Board diversity – facts, myths and tips
The recent Welsh Government Sector Study on governance of housing associations has placed the diversity of our housing association boards under the spotlight. We take a look at some key facts about board diversity, a few common myths and tips for developing diverse boards
Evidence
To know where we are, it is worth taking a look at the key findings from the study. Below we have compiled a table comparing housing board diversity statistics with the population and tenant profile in Wales. The last column shows findings with regards to chair positions.
It is quite clear that some groups are seriously underrepresented on Welsh housing boards. While there are a number of barriers and reasons for this, anyone looking at the table above would probably agree that we need to:
1) Increase representation of women, younger people and BME people
2) Increase representation of all groups as chairs/vice chairs
3) Find out statistics for disabled people and other groups like LGBT or religious groups
4) On an organisational basis – check what these numbers look like for your organisation and plan how you are going to address any serious disproportion.
Facts
If you are not convinced that diverse boards work better, below are a few key arguments why you should give it some serious consideration: • Innovation: It has been proven that
diverse groups of people, with appropriate leadership, are more creative and innovative – if you are serious about the role of the board, you don’t want it to become stale.
• Culture: an active board which takes diversity seriously can be seen as championing a culture of equality and respect which trickles down to all staff levels within the organisation.
• Focus on things that matter: although it is not always the case, specific groups of people are more likely to advance specific issues. It is important that you look at issues which matter to your tenant population from different perspectives. For example, it has been proven that in the National Assembly for Wales women were more likely to initiate debates on topics such as domestic violence, equality, equal pay or childcare.
• Skills and expertise: if you are struggling with finding people with specific skills or expertise, you are more likely to find them if you search amongst a wider pool of people.
• Image: you probably don’t want to look as if you haven’t moved on with the times. Especially to your tenants, but also your lenders and those you compete with.
• Social justice: it is simply the right thing to do.
Myths
• Diversity puts tokenism above talent. Not true. If you are looking for specific skills or expertise, you should always focus on these in your recruitment process. However, this does not mean that you should go for the easy option of only looking amongst your traditional networks. Broaden your search. And if you recruited someone purely because of their protected characteristic but with no skills or competencies of use to your organisation, you are really missing the point.
• There just aren’t enough qualified people from diverse groups: this argument now sounds slightly out of date. It may be more difficult to find the right candidates because you have not done it before and you may need more time or assistance in the beginning. But it is possible and you should really make the effort. Also, diversity does not only mean equal representation, it also means engaging with people who have a different point of view than you.
Tips
Below are some tips on what to consider if you want to develop a diverse board.
• Advertising: Think about where and how you currently advertise your vacancies. Consider accessibility and the language you use. Do you mention your commitment to equality and diversity?
• Appointment process: Is it open, transparent and accessible? Also – positive discrimination in appointments is legal. You can choose a candidate from an underrepresented group over another candidate, provided they have matching skills and experience.
• Skills and specification: Think whether long professional experience is always what you need. Consider competencies.
• Board meetings and operation: consider meeting times, venue, accessibility and childcare. What language do you use and are board members respectful towards different groups?
• Consider mentoring, shadow boards and engagement: these may be useful tools for helping to develop potential candidates or assisting those who were unsuccessful.
Alicja Zalesinska, director, Tai Pawb, alicja@taipawb.org. For further information, contact tai Pawb: info@taipawb.org, 029 2053 7630. twitter @taiPawb