The Role of a Chief Diversity Officer

By Jason Hanold

Introduction

As leader of executive search firm Hanold Associates, Jason Hanold helps various types of businesses and organizations fulfill their high-level human resources needs. Among the positions Jason Hanold has worked to fill are those for chief diversity officers.

Work Environment

Many organizations are concerned with creating an inclusive and diverse work environment. They may wish to do this for various reasons. They may want to encourage a more diverse group of people to apply to job openings within the company, for example. They also might wish to increase the diversity of employee backgrounds in order to create marketing plans that target segments in the market. In the cases of educational institutions, they may wish to increase diversity in order to improve the learning environment and maximize cross-cultural learning opportunities with the institution’s programs.

Conclusion

Many times, these organizations can benefit from hiring a quality chief diversity officer. This is a relatively new position in the human resources field. A chief diversity officer will work to develop and implement company or organization-wide goals related to diversity and inclusion. They will track the progress of these strategies and determine ways in which success is measured. Their specific job duties vary depending on the company or organization for which they work, but they generally involve increasing cultural understanding and creating a cooperative, inclusive environment.