“如此多的人開始關(guān)注種族平等問題,這感覺就像是一個罕見的歷史性時刻。”谷歌和Alphabet的首席執(zhí)行官桑達(dá)爾·皮查伊通過視頻通信服務(wù)Google Meet告訴《財富》雜志。此次訪談旨在討論皮查伊于6月18日發(fā)布的長篇公告。他在該聲明中做出了一系列致力于推動種族平等的新承諾,其中包括增加黑人高管人數(shù),并設(shè)定了一項新目標(biāo):到2025年將代表性不足群體在領(lǐng)導(dǎo)層的比例提高30%。
在這份聲明中,皮查伊誓言要與黑人員工展開更深入的合作,以解決過去阻礙他們在公司獲得充分代表的文化壁壘。“我還將召集一個包括谷歌黑人+社區(qū)(Black+)高級成員在內(nèi)的特別工作組,就招聘、雇用、績效管理、職業(yè)發(fā)展和人才留用等所有影響谷歌黑人員工體驗的領(lǐng)域,制定具體的問責(zé)建議和提案。”他寫道。
為了催生公司之外的機會,谷歌擬投入逾1.75億美元啟動“經(jīng)濟機會一攬子計劃”,助力黑人企業(yè)主、創(chuàng)業(yè)者、開發(fā)人員和求職者實現(xiàn)夢想。除了為企業(yè)主提供融資和補助,為求職者提供技能再培訓(xùn)之外,皮查伊還將撥款約1億美元,參與到黑人領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的初創(chuàng)企業(yè)和資本公司之中,其中包括由創(chuàng)始管理合伙人Lo Toney在GV(原谷歌風(fēng)投)內(nèi)部孵化,注重多樣性的風(fēng)投基金Plexo Capital。
為實現(xiàn)這些承諾,皮查伊召開了一系列內(nèi)部會議,其中包括一個種族與公平“危機應(yīng)對小組”,其參考模板正是谷歌為應(yīng)對新冠疫情而創(chuàng)設(shè)的工作機構(gòu)(詳情見下文)。皮查伊希望其他公司也能制定類似的宏大目標(biāo),并進一步提升種族平等措施的透明度。他告訴《財富》雜志,僅僅發(fā)布相關(guān)指標(biāo)是不夠的。“務(wù)必要意識到,頂級公司對于所有這些問題有著非同小可的影響力。”他說,“隨著時間的推移,我們將設(shè)定更多的可問責(zé)目標(biāo)。作為一家公司,我們需要在某些領(lǐng)域有所改進,但我認(rèn)為《財富》雜志在提升頂級公司的覺悟方面發(fā)揮著獨特的作用。”
以下是我們的對話實錄。為節(jié)省篇幅和清晰起見,我們對其稍加編輯。
《財富》:長期以來,我們一直在處理和討論種族、平等、包容、警察和刑事司法等問題。你認(rèn)為此刻有什么不同?
桑達(dá)爾·皮查伊:這是個很好的問題。先撇開為什么現(xiàn)在成為轉(zhuǎn)折點不談,目睹這場運動本身就是一件非同尋常的事情。它不僅僅局限于美國。我在巴黎,甚至在公司內(nèi)部,親歷了“黑人的命也是命”抗議活動,我從來沒有見過這樣的事情。我們?yōu)檫@場運動的相關(guān)事業(yè)開展了一場配捐活動。無論是從參與人數(shù),還是從募集到的金額來看,這都是我們公司歷史上規(guī)模最大的一次。(谷歌每年為每位員工匹配最多1萬美元的捐款。)
我們準(zhǔn)備在下周做的一些工作,將充分反映這是一個多么獨特的時刻。甚至在我們的搜索引擎中,許多術(shù)語的搜索量也創(chuàng)下了歷史新高。人們都在查詢這些話題,試圖了解更多。
所以,可以肯定的是,如此多的人開始關(guān)注種族平等問題,這感覺就像是一個罕見的歷史性時刻。很顯然,黑人社區(qū)長久以來的經(jīng)歷正在成為世人關(guān)注的焦點。
你們是如何制定應(yīng)對計劃的?從哪里開始?
