Dessa: Growing a Diverse and Inclusive Artificial Intelligence Company

By
Sarbani Mishra
PGP/24/111
1. What is meant by diversity and inclusion? How do these concepts differ from one
another? How are they related?
Sol:

Diversity means that people of different ethnicities, genders, ages, religious beliefs, sexual
orientation having varied levels and kinds of education, personalities, experiences and skill
sets are accepted as well as valued in an institution.

Inclusion on the other hand means that there is an increased level of participation and
cooperation amongst people who are different from one another in a supportive, bias-free and
respectful environment.

The difference between diversity and inclusion is that, diversity means the introduction as
well as representation of people from different backgrounds, educational base, experiences in
an organisation while inclusion means supporting a diverse workplace and helping all the
workforce to thrive.

Diversity and inclusion are related as it has to be a top-down approach so that these values
are embedded in a company’s mission and vision. The practices of the institution need to be
such that they support this diversity and makes the workforce feel part of the community so
that they not only thrive but also be the competitive business advantage.

2. Why are diversity and inclusion important for Dessa?

Sol:
For Dessa to continuously be innovative, a diverse workforce needs to be hired. As a diverse
workforce leads to innovation and growth. When the workplace inclusion is made to be a
primary objective, the performance of its workforce is bound to be higher and there would be
a lesser risk of stagnancy. Since each person hired at Dessa inadvertently shapes the culture
of the company moving forward, it is all the more important that there is a representative
workforce.
To continuously innovate and be a disruptive force in the industry, Dessa needs to hire people
from varied backgrounds with different backgrounds and experiences so that they bring forth
something new to the table.

3. Assess the current hiring practices at Dessa. Where might bias unknowingly play a
role in the selection process? With the current process, what is the risk that some
pools of highly qualified candidates will be overlooked and under-utilized?
Sol:
The current Hiring practices at Dessa include an Hour long interview with Mr.Wong
personally after he reviewed the CV and an technical test which was a 24 hour take home test
for machine learning applicants or a 48 hour take-home test for engineering applicants.
The bias might unknowingly play a role during the hour long interview because when only
one person takes the interview, his thoughts and personal views about the candidate might
force him to take an action which is unfair. Also, lack of a panel interview or multiple rounds
of culture fit tests, make personal biases enter the recruitment process.
With the current process, when Mr Wong is so vocal about wanting to hire diverse
workforce, there is a high risk that people who are highly qualified might miss out only
because they lack the diversity they bring to the teams even if they are the best suited for the
job and have a cultural fit with the company.
4. What steps can Wong take to increase the chances that strategic hires will be more
diverse? What elements should be part of a proactive diversity and inclusion
program at Dessa?
Sol.
Some of the steps that Wong can take to increase the chances that strategic hires will be more
diverse are:
a) Job descriptions: To hire more female minorities, create a balance between masculine
words (driven, competitive) and feminine words (dependable, collaborative) in the
description which will attract a variety of talent.
b) Standardized interviews: Structured interviews in which each candidate is asked the
same set of defined questions will standardize the interview process and minimize bias.
It will level the playing field and will allow the company to focus on important factors
which might have a direct impact on the performance.
c) Setting Diversity Goals: Since Mr. Wong wants Dessa to grow into a diverse
workforce, having predetermined diversity goals for number of hires in each minority
group might provide the much needed structure and at the same time not totally miss
out on exceptional talent who are do not check the diversity box.
d) Sample test: Ask the candidates for their work sample, it can help in comparing the
candidates without bias and also provide insights into future performance indicators.
A proactive diversity and inclusion program at Dessa needs to acknowledge the lack of
diversity in the first place. Only when the employees acknowledge it as an problem, they will
be more open to working with people who are different than them. Implementing a number of
events, programs and celebrations throughout the year will improve awareness and provide
continuous learning about the culturally diverse events.
Words have power so Dessa’s programs need to have clear and unambiguous statements in
employee manuals and contracts about diverse groups. Formal inclusive policies will only
reiterate the fact that Dessa is striving to be a diverse and inclusive workplace. Not just in
words but also in spirit.
5. Develop a framework to measure success and the business impact of a diversity and
inclusion program for Dessa.
Sol.
Activities Accountable Assessment
1) All marketing and Vince  Bi-monthly and quarterly
communications  Alyssa review of print, digital, and
messaging in print,  Tanvir web analytics
digital web, and  Mac  Accurately represent
video developed  Alison diversity and inclusion
need to ensure they  Tatiana through marketing materials
reflect diversity as
well as promote
inclusion in
DESSA.
2) Establish and Vince  Comprehensive calendar
publish a  Alyssa created to increase
comprehensive  Tanvir awareness, education, and
Diversity and  Mac participation
Inclusion calendar  Alison  Number of attendees who
of events,  Tatiana attend these events
celebrations, Stephen periodically
historic dates,
dialogues, trainings,
and holidays
3) Mentorship All women and minority  Increase the number of
Program employees student experiences
 Number of requests for
internships and work
projects by potential
employees
4) Develop a All employees  Measure the number of new
“Discovering and current faculty and staff
Diversity and who participated in the
Inclusion” Course course
5) Highlight and  Vince  Increase diversity within
publicize efforts to  Stephen each applicant pool by using
grow diversity  Mathew filters
within our  Eric
workforce  Raghavan
6) Develop a pipeline All employees  Measure the number of
of talented underrepresented employees
professionals by and prospective hires
discipline  Measure potential
performance and cost saving
by these hires