How to approach diversity in business? - Interview with Bacely Yorobi (ConnectX)

A digital entrepreneur and a specialist in diversity and inclusion, Bacely Yorobi also has a strong appetite for philosophy and spirituality. Although he worked in Silicon Valley (USA), at the head of the digital strategy of the government of Côte d'Ivoire, he now officiates from France with his startup ConnectX. There, he covers the topics of diversity and collective intelligence through recruitment, training, event content or by setting up programs for companies. If you go to the social network ClubHouse, Bacely is also one of the pioneers on these themes through the Diversity Club . Today, we meet him to find out how to tackle this topic in the professional world, which is emerging more and more often within CSR (Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility) issues.

Currently, what are the main issues of diversity in France?

First of all, we have to accept the word "diversity". Diversity is not about going towards difference but it is about accepting our differences, and that these are a point of synchronicity. Besides, people have a hard time saying the word "diversity", they more readily use "equal opportunities" or "inclusion". There is a heavy past behind the word "diversity", so people have a hard time with it.

Diversity must also be embodied because there is no point in creating diversity programs if we do not want to implement them afterwards. Also, behind all the strategies on this subject, there is a diversity policy to be launched. In other words, an implementation, through the strategic and operational vision, from middle management to the top bosses.

The last point would be to think about how to make a good marriage between diversity and productivity. There are studies that prove that there is a virtuous effect from one to the other, but today there is no dynamic to implement diversity and to have figures and statistics in companies that demonstrate its impact. It is good to rely on studies by Cap Gemini or Deloitte, but it is more important to see how to make diversity integrated into the fabric of a company, to observe the repercussions and that finally we can say to ourselves that it is obvious to make diversity.

How can diversity be a lever for growth and productivity for a company? And what indicators would you recommend monitoring to see the effects?

The first thing that diversity brings is the variety of perspectives and visions. As soon as we have people from different cultural, social backgrounds or even embodying a form of neuro-diversity, it allows us to bring another vision of the world to the group. The fusion of paradigms allows us to have an infinite number of fields of possibilities thanks to these people who are at different crossroads.

Diversity also allows for the acceleration of innovation. If we have teams in China and the United States, for example, and we play on the difference in time zones, we then have teams that work almost 24/7. We can save time during the development phases.

Finally, diversity gives access to new markets. If I have a person in my team who can bridge the gap between two countries, it allows us to create or translate, for example, content that takes into account the local culture and language. We then reach more audiences who will buy our products and we accelerate market penetration, thanks to a binational or bicultural profile. There is also the possibility of connecting with the mindset of this person who knows their market better than anyone else, because they were born and raised in the country. We cannot compete with this type of profile, in terms of knowledge of the country concerned.

To measure this, we can observe KPIs (key performance indicators) such as turnover or the number of visits to the company's website and see their progress... We must look at both financial performance indicators and web analytics. For example, when we highlight local managers at the top management level in the sectors, we realize that it works better. Consumers can identify more easily with them. Moreover, I think we are going astray by not wanting to put performance indicators behind diversity.

Tech companies, which you know well, are rather attentive to diversity issues and often more innovative, even revolutionary, in their management. What do you think of the role of leaders in moving the lines?

The management model must change. We must no longer be in a pyramidal model. We must be in a model of collective intelligence where there are managers but who in terms of status are like any employee, to de-sclerote the corporate world. For me, managers must go down a notch. As soon as there is a power play in a company, we cannot do real innovation. All companies that truly innovate have a model that is both organized and very structured on certain subjects, but with a more "open" and flexible spirit on others, particularly with employee empowerment.

Have you seen concrete actions in the United States in terms of management that promote diversity?

Of course, there are many. For example, Facebook Campus University. It is an initiative where every year, the company funds the training and internships of disadvantaged people. We bring them to Facebook. We train them in both leadership and technical subjects. They are paid. And we help them become leaders in Tech. Then, if they stay within Facebook, the company pays them. If they create their own company, Facebook invests in it. If they create a solution in the Facebook ecosystem, they can become partners. Whatever happens, Facebook follows the alumni and will find a way to stay in touch with them.

There are also Airbnb initiatives, with think tanks around diversity (LGBTQ+, the Latino community, etc.). Each group aims to facilitate exchanges with the administrative part of the company or between employees to avoid too much friction. The representatives of these groups can state complaints for their community within the company and defend its files. They also sit on the board of directors. It is not just a power of representation, because their opinion is taken into account in the company's decisions. This is where it starts to get interesting.

Often when it comes to diversity, management wants to launch actions in a "top down" dynamic and they sometimes have trouble getting the teams on board, who have not really been consulted. What advice do you have to avoid this bias?

I would recommend contacting external structures that are specialized in diversity and that know the subject in its entirety, in order to think together about how to launch a program. Then start with a phase of interviews with the different communities and groups within the company, in order to gather all their needs and desires taking into account their diversity. Afterwards, it will be a question of comparing with the hypotheses developed by the partner service provider to see what is similar and what is not. A program can then be built as the result of reflection from the management bodies to the employees and vice versa. It is important that there is support for the managers by specialists, so that they do not find themselves thinking alone in their offices on the strategic part. And obviously, a conversation with the people concerned by this program is necessary, so that it reflects the employees. The latter will realize that there are a whole bunch of elements in the program that they themselves suggested and will feel listened to.