今年,歐洲風(fēng)投公司將93%的資金投入了創(chuàng)始人為男性的初創(chuàng)企業(yè)。 非營利組織Diversity VC和位于倫敦的風(fēng)投公司Atomico發(fā)布的指南報告《科技行業(yè)多元化與包容性》(Diversity & Inclusion in Tech)顯示,這些數(shù)字已經(jīng)有六年未變。Atomico的宗旨是幫助創(chuàng)業(yè)者建立更有包容性的公司。 雖然近幾年硅谷巨頭們一直在提升員工多元化水平的問題上面臨來自公眾的壓力,但Skype聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人、Atomico首席執(zhí)行官尼克拉斯·曾特羅姆認(rèn)為,#MeToo運動迫使了歐洲科技界思考并首次公開承認(rèn)自己在這方面的問題。 曾特羅姆在赫爾辛基的Slush創(chuàng)投大會上表示:“[多元化]是個全球問題,而不是歐洲或者美國的問題。由于歐洲科技行業(yè)是如此的年輕,我覺得我們也許更容易確保自己從一開始就走上正確的軌道?!?/p> 對曾特羅姆和Diversity VC聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人切克·華納來說,在樹立典范并挪動以“賴著不走”而聞名的多元化指針方面,風(fēng)投資本家的位置最為有利。 在和《財富》雜志的交流中,曾特羅姆和華納為打算解決自家公司多元性匱乏問題的負(fù)責(zé)人出了一些點子。 招聘時要有前瞻性 曾特羅姆指出:“說‘噢,這是個后備問題’過于容易?!?/p> 但想獲得Atomico資助的公司都要準(zhǔn)備好回答文化方面的問題,“不在乎多元化會是個大問題”。 他還說多元化政策也是對投資條款清單的要求之一。 華納表示,雖然許多創(chuàng)始人都明白多元化很重要,但他們不知道從哪里著手。 華納認(rèn)為:“我覺得科技行業(yè)有一個很大的斷層。許多從業(yè)者的出身都非常優(yōu)越,他們未必會意識到自己的情況,因此有點兒自我認(rèn)知不足?!?/p> 曾特羅姆建議用人單位留出足夠的時間,把招聘人員提供的缺乏多元化的候選人名單退回去,擴大他們的覆蓋面,同時摒棄哪種人能給科技公司帶來價值的陳舊觀念。 華納說,讓應(yīng)聘者知道公司把多元化作為首要任務(wù)也很關(guān)鍵。特別是在爭奪人才的環(huán)境下。對許多求職者來說,找到具有類似價值觀的公司甚至更為重要。 別害怕嘗試和失敗 華納強調(diào),改善公司的多元性是一項持續(xù)性工作,無法一蹴而就。 她說:“這并不容易。我覺得大家對此得現(xiàn)實一點兒,不要繞開這個問題?!?/p> 華納指出,許多公司擔(dān)心因為做的不夠或者采取的措施沒有帶來顯著變化而出現(xiàn)問題。但在哪些奏效以及哪些不起作用的問題上采取透明做法有助于推動整個行業(yè)前進(jìn)。 曾特羅姆表示,Atomico剛開始追蹤相關(guān)數(shù)據(jù)時,成員公司在性別多元化方面的表現(xiàn)令人失望。但一年來Atomico向他們介紹了自己為糾正這個問題所付出的努力,這讓它能在開展包容性工作上更好地為成員公司提供建議。 他說:“大家確實得把眼光放長遠(yuǎn)。我不認(rèn)為明天就能解決這個問題,但我們需要為下一代播下種子?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng)) 譯者:Charlie 審校:夏林 |
This year 93% of funds from venture capital firms in Europe went to startups founded only by men. These numbers haven’t budged for six years, according to data published in Diversity & Inclusion in Tech, a guide created by the nonprofit Diversity VC and London-based VC firm Atomico that aims to help entrepreneurs build more inclusive companies. While Silicon Valley giants have been publicly pressured to improve their employee diversity over the last few years, Skype co-founder and Atomico CEO Niklas Zennstr?m believes the #MeToo movement has forced the European tech community to reflect on and publicly acknowledge the problems in their own numbers for the first time. “[Diversity] is a global problem. It’s not a European problem or an American problem,” Zennstr?m said at the Slush startup conference in Helsinki. “I think because the European tech industry is so young, it might be easier for us to make sure we’re getting on the right course early on.” For Zennstr?m and Diversity VC co-founder Check Warner, it’s venture capitalists who are in the best position to set an example and move the notoriously sticky needle on diversity. In a conversation with Fortune, Zennstr?m and Warner shared wisdom for leaders seeking to address a lack of diversity in their organizations: Be proactive in hiring “It’s too easy to say, ‘Oh, it’s a pipeline problem,’” Zennstr?m pointed out. Companies hoping to secure funding from Atomico should expect questions about their culture, Zennstr?m said. “And if they don’t care about diversity, that’s going to be a big red flag.” A diversity policy is also one of the requirements in the firm’s term sheets, he added. Warner said that while many founders understand diversity is important, they don’t know where to begin. “I think there’s a massive disconnect within the tech industry,” Warner noted. “A lot of people working in it come from these very privileged places and they don’t necessarily realize that about themselves, so there’s a sort of lack of self-awareness.” Zennstr?m suggested that employers leave enough time to push back on recruiters who don’t offer a diverse slate of candidates, expand their networks, and abandon stereotypes about the kinds of people who can add value to a tech company. Letting candidates know that the organization prioritizes diversity is also key, Warner said. Especially in a competitive hiring environment, finding a company with similar values is even more important to many job seekers. Don’t be afraid to try and fail Warner emphasizes that improving diversity within an organization is an ongoing journey rather than an actionable item to be completed. “It’s not easy,” Warner said. “And I think we need to be realistic about that and not shy away from it.” Many companies are concerned about backlash for not doing enough or launching initiatives that don’t make a significant change, she said. But being transparent about what works and what doesn’t helps the entire industry move forward. Zennstr?m noted that Atomico’s own numbers on gender diversity were disappointing when the firm began tracking them, but sharing its efforts to correct the problem in the last year enabled it to better advise companies in its portfolio on working toward inclusion. “You need to think really long term,” he said. “I don’t think that we can fix this tomorrow, but we need to plant the seeds for the next generation.” |