The problem with hidden hiring discrimination is that you can't fight what you can't see. When a lack of diversity is present in any institution, there is likely a failure in minority recruiting to blame. However, when hiring discrimination is hidden, it's difficult to overcome the problem and bring an institution into line with diversity recruitment best practices.
The NBA Problem Let's look at one such example. The NBA, still reeling from the recent scandal surrounding LA Clippers' owner Donald Sterling, certainly appears on our TV screens to be one institution that is absolutely brimming with diversity. In 2011, the NBA's
player rosters were comprised of 78 percent African Americans, with whites, Latinos, and Asian players making up the remaining 22 percent of the field.
There is a hidden problem, however. And that is that the appearance of diversity among players blurs the lack of diversity recruitment best practices at the management level. Minority recruiting may be strong for the guys pushing the ball down the court, but owners, managers, and coaches are
overwhelmingly white, with African-American coaches making up only 18.6 percent of the field.
The same lack of commitment to minority recruitment holds true at the collegiate basketball coaching level. It appears that the reason for such disparity between the racial makeup of players and management lies with the lack of solid minority recruiting practices for coaches and management level positions. While advancements like the NFL's "Rooney Rule" help guarantee interviews for minority candidates for professional football coaching positions, the NBA has no such program, and the NCAA is limited by its non-profit status.
The Problem at Large To eliminate these unfortunate hidden hiring discrimination practices that limit the diversity of management positions in many fields, not just professional or elite-level sports, firms have to make a deep commitment to diversity recruitment best practices. Headhunting firms should be carefully vetted to ensure that their diversity recruitment practices are in line with your institution's goals so that the middleman doesn't prevent your company from culling the most qualified, most diverse candidates from which to hire. Hidden discrimination can be eliminated once it's brought to light. Commitment to diversity means going above and beyond looking at statistics and getting into the trenches to seek and find the most qualified diverse candidates.
Posted By: Will Moss
Sunday, January 4th 2015 at 2:15AM
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