在過去的幾周,我們與公司內(nèi)部所稱的“黑人領(lǐng)袖顧問小組”,以及“谷歌黑人網(wǎng)絡(luò)”(Black Googler Network,這是谷歌更廣泛的黑人+社區(qū)的組成部分)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者進行了一系列對話。種族平等是一段漫長的旅程。我以前也聽過這種說法,但在這種背景下聆聽他們的故事,讓我更加深刻地意識到,系統(tǒng)性的種族主義顯然不僅僅是執(zhí)法層面的問題,它還彌漫于住房、教育、醫(yī)療和工作場所等領(lǐng)域,對嗎?所以我認(rèn)為,現(xiàn)在的問題是如何才能利用這一契機,將其轉(zhuǎn)化為持久的注意力和努力來創(chuàng)造改變。
我已經(jīng)預(yù)覽了你的聲明,這是一個很長的行動清單。你能介紹幾個你希望產(chǎn)生非凡影響的舉措嗎?所有這些措施都將產(chǎn)生影響,但你肯定對其中一些尤為期待。
是的,很明顯,多樣性和包容性一直是我們公司的核心價值觀之一。我們始終在為之努力,并取得進展。所以說,這是我們一直在做的工作。作為其中的一部分,在首席多樣性官梅洛尼·帕克的引領(lǐng)下,我們建立了完善的團隊,我們擁有一個多樣性包容團隊。在過去的幾周里,我們與“黑人領(lǐng)袖顧問小組”和黑人+社區(qū)進行了深入的協(xié)商。在公司內(nèi)部,我覺得這是很多谷歌人愿意花時間聚在一起,從事志愿活動的領(lǐng)域之一。因此,我們在過去兩周建立了一個公正項目管理辦公室,其參考模板正是我們?yōu)閼?yīng)對新冠疫情而創(chuàng)設(shè)的工作機構(gòu)。
真的嗎?它是如何運作的?
是的,我們意識到新冠疫情是一場巨大危機,然后就迅速行動起來,著手建立了一個項目管理辦公室和一個危機應(yīng)對團隊。同樣,對于長久存在的系統(tǒng)性種族主義,我們也采取了相同的應(yīng)對流程。我們認(rèn)為,這種應(yīng)對方式有助于激發(fā)公司上下的能量和熱情,讓員工借助我們的平臺和產(chǎn)品推動變革。例如,為應(yīng)對新冠疫情,我們專門成立了一個產(chǎn)品團隊,鼓勵公司員工通過電子郵件分享創(chuàng)意。對于種族歧視問題,我們也遵循了相同的流程,這是一個工作流。我們很快就意識到,作為一家公司,我們必須要做好兩方面的工作。
第一項工作是什么?
雖然我們一直致力于多樣性,但進展緩慢,我們?nèi)匀挥泻艽蟮牟罹唷K晕覀儽仨毾露Q心,更加努力地工作,以切實改變公司內(nèi)部的非洲裔代表性。我們覺得必須從這里開始。如果無法在內(nèi)部解決這個問題,我們就無法推動公司之外的變革,所以這是重中之重。與黑人領(lǐng)袖和社區(qū)成員的對話讓我意識到,有一些事情我們顯然可以做得更好。比如,我們過去把多樣性培訓(xùn)、反種族主義培訓(xùn)作為一件單獨的事情來做。我們?nèi)绾伟阉掀饋恚屆课粏T工參與其中,并以此為例推動結(jié)構(gòu)變革?
你認(rèn)為還有什么原因?qū)е履銈兊亩鄻有詳?shù)字增長緩慢?
就黑人+員工的實際代表性而言,去年是我們?nèi)〉米畲筮M步的一年,尤其是在科技領(lǐng)域。我們承諾到2025年將這一數(shù)字增加30%。一個小小的說明:當(dāng)公司不斷壯大,員工持續(xù)增加的時候,計算起來實際上是很困難的。為自己設(shè)定目標(biāo),會讓你思考和質(zhì)疑你所做的工作,搞清楚哪一部分行之有效,哪一部分不一定有效果。舉個例子。我們意識到,作為一家公司,我們必須去一些地方建立辦事處,并在擁有多樣性人才的地方進行投資。更重要的是,我們需要確保社區(qū)結(jié)構(gòu)和機構(gòu)為這些人才提供支持,幫助他們過上充實的生活。這就是我們?nèi)ヒ恍┬碌胤降牟糠衷颉T诿靼走@一點之后,我們作出決定:“好吧,讓我們做好長期規(guī)劃,投資于亞特蘭大、華盛頓、芝加哥,以及世界上其他一些我們能真正取得進展的地方。”
留住這些員工往往是最具挑戰(zhàn)性的。
沒錯,我們也意識到,決不能僅僅為了提高代表性而招聘黑人員工。我們必須想清楚,一旦這些員工進入公司,他們的職業(yè)發(fā)展是什么樣的?他們是否覺得自己能真正融入谷歌?所以,我們正在研究公司的工作環(huán)境還有哪些可以改進的地方。
第二項工作聚焦于公司外部。你們是如何作出這種承諾的?
