The Tail That’s Wagging the Dog by Susan Wolper

Supplier Diversity is an important conversation for businesses of all sizes. But it’s not always as cut-and-dried a conversation as it may seem. A few years ago, as more and more businesses began incorporating supplier diversity programs, I realized that diversity certification had become symbolic of the proverbial tail wagging the dog. By that I mean that the certification process has become more important than the goals it was intended to achieve. Introduced as an affirmative solution to support women and minority businesses, the diversity certification process has never been able to accurately measure diversity in its full depth and breadth. It’s always seemed more focused on simple formulas and pieces of paper rather than with a richer evaluation of policies and practices that define a company at its core. It’s become shorthand and a gross oversimplification. I’ll submit that it’s more about quotas than about commitments. Corporate diversity is much more than a 51% ownership threshold and it should be measured and recognized accordingly.

We should be asking companies not just about ownership, but also about the organizational policies and practices in place to support diversity, both internally (hiring and handling of a diverse workforce) and externally as relates to business relationships and outreach. What about executive leadership and participation with organizations promoting diversity in businesses and business communities? We should be considering who’s setting the vision and strategy for the organization, heading up real, day-to-day operations. Who’s charged with hiring and overseeing the finances? Spoiler alert: the answers to these questions and more are not always “the owner” as defined.

The truth is, there are likely many businesses that are owned by people who would qualify for diversity status but whose businesses lack any key workplace policies supporting women and minorities. There are undoubtedly many business owners who are mostly absent day-to-day and are not driving key business decisions. Meanwhile, there are other businesses being managed and led by women and minorities, employing a diverse census and enacting policies and practices intended to foster a diverse workplace. These businesses, though they are excelling in workplace diversity and perhaps even supplier diversity practices, are not considered “diverse” because they are unable to meet the necessary 51% ownership threshold that is commonly required to win certification.

To be sure, there is value in considering ownership when trying to create supplier diversity. It just shouldn’t be the single determining factor. For twenty years, I was the sole owner of Wolper Information Services. We earned certification as a women’s business enterprise (WBE) and as an LGBT-owned business. We were proud to make it known that we were a diverse business, but the certification itself was simply the icing on the cake. Throughout our history, we have emphasized our core, company-wide commitment to diversity – in addition to the slips of paper we submitted to and received from state government offices and other certifying bodies such as WBENC and NGLCC. In our applications, we emphasized our corporate policies and practices that foster a diverse workforce and diverse supplier practices. We proudly highlighted our census, which shows that our workforce is overwhelmingly comprised of women and that a significant percentage of our employees and management team is comprised of individuals who identify as LGBT.

In 2013, our official diversity status changed, as we became a wholly-owned subsidiary of LM Information Delivery. That one event automatically disqualified us from diversity certification. However, our executive leadership, staffing, HR policies, and commitment to diversity practices remain the same. We continue to be led and managed by a woman. Our team makeup continues to be as diverse as before, both in management and our workforce overall: 85% of our employees are women; 13% identify as LGBT. And, as before, we go further – well beyond our legal requirements – to create a positive work environment for all our employees by enacting and supporting policies and practices that ensure equal opportunities and treatment for all employees. Since we are headquartered in a non-marriage equality state, for example, we offer equal spousal benefits for all our employees. Since we want to be a company that is accessible for people with disabilities, our office is 100% wheelchair accessible; we also conduct air quality testing to ensure a safe working environment for our employees, especially those with respiratory conditions.

Beyond my company’s walls, personally and on behalf of the company, I am actively engaged in organizations that support diversity in business and we’ve received numerous awards in recognition of our leadership for corporate diversity. Those awarding institutions recognize certification as well as other tangible examples showing that diversity values and practice help define your business efforts, day-to-day and on an ongoing basis.

In my business, we understand the value of diversity within the supply chain and we do, in fact, seek out diversity resources when sourcing non-proprietary products and services such as office supplies, printing services and promotional items. However, we practice what we preach. We don’t just ask for a piece of paper or to check a box. We want to know that our vendor partners are as committed to diversity as we are. We want to see their core beliefs in their workforce makeup and their policies and practices.

The intent of diversity certification is good; the process is just oversimplified and the outcome, limited. Quantitative analysis and accountability are important. But I am advocating for a broader, more qualitative scorecard overall.

It’s time for the dog to start wagging the tail. Let’s broaden the diversity conversation to include multiple criteria – far beyond an ownership threshold that may be accomplished via an artificial construct – and ensure that “diverse” companies are exercising an authentic and multi-pronged commitment that can make a true, tangible difference for women and minority owners and, by trickle-down economics, their communities, employees and, importantly, their children and other dependents.
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Susan Wolper is President/CEO of Wolper Information Services and has directed the company’s transformation from a traditional subscription agency to a full-service information services provider. A former corporate attorney, Susan joined the family-owned company in 1991 and took the helm in 1993. Susan earned a Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve after graduating Cum Laude with honors from the University of Rochester. Susan belongs to various professional library associations and serves as Treasurer and on the Executive Committee of the Association of Subscription Agents & Intermediaries. She has earned multiple awards for executive leadership and for Wolper’s business excellence, including the Diversity Leadership Award from the YWCA of Bethlehem. In 2013, she was named a ‘Champion of Diversity’ by DiversityBusiness.com and a ‘Woman of Influence’ by Lehigh Valley Business.