Defense Department personnel discussed the benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Don Means Jr, the director of Operations and Infrastructure Center, Defense Information Systems Agency and Serena Chan, the senior technical advisor of OIC, DISA, spoke today at an AFCEA NOVA virtual panel.
Equity is about promoting justice, fairness and impartiality when devising or implementing procedures, processes and programs so every person can have the opportunity to get equal possible outcomes, Chan said.
For inclusion, it's about the practice of ensuring that people actually feel and are welcomed into the group, she said. "Inclusion outcomes are met when your organization or your program is truly inviting to all participants."
Teamwork is making sure that all voices are heard. Having diverse groups means we're less entrenched in a groupthink, she said.
"I think homogeneity can lull people into thinking that they are making better decisions because everyone's agreeing with each other. But when you have differing viewpoints, it can sharpen the performance of the team," Chan said.
Diversity can really improve the quality of decision making, she said.
Different perspectives can also spur innovation, she added.
It's been shown through studies, that everyone has what's called an unconscious bias, said Means. "That's just the way we categorize things as humans, and it can impact decision making quality depending on how you deal with it."
The operation center at DISA initiated a pilot project related to hiring practices. Names were removed from resumes to help ensure there was less unconscious bias and ensure that the best qualified candidates were selected, he said. "That worked phenomenally well and we're going to expand that to the entire center."
Means says he spends time mentoring students from underrepresented groups to get a more diverse workforce.
"It's really about getting the best talent," he added.