Chris Heilmann (@codepo8) - Diversify, Spotify, Stockholm, November 2014

DiversiFIGHT

HERE I AM, SPEAKING AT A DIVERSITY EVENT…

MALE ABLE BODIED GEEK WHITE

✓ ½✓ ✓ ✓✓✓✓

DIVERSITY IS A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE.

AND CURRENTLY A VERY HOT TOPIC.

IT IS ALSO A RIDICULOUSLY COMPLEX ISSUE.

RACE? GENDER? SEXUAL ORIENTATION? RELIGION? HAIR COLOUR? ABILITY? ORIGIN? AGE?

AS PEOPLE OF THE WEB AGE, WE TEND TO FAVOUR QUICK, GENERIC SOLUTIONS FOR COMPLEX ISSUES.

WE ALSO AREN’T THE BEST WHEN IT COMES TO PATIENCE.

PREMATURE OPTIMISATION.

THIS DOES NOT WORK HERE.

WE NEED TO FIX OURSELVES.

IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE DIVERSITY, WE HAVE TO OVERCOME OUR BIASES.

THIS IS HARD.

CONSCIOUS BIASES ARE NOT HARD TO BATTLE.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/wheatons-law

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19

YOU ARE NOT ANONYMOUS - BEHAVE ACCORDINGLY

UNCONSCIOUS BIASES ARE MUCH HARDER.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLjFTHTgEVU

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.htmlhttp://www.understandingprejudice.org/iat/index2.htm

UNCONSCIOUS BIASES ARE PART OF WHAT WE ARE.

HOW AND WHERE WE WERE BROUGHT UP.

FUN WITH STEREOTYPES

“OH GOD, HAVE UNHAPPY GERMANS… NOTHING GOOD HAS EVER COME FROM THAT!”

BEYOND THE LAUGHS…

IS IT OK TO? MAKE FUN OF SOMEONE’S ACCENT? MAKE FUN OF PEOPLE NOT UNDERSTANDING YOU? MAKE ASSUMPTIONS BASED ON SOMEONE’S ETHNIC BACKGROUND? HAVE A SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP IN THE OFFICE / WITH A CLIENT?

RISE ABOVE WHAT YOU ARE AND WHERE YOU CAME FROM.

BE AWARE OF YOUR BACKGROUND AND HOW IT INFLUENCES YOU.

THIS IS TOUGH TO DO.

THANK GOD FOR TEENAGE REBELLION!

THANK GOD FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE.

I WAS SO, SO LUCKY!

EARLY INTERNET WORKING DAYS.

NO RELEVANT DEGREE NO DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES NO MEDIA ATTENTION NO RULES - KNOW THE BUGS, MAKE IT WORK!

THE RESULT: A SUPERBLY DIVERSE WORKING ENVIRONMENT

PRINT DESIGNERS SCREEN DESIGNERS PROGRAMMERS WRITERS BUSINESS ANALYSTS PROJECT MANAGERS DATABASE ADMINS WEBMASTERS/MISTRESSES

IF YOU HAD THE KNOWLEDGE, YOU WERE ALLOWED TO WORK.

MANY DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS.

SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISE CMS LOCAL GOVERNMENT ECOMMERCE B2B MAPS/GEO PHOTO/MEDIA BANKING

LEARNINGS:

SHARING BEATS COMPETING DIFFERENT PEOPLE ARE BETTER AT DIFFERENT THINGS NO ENVIRONMENT IS FOREVER THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE

THE MAIN LEARNING:

THE MORE DIVERSITY IN THE TEAM, THE BETTER THE PRODUCT.

FAST FORWARD TO NOW.

http://christianheilmann.com/2014/11/18/we-have-a-massive-recruitment-problem/

THERE ARE MORE JOBS THAN PEOPLE AND COMMUNICATION WITH RECRUITERS IS BROKEN

ROCKSTAR • 💩

A WORLD OF COMPETITION.

A WORLD OF HIGHER BARRIERS OF ENTRY.

A WORLD OF THROWAWAY PRODUCTS.

A WORLD OF KEEPING EMPLOYEES IN THE OFFICE AND BUSY.

A WORLD OF PANDERING TO THE BROS AND KEEPING THE HIGHSCHOOL LIFESTYLE.

http://bangkok.coconuts.co/sites/bangkok.coconuts.co/files/styles/article_header/public/field/image/americanpsycho200013_0.png

WORK HARD, PLAY HARD, MAKE MONEY!

OVERALL: A WORLD THAT HINDERS DIVERSITY.

http://petewarden.com/2014/10/05/why-nerd-culture-must-die/

WE’RE STILL BEHAVING LIKE THE REBEL ALLIANCE, BUT NOW WE’RE THE EMPIRE.

I WANT YOU TO FIGHT FOR MORE DIVERSITY.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

MINGLE MORE!

DON’T ASSUME EVIL WHEN THE CAUSE COULD BE CONFUSION.

FEAR IS NOT AN INCENTIVE AND DISCOURAGES CHANGE.

TEACH AND BE AN EXAMPLE.

CALL OUT BAD BEHAVIOUR IMMEDIATELY.

MAKE IT EMOTIONAL: !

“HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF SOMEONE SAID THIS ABOUT YOU/DID THAT TO YOU?”

DEMAND A WORK ENVIRONMENT THAT INVITES DIVERSITY BEYOND WHAT IS LEGALLY NEEDED.

IS THERE A PROPER HR DEPARTMENT/PROCEDURE? WHAT ARE THE LONG-TERM BENEFITS? IS HAVING A SOCIAL LIFE POSSIBLE/ENCOURAGED?

http://joblint.org/

FIND DANGER SIGNS IN JOB POSTINGS…

LISTEN, HELP, BE NICE TO PEOPLE AND RECORD AS MANY GOOD EXPERIENCES AS YOU CAN.

Chris Heilmannchristianheilmann.com @codepo8

Thank you!