Electrical Insulation Magazine — Nov/Dec 2021

Elizabeth Foley

DEIS AdCom Member-At-Large Dr.E.Foley@ieee.org

Diversity and Inclusion Efforts

Genetic diversity is required for a population to adapt and thrive as external factors change—whether it be disease, natural disaster, or a boom in predator populations. It turns out that this is not unique to species in the natural world. In 2018 McKinsey and company [1] published an article that showed a correlation between diversity in a company’s workforce and the company’s overall financial performance. As this paper noted, correlation is not causation. Currently, there is not enough data to say that increasing diversity causes improvements in financial performance. However, they do note that most companies only increase diversity when there is a strong initiative to do so. Although DEIS is not a company with the goal of financial gain, it stands to reason that there are benefits to having a diverse membership. April 2020 PNAS published an article that correlated increased diversity with increased innovation [2]. As a Society dedicated to the advancement of dielectrics and electrical insulation, it would be in our best interest to promote diversity within our membership.

Besides the self-serving interest mentioned above, there is a moral component to implementing diversity initiatives as well. The very basic idea of fairness and equality is that everyone should have a chance to participate if they have the interest and, in some cases, the aptitude to do so. Factors beyond an individual’s control, or factors irrelevant to the opportunity at hand, should not be used to exclude anyone. While in theory this seems like an easy position for an organization or person to adopt, the reality becomes a bit more complicated when things like human nature, cultural differences, and systemic biases come into play. Overt or malicious behavior that excludes spe-cific groups is fairly easy to identify and address. The more challenging step is when there is nothing overtly preventing anyone from participating and yet the diversity found in the overall population is not reflected in a smaller group. This phenomenon is true within DEIS; the statistics show that the numbers of women, students, and young professional members are significantly lower than the general population.

To address this concerns, AdCom formed a new ad hoc committee to specifically look at what the Society is doing to promote diversity and inclusion for all participants (or would be participants!) in the dielectrics and insulation community. The first thing this committee did was to clarify and state what exactly the Society is trying to achieve. To this end, a Diversity and Inclusion Statement was drafted and approved by AdCom in May 2021. The statement is as follows:

The IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society (DEIS) is committed to providing equal opportunity to students, scientists, engineers and professionals, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. Diversity is fundamentally about valuing human differences and recognizing diverse talents, and inclusion is embracing and welcoming these differences. Our policy is to continually improve our practices in order to build and maintain an environment that reflects the rich di-versity of the community in the field of dielectrics and insulation. In support of these ideals, this society will not tolerate harassment of any kind, including sexual harassment or bullying behavior.

The statement quite simply reflects that we welcome all people to participate in our community and expect everyone to treat each other with respect and dignity.

As a society with members across the globe, defining what exactly diversity means can be tricky. A minority group in one locale might be the majority in another region. An ethnic distinction in one country does not necessarily hold the same meaning or challenges in another. To that end, the approach taken is to encourage underrepresented groups to participate in DEIS. The advantage to focusing on underrepresented groups is that there is some flexibility in the definition. At a global level, students, young professionals, and women are underrepresented in our Society. However different regions and chapters of DEIS can identify additional underrepresented groups unique to their locale.

The committee has been working on identifying some initiatives that can be implemented to improve diversity. As conferences are one of the bigger events where members have the opportunity to participate and interact with our Society, it makes sense to look at how to increase accessibility and diversity at conferences. This can be through a variety of means, whether it is financial assistance or other means of support such a child care, or interpreters, or activities targeting a particular group. Besides conferences, there could be opportunities to engage members through online webinars, summer schools, and volunteer opportunities. The team is still working on what is feasible and most likely to be effective, but there are some exciting proposals in the works.

On an organizational level, conferences can provide opportunities for underrepresented groups. For example, the Electrical Insulation Conference has held a student lunch in previous years and is holding a virtual panel discussion for students this year. Other societies have implemented mentoring programs to pair younger members with experienced professionals. These initiatives are wonderful and rely on a formal top-down approach, where the leaders and organizers implement opportunities to promote inclusivity. There are plenty of other opportunities where individuals can make a difference. Asking students questions about their posters or oral presentations, research interests, or career goals are a few ways to reach out. Another way is to casually chat with someone standing alone during coffee breaks, social meetings, or banquets. Members can reach out to one another in between conferences to stay in touch. Taking the chance and reaching out to someone new for volunteer opportunities is an additional way to diversify participation and promote inclusion. For many members, this is second nature and much appreciated. Finding occasions to consciously make an effort to promote a culture where everyone feels welcome is something that everyone can look for.

Along those lines, all suggestions and ideas on how we as a Society can continue to grow our membership, promote diversity, and cultivate inclusion would be appreciated. They can be sent to me at Dr.E.Foley@ieee.org. Please send a note if you are interested in participating in this initiative. Finally, I wish to thank you for your time and consideration in reading this article.

Best Regards, Elizabeth Foley

References

[1] V. Hunt, S. Prince, S. Dixon-Fyle, and L. Yee, Delivering Through Diversity. McKinsey&Company, Jan. 2018. Accessed: May 31, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.mckinsey.com/~/ media/mckinsey/business%20functions/ organization/our%20insights/delivering%20through%20diversity/delivering-through-diversity_full-report.ashx.

[2] B. Hofstra, V. V. Kulkarni, S. M. Galvez, B. He, D. Jurafsky, and D. A. McFarland, “The diversity–innovation paradox in science,” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., vol. 117, no. 17, pp. 9284–9291, Apr. 2020, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1915378117.