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IT Leadership Diversity Stagnates as DEI Efforts Face Scrutiny

Each quarter, this podcast releases our research data on the makeup of IT leadership, broken down by race and sex. By surveying public websites, we’re looking to track the change over time.

This quarter, we surveyed 300 companies and four thousand three hundred ninety-five humans. 47% vendors, 48% technology providers. This quarter, we found that 89.6% are White, and 3.4% are Black. The breakdown is also 79% male. This is nearly identical to last quarter, although roughly point two percent less Black. The data remains similar between vendors and tech providers, and while previous quarter was slightly different, this quarter nearly the same. When we look at publically traded or Fortune 100 companies, the numbers improve for women, remaining at 26%. The racial divide remains within 2 percent.

This data is essentially identical to last quarter.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has removed “equity” from its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy, sparking controversy as companies reconsider their DEI initiatives. Critics view this as a retreat from commitments made after George Floyd’s death, while SHRM emphasizes a focus on inclusion as a means to address societal backlash. Experts argue that equity is essential for ensuring equal opportunities in the workplace, and the decision may embolden those against DEI efforts. SHRM maintains that its commitment to equity remains, albeit integrated into an inclusion framework.

Why do we care?

I will quote Tech Bullion from “Why is gender diversity in IT important?”.  Quote.  “Research indicates that gender-diverse teams tend to exceed the performance and productivity of homogeneous groups. Leveraging the diverse skills and strengths that women contribute can significantly enhance companies’ efficiency and effectiveness in handling and interpreting data. Gender-diverse teams are also better equipped to grasp and cater to the requirements of a varied customer demographic, resulting in heightened customer satisfaction and loyalty.”

Want a better business? That’s why we care.