Diversity and social media

June 11, 12:34 PMWorkplace Diversity ExaminerJessica Faye Carter

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Social media technologies have arrived.  And they have broad implications for diversity in the workplace.

Through marketing, project management, or even daily conversations, companies and employees are interacting across geographic boundaries, departmental functions, industries, and schools of thought. There is little doubt as to the benefits that social media affords, in terms of lower costs, instant feedback, convenience, expanded networks and innovation. But with respect to diversity, social media's impact is both positive and negative.  

Two powerful aspects of social media that relate to diversity are anonymity and community. I'll examine each in turn.

1.  Anonymity.  Social media allows a certain amount of anonymity, which can act as a powerful buffer against "groupthink" or other psychosocial phenomena that don't support diversity of thought.  An example of this could be found in a working group that uses an online meeting system that allows users to contribute their thoughts anonymously.  In some cases, such a system increases the truthfulness of the feedback received and prevents "personalities" from controlling the flow of the conversation.  Employees with ideas that differ from those who "control" the group can express those views and expect them to receive due consideration.  Ideas flourish, and contributions increase.

At the same time, this anonymity allows employees a place to retreat, and creates a space where they can be honest, so that at least in some sense, the rest of the workplace is not seen as a place where employees can be authentic without penalty.  It may also embolden the expression of unpopular (and sometimes unpleasant) views and increase conflict in a particular group.  Or employees may become overly concerned about the views held by their colleagues and may spend too much time trying to figure out "who said what."

Of course, many collaborative work systems are not anonymous, but even in such cases employees still experience a sense of distance from their work and colleagues when collaborating remotely, so that there is still likely to be an increase in the diversity of responses received in a social media format.

With respect to identity, employees will find that social media has made them less anonymous inside and outside of the workplace. Primarily because their private lives and thoughts are often on at least partial display through various profiles they share on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Bebo, Hi5, Gather, and other similar sites.  Incidents like this or this make this point all too clear.

2. Community.  The notion of community has changed dramatically through social media, allowing groups to operate almost like independent tribes, except that these tribes have moved beyond traditional demographics and affiliations.  Their notion of community is increasingly diverse, centering around non-traditional aspects of identity and affiliation (e.g., interests or expertise).  As a result, these teams experience a wide range of perspectives and contributions.

Further, as they forge a shared identity through their collaboration, these groups often operate more effectively and efficiently. The challenge occurs when they become part of cross-functional initiatives, and may then behave more tribally, resulting in project delays, infighting, and petty turf wars.

When it comes to consumers, companies are using social media to develop focus groups for product evaluation and development.  In doing so, they are building brand loyalty and keeping their "finger" on the pulse of consumer trends. One downside to this is that the digital divide still prevents many potential consumers from contributing to the data held by these firms. But as everyday life becomes more digitized, hopefully that will change.  For more information about how to harness the power of online communities, read Derek Powazek's article, The Wisdom of Community.

Ultimately, social media technologies are excellent tools for facilitating increased diversity in the workplace. The challenge is to prepare for and manage the challenges that may follow.