ITM735 Winter 2019: Case Study on Racial Diversity in Tech Sector

This case study examines the issue of racial diversity within technology sector companies, focusing on the reluctance of Silicon Valley firms to disclose diversity figures, citing trade secrets. It discusses systemic racial discrimination, its manifestations through informal recruitment methods and biases in decision-making, and the barriers faced by individuals from discriminated racial backgrounds. The study emphasizes the importance of a racially diverse workforce for fostering innovation, competitive advantage, and problem-solving capabilities. It suggests implementing formalized interview processes, addressing decision-making biases, and adopting anti-racist policies to promote inclusion within tech organizations. This assignment solution is available on Desklib, where students can find more resources like past papers and solved assignments.

Running head: INFORMATION SYSTEM
INFORMATION SYSTEM
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Question 1 a.........................................................................................................................2
Question 1 b.........................................................................................................................2
Question 2............................................................................................................................3
Question 3............................................................................................................................4
References and Bibliography...............................................................................................5

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Question 1 a
According to the article by Jordyn Holman, the major basis of the non-disclosure, rather
the reluctance demonstrated in case of the disclosure of the diversity figures that are maintained
within the organizational workforce might result in the conditions wherein the concerned
organization might have to disclose a part of the trade policy that is implemented by the
organization (Holman, 2019). The author states that the guarding of the trade secret has been a
custom for the organizations that have been present within the Silicon Valley to protect the trade
secret of the company (Holman, 2019). However, the experts on the matter suggest that the
reluctance on the part pf the employers is invalid as the diversity revelation does not interfere
with the issues related to the performance of the company and the competition that exists within
the given market.
Question 1 b
The technology companies should be revealing the data on the diversity that is
maintained within the organization. This would help the concerned authorities to pinpoint the
issues that have been leading to the discrimination within the workplace (Holman, 2019). The
article by Holman reveals the fact that the concerned technological organizations have been
putting forth the demands for the workforce that is capable of understanding the jobs and
performing the duties that have been assigned to them. This reveals that the companies would
require staff that have attained a certain level in the educational spheres. The educational
authorities of the country reveal the fact that there has been an increase in the number of
graduates who belong to the dark-skinned community within the country (Holman, 2019).
However, there exists a discrepancy among the figures that are provided by the educational

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department and the organizations who have been reported to looking forward to the employment
of the dark-skinned people in order to put forth an increase in the diversity within the workplace.
Question 2
Systemic racial discrimination refers to the various patterns that are observed in the field
of the practices, policies or the behaviors that are maintained as a part of the issues that are
observed to be creating an issue of the relative disadvantage for the people who have been
belonging to the sections of the society that face a discrimination on the basis of their races
(Ontario Human Rights Commission, 2009). The majority of the systemic racial discrimination is
found to be implemented by the administrative or the social departments within the given
organization. It is observed that the attitude of the discriminatory authority plays a huge role in
the implementation of the discriminatory policy.
The major barriers that are experienced by the people who are discriminated on the basis
of their races are enlisted below.
 The use of the informal methods for the recruitment of the employees to the concerned
organizations dealing in technology. The implementation of this barrier leads to the
conditions wherein the concerned employees are hired on the basis of the preference and
the recommendations of the people who have already been working in the organization
(Ontario Human Rights Commission, 2009). This at times leads to the employment of the
people who are not quite capable of performing the duties in a proper manner.
 The biasness in the decision making. The informality in the recruitment process might
make it difficult to maintain the proper workplace culture within the organization

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(Ontario Human Rights Commission, 2009). This might lead to the hampering in the
overall performance of the organization in the given industry.
Question 3
The implementation of the racially diverse workforce within the concerned technological
organization leads to the inclusion of the various techniques and the ways that would be helpful
in the development of the concerned company in the international market as well as help the
company in the development of the competitive advantage of the company (Ontario, 2018). The
racially diverse workforce might also help in the putting forth of the various ideas that would
help the company to resolve the various issues that it might have been facing as well as help the
company to deal with the ways in which the services of the company can be improved.
The companies might undertake the following measures in order to deal with the increase
in the inclusion of the racially diverse workforce within the concerned companies.
 The conduction of the formalized interviews of the potential employees of the
organization.
 The implementation of the development in the matters that regard the biasness in the
decision making within the company.
 The implementation of the anti-racist policies and the maintenance of the same in the
concerned organization.

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References and Bibliography
Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. (2019). Who Are Canada's Tech
Workers? Retrieved from https://brookfieldinstitute.ca/report/who-are-canadas-tech-
workers/
Funk, C., & Parker, K. (2018). Blacks in STEM Jobs Are Especially Concerned About Diversity
and Discrimination in the Workplace. In Pew Research Center (Ed.), Women and Men in
STEM Often at Odds over Workplace Equity. Washington: Pew Research Center.
Retrieved from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/01/09/blacks-in-stem-jobs-are-
especially-concerned-about-diversity-and-discrimination-in-the-workplace/
Holman, J. (2019, 25 February). Silicon Valley Is Using Trade Secrets to Conceal Its Diversity
Problem; More and More Companies Argue That Employee Stats Are Too Valuable to
Share. Calgary Herald.
Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2009). Policy and Guidelines on Racism and Racial
Discrimination. Retrieved from http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-and-guidelines-racism-
and-racial-discrimination
Ontario. (2018). The Ontario Public Service Anti-Racism Policy – an Overview. Retrieved from
https://files.ontario.ca/anti-racism_policy_overview_eng.pdf
The Black Experience Project in the GTA. (2017). Overview Report. Retrieved from
https://www.theblackexperienceproject.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Black-
Experience-Project-GTA-OVERVIEW-REPORT-4.pdf