Advice for leaders on creating a culture of belonging | Melonie D. Parker
Jan 24, 2024
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Melonie D. Parker, Google's chief diversity officer, discusses fostering belonging and opportunity in the workplace. Explores the global racial equity movement, partnerships for equity in education and the future of work, normalizing race conversations at work, and the importance of diversity and inclusion.
Google has made significant commitments and investments in racial equity initiatives, collaborating with civil rights and human rights organizations, to normalize conversations about race in the workplace and push for fairness, respect, and belonging.
Google's partnerships with historically black colleges and universities aim to provide access and diversity in research, design, and services, creating opportunities for students while improving technology to ensure the recognition of all voices.
Deep dives
Google's commitment to diversity and inclusion
Google's Chief Diversity Officer, Melanie D. Parker, discusses the company's commitment to building sustainable equity internally and externally. Following the global racial equity movement sparked by events like the murder of George Floyd, Google launched a 100-day sprint to deepen their efforts. They focused on using their products for social good and addressing equity across different underrepresented communities. Google has made eight commitments and invested over $500 million in racial equity initiatives, collaborating with civil rights and human rights organizations. The goal is to normalize conversations about race in the workplace and push for fairness, respect, and belonging.
Unique education partnerships and skill-building initiatives
Google's partnerships with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) aim to create research and skill-building opportunities for students. They launched an applied research institute in collaboration with UNCF and TMCF to provide hands-on experiences in mathematical and computational research. A $5 million grant was given to Spellman College for a women of color STEAM database. Additionally, Google partnered with Howard University to improve automatic speech recognition technology, ensuring voices of all individuals are recognized. These unique partnerships aim to provide access and diversity in research, design, and services.
The significance of belonging and the role of future generations
Melanie emphasizes that diversity, equity, and inclusion must be accompanied by a sense of belonging. Recognizing that people need to feel valued and recognized in order to belong, Google strives to create an environment where black and brown communities are normalized. She highlights the influence of Gen X and Gen Z in demanding a more inclusive culture that values individual contributions. Melanie encourages organizations to shift their mindset from fitting in to adding in, where diverse perspectives are actively sought. Progress is met with some pushback, but discomfort leads to growth and positive change.
Google's chief diversity officer Melonie D. Parker joins journalist and host of the "TED Tech" podcast Sherrell Dorsey for a conversation on fostering belonging and opportunity in the workplace. Learn more about how companies can sustainably promote diversity, equity and inclusion — and why you should aim to "add in," not "fit in."