The lack of racial and gender diversity on corporate boards is unacceptable. A diverse board can help companies better reflect the community’s demographics and make better decisions. It will also improve their image. It is vital that companies and federal policymakers focus their efforts on building fair systems, and in identifying and attracting talent, and improving the selection process to increase diversity within American corporations.
The focus of many board diversity discussions is the necessity of correcting a skewed representation of the demographics of the company. However, the real objective should be to identify candidates with a wide range of abilities, skills and experiences. Board members with diverse backgrounds can bring new ideas to the table, disrupt the status quo and make more creative decisions that create long-term value.
You can select candidates according to a mix of factors like the age, education level and professional experience. If your board is disproportionately comprised of people with degrees in engineering, as an example, you may want to add directors with prior experience in marketing to allow for a more thorough discussion.
Some companies go as far as making a public commitment on diversity. This is a great way to hold the senior management and board members accountable. You can also run an assessment of diversity via your board portal and highlight areas in which you need to increase the diversity of your workforce.
https://board.international/how-to-encouraging-an-effective-advisory-board/
