It is inexcusable that there isn’t any racial or gender diversity in corporate boards. A diverse board will help companies more accurately reflect the demographics of their communities, make better choices from a variety of perspectives and experiences, and boost their standing. It www.board.international/how-to-transition-to-paperless-board-meetings/ is crucial that businesses and federal policymakers concentrate efforts on establishing equitable structures, identifying and recruiting talent, and reforming the selection process to increase diversity in American companies.

A lot of discussions on diversity for boards are centered around the need to address a skewed demographic representation of the company, but the real objective should be to identify candidates with a wide array of abilities, skills and knowledge. Board members with diverse backgrounds can bring new ideas to the table, disrupt the status quo and make more innovative decisions that will create long-term value.

Through a combination of variables such as the age, education, or professional experience, you can identify the categories that your board is under- or over-represented in and plan your recruitment in line with these categories. For instance, if you find that your board is made up of those with a degree in engineering, you might be interested in adding an executive with an education in marketing to facilitate the discussion to be more comprehensive.

Some companies go so far as to make an official commitment to diversity, which is an excellent way of holding the board and senior management accountable. You can also make use of your board portals to conduct an audit on diversity that will highlight areas in which you’ll need to increase your workforce.