While there are many examples of companies having issues with gender, people of color or diversity in general, organizations like the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University seek to level the playing field within enterprises so that diverse talent can innovate and excel.

Combining academic insight with real-world strategies, the Center researches and offers programs aimed to implement change that promotes gender equality at Stanford, nationally, and internationally.

“There is no trickle-down diversity,” said Mackenzie, explaining that when diversity and inclusion is “embedded in what people do every day, that’s when it’s not something that disappears when the HR person disappears.”

Mackenzie recently joined Rebecca Knight (@knightrm), co-host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile live streaming studio, for the Women Transforming Technology conference, held in Palo Alto, CA. They discussed how companies can create a more welcoming environment for everyone, as well as how language matters in the workplace. (*Disclosure below.)

Diversity training and listening to how language is used

Sometimes in organizations, inclusion or diversity training is decoupled from what people do every day at work. Mackenzie’s experience has led her to believe that it’s always better to have people trained in diversity and then link that training with the knowledge of their day-to-day tasks; they are then part of the solution, making them feel far more effective and empowered.

Diversity and inclusion are usually considered HR functions, since they start with people. However, to motivate the best and most effective change in an organization, it is better to come from the people, bottom up, rather than as a mandate from HR.

One of the areas where people can struggle with diversity is in how language is used, she said. If people do not think strategically about language, stereotypes will guide how people are referred to, regardless of who they are. For example, while men and women leaders behave very similarly, their successes and failures can be described very differently in language, based on stereotypes. When leaders are successful, a common stereotype is to talk about how women are helpful, whereas men are described as strong.

By realizing this bias, people can be more fair in how they talk about their leaders, male and female, Mackenzie explained.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of the Women Transforming Technology 2017 event. (*Disclosure: TheCUBE is a media partner at the conference. Neither VMware Inc. nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE