’t more women and people of color in leadership and other male-dominated roles. These excuses may even seem plausible – “That makes sense” – because they confirm common stereotypes about gendered roles and leadership traits.  Remember Barbie’s famous 1992 quip, “Math class is tough!” -now a generation of men and [...]

In today’s discourse, some organizations have shifted the focus from gender equity towards a broader view of diversity and inclusion. Corporations are waking up to the call to acknowledge the intersectional identities that people bring to work each day, including race, gender, and sexual orientation. And fortunately, these efforts are complimentary.  At Orange Grove Consulting, we have expanded our training programs to incorporate all kinds of diverse individuals.   When we first developed our training and development programs, our work focused on the largest [...]

By Daffany Chan, featuring Neli Fanning More than ever, corporations across the country are waking up to the call to tackle systemic racism and ensure that their workforces are more diverse and inclusive. But what does a corporate anti-racist strategy actually look like? There’s no one-size-fits all approach, but one thing’s for sure: Anti-racism needs to be an intentional focus. With more demand for equitable communities as well as bottom-line-business benefits at stake, now’s the time to take action to address  corporate racism. [...]

Plenty of organizations want to create an equitable workplace, and yet only 18% of women say their companies have done something.   (Interestingly, 51% of men think their companies have made a difference).  CEOs often make the mistake of claiming they’ll “prioritize inclusivity” and thinking demanding it is enough to solve the problem. The reality is that lasting organizational impact begins with shifting mindsets. In our new book, The Next Smart Step, we outline the process for making lasting organizational change for women [...]

As the country deals with the impact of COVID-19 and social unrest over racial injustice, employers have vowed to improve diversity within their organizations. Though equity may be at the forefront for implementing change, there are many other reasons why organizations should prioritize diversity. Diversity and inclusion is good for business and implementing a training program can help organizations be more profitable, attract and retain talent, and drive innovation. Inclusive training programs are often mischaracterized as racist and divisive – and it’s [...]

A lack of diverse teams unequivocally hurts business innovation -- yet many firms are still using excuses to keep women, people of color, and other minority groups out of the boardroom and leadership. In our conversations with corporate leaders and talent managers, we’ve heard it all. From “Of course we want diversity, but we just don’t know how” to “Women just don’t fit in”, companies will often deflect the blame for their diversity problems.   This mentality distracts people from the real culprit of underrepresentation in the workplace: unconscious biases and outdated stereotypes. Creating [...]

With contributions by Stacey Gordon, Rework Work   As the country erupts with racial tension following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, communities and workplaces have become battlegrounds of debate.  The Black Lives Matter movement and protestors seeking justice for George Floyd have been met with resistance and outrage. While what some of these responses show may not be overt racism, it clearly demonstrates the blindness of those who still believe the system is fair and that everyone is treated equally.  And because [...]

Times of crisis may be unsettling, but they can also be the catalyst needed for change. Since it’s unlikely that life will return to exactly how it was before the global coronavirus pandemic, there’s an unparalleled opportunity for leaders to take advantage of. This could be the black swan event that rallies us to address the diversity and inclusion issues we’ve been ignoring for far too long. After all, with organizations turning their focus on HR departments to lead during the stressful time, now’s the time to [...]

If you are an HR or D&I leader, COVID19 has likely redefined and REFRAMED your role in significant ways.  The crisis has provided you a perfect opportunity to shift from being thought of as a “nice-to-have” cost-center to an invaluable resource for keeping the wheels on the bus for your organization.  After all, overnight those initiatives like teleworking and flexible work schedules have become absolutely necessary for your organization.  As has the ability to scale your workforce up and down while redefining roles [...]

By Kelly Watson Not “knowing how to act around women anymore” in response to #metoo could set men back as much as women.   I heard a man recently say he “didn’t know how to act around women at work anymore,” in response to #metoo.  It seems to have become a common refrain, coupled with shrugs and hands thrown in the air.  Others have said they fear mentoring women or meeting with them one on one.  Mike Pence has notoriously said he won’t [...]

By Jodi Detjen and Daffany Chan In the wake of the #Metoo movement, people are buzzing about inclusion and gender equity in the workplace. But women are still not advancing to leadership positions at the same rate as men. 1 in 6 male managers are hesitating to mentor women. The state of women in the workplace is clear: Women’s progress is stalled. So what’s an organization to do?   It’s time to bring on the male allies. Male Allyship, defined as men supporting women in the workplace, can be a powerful force for change in an organization. Male allies [...]

Orange Grove Consulting Managing Partner Jodi Detjen was recently quoted in a Boston Globe article about getting women into the top ranks of leadership.  In the article, Jodi says that, “commitments to increase leadership consist of, say, sending employees to the Massachusetts Conference for Women. Instead, firms should be taking a more strategic approach, such as revamping performance reviews and tracking promotions by gender.”    In the following Q&A, Jodi elaborates further on how organizations can take a more strategic approach to gender equality.      Q. How do you revamp performance reviews? A. Jodi Detjen When [...]

As we launch our Male Allyship survey, we wanted to present a male point-of-view on the topic. We turned to one of our diversity partners, Eric Ratinoff, to share his view of Male Allyship, and what he thinks men can do to support women in the workplace. Ready to Be a Male Ally? Try Looking Through These "Ally Lenses" By Eric Ratinoff If you’re ready to become a better ally for women in your workplace, the Internet is loaded with recommendations of specific [...]

One piece of the gender parity puzzle that we concentrate on at Orange Grove Consulting is women’s leadership development. The most common response we receive: “Isn’t separating out women exclusive and unfair? Men don’t get that opportunity.”  I recently spoke at the Society for Women Engineers’ annual conference. Engineering is extremely male-dominated (only 18 – 20 % of engineering students are women). But being at this conference — surrounded by 12,000 other female engineers — was empowering. For the first time in their careers, many women experienced connectedness rather than [...]

By Kelly Watson and Jodi Detjen Myths are stories we believe are true but are in fact not. In our research, and work with companies and women, we’ve consistently found that women are being held back because of myths. These assumptions keep women from advancing in their careers and in the leadership pipeline. We want to shift that. From their capabilities to their ambitions, check out the common assumptions that women face in the workplace and ways to reframe them. Myth #1: Women [...]

One of the most discouraging things for a Diversity and Inclusion leader to overhear is frustration expressed that including diversity in the workplace is “too hard” or worse, that “we’ve gone too far.”  The fervor around the Kavanagh hearings, which has some fearing a massive wave of false accusations and the firing of NBC’s Megan Kelly over what she felt was an innocuous blackface comment, has put workplace diversity initiatives under pressure.   Worse, the politicization of these issues threatens to silence the conversation [...]