According to Chevron Salt Lake City Refinery General Manager Mitra Basiri Kashanchi, diversity does more than elevate marginalized employees -- it drives business results.
When employees experience anxious thoughts about their minority status within a large group or organization, Kashanchi said, it distracts them. That distraction, in turn, limits their ability to contribute because they are more focused on how they're treated than on what they can offer their organization, and that affects overall business results.
"Diversity means different approaches to many of the problems we're trying to solve, and it means processing information differently and reaching a higher performance level," Kashanchi explained.
"If we're all the same, who's going to challenge us to think outside the box?"
Kashanchi, who originally moved to the U.S. from Iran in 1988 to pursue a graduate degree in chemistry, considers herself lucky because she has always been a part of a diverse team at Chevron.
"My first supervisor was female, and my co-workers were from different countries, continents, genders and political points of view," she said. "I, personally, was very empowered by that team because I wasn't worried about my accent -- everybody had a different accent."
Kashanchi considers diversity one of the strengths of her team at Chevron, but even in that positive environment, she occasionally encounters unconscious biases in her daily work.
"A lot of people don't recognize their unconscious biases," she said.
She recalled an example of unconscious bias and how the simple act of calling it out had a lasting effect.
"At meetings, I would say something and it wouldn't get any traction," she recounted. "A few seconds later, one of my peers would repeat what I said and everybody would jump on to agree with that person."
After pointing out to the group what was happening, Kashanchi observed that "more people started recognizing it when it was happening." Many of her co-workers would later tell her they had no idea they were doing it.
"I think we have a tendency to be a little reserved," she said. Her advice for overcoming those natural reservations in the workplace is simple: "We have to put that out of our heads. Get over it. Stop overthinking whatever is going through your mind.
"Address the unconscious bias of anyone around you. Call it out. When you do, it's contagious and everybody will stop expressing unconscious biases."
Advice for measuring, promoting diversity
Like any business plan, a diversity plan needs data in order to gain the buy-in of everyone from leadership to field operations to employee candidates. To collect this data, Kashanchi recommends using surveys.
"You need to create a safe space for employees to provide feedback," she said. "Surveys are a great tool to make sure we can have a transparent, open discussion and people don't feel threatened by sharing their views."
Another way to promote diversity within an organization is to create employee networks sponsored by management and top leadership.
Kashanchi recalled that in 1992, Chevron created its first network to support LGBTQ workers. The effect was so powerful, she continues that practice today at the Salt Lake City Refinery.
Ultimately, Kashanchi said promoting diversity isn't just about numbers. "It's about performance, commitment and fairness," she clarified.
"Employees just need to work hard and respect the business' performance and what needs to be delivered in order to make the business successful," she recommended. "Leaders and managers have to hold themselves accountable to be fair and give opportunities to those people who are willing to work hard.
"We need to come together to make sure that we open the door for any employee."