正如我剛才提到的那樣,這跟我們?yōu)閼?yīng)對新冠疫情所做的事情非常相似。我認(rèn)為,我們也可以在公司之外做一整套事情。就我個人來說,我對投資教育,以及利用我們的能力彌合教育差距特別感興趣。舉個例子。我嘗試著了解一些與教育相關(guān)的數(shù)字,但總的感覺是,在美國,大概只有很少的黑人擁有計算機科學(xué)博士學(xué)位。我們聘用了很多博士,那么我們能對這種狀況做點什么呢?我們知道人才就在那里。那么,我們能做些什么來推動有意義的改變呢?我們可以贊助哪些項目?一旦開始這樣思考,我們就意識到機會是非常廣闊的。
包括你們自己的產(chǎn)品嗎?
我們一直在思考如何才能更好地支持黑人擁有的中小型企業(yè)。比如,我們怎樣才能在谷歌地圖等產(chǎn)品中更好地展示這些企業(yè),以便于人們尋找?事實上,在過去幾周,黑人擁有的企業(yè)是一個增勢迅猛的搜索查詢領(lǐng)域。人們試圖理解這些企業(yè),希望給予支持。這就是我的想法。你剛才問這個流程是怎樣的,我的回答似乎長了些。
我想問一下透明度問題。谷歌在2014年首次發(fā)布了一份多樣性報告,當(dāng)時很多人以為它會引發(fā)一波透明度浪潮。但根據(jù)我對《財富》美國500強的了解,提供這項數(shù)據(jù)的公司仍然很少——僅為14%。你認(rèn)為是什么原因?qū)е逻@些大公司不敢發(fā)布這個數(shù)據(jù)?
這是一個很好的問題。改變絕非易事。我認(rèn)為許多企業(yè)不愿發(fā)布這項數(shù)據(jù),是害怕遭到抨擊。我覺得這是部分原因。所有人都在談?wù)撌裁词钦_的企業(yè)社會責(zé)任(CSR)指標(biāo)——諸如少數(shù)族裔代表性、可持續(xù)性之類。在我看來,這項指標(biāo)的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化程度越高,它越有可能成為公司年度報告的組成部分,也許就會在結(jié)構(gòu)方面取得更大的進展。我認(rèn)為,要想把14%這一占比大幅提高,這是個可行之策。我感到潮流正在轉(zhuǎn)變。如果你和我在幾年后進行同樣的對話,這個數(shù)字預(yù)計會有很大的不同。至少這是我的期許。
所以我們經(jīng)常談?wù)撐幕兏铩2粌H僅是谷歌,其實整個科技領(lǐng)域的從業(yè)者都給人以一種模式化印象——頑固且驕傲的技術(shù)男,他們用一種獨特的方式向世界展示自己。媒體從業(yè)者與之相同。金融從業(yè)者是同一個人的不同版本。所以,這項工作需要我們采用大大小小的方式,要求每個人換個角度思考,深呼吸,使用新術(shù)語,克服尷尬場面。你怎么看待文化變革?你知道的,許多公司在推行文化變革時遭遇到內(nèi)部的抵制。對于這些公司的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者,你有何建議?
這是個好問題。首先要說的是,我們?yōu)樘岣呱贁?shù)族裔代表性所做的工作,甚至包括我們多年來為改善性別平衡而付出的努力,都有助于創(chuàng)造一個更加美好的世界。我認(rèn)為,假以時日,科技領(lǐng)域的少數(shù)族裔代表性問題將逐漸好轉(zhuǎn)。比如,在計算機科學(xué)項目中,我發(fā)現(xiàn)這種改變正在發(fā)生。這是其中一部分。我們剛剛討論的培訓(xùn)問題,以及我們近幾個月一直在研發(fā)的新版本,都將成為推動變革的催化劑。我們將找出哪些項目可以在全球范圍內(nèi)擴展,并將其更深入地融入培訓(xùn)之中。事實上,我們正在與加州大學(xué)伯克利分校包容型社會研究所(Othering and Belonging Institute)的主任約翰·鮑威爾合作,開展一場面向整個公司的全面對話,而不再舉行往常的周五例會。(鮑威爾還是加州大學(xué)伯克利分校法律教授,專注于非洲裔美國人和種族問題研究。他喜歡在名字中使用小寫字母。)
我們需要從領(lǐng)導(dǎo)層做起。我認(rèn)為,包括我自己在內(nèi),所有人必須認(rèn)可這個過程。我是移民到這個國家的。對我來說,理解美國的種族關(guān)系經(jīng)歷了一段旅程。每個人都需要經(jīng)歷這樣一個過程。我們需要告知人們這一點:“瞧,我們每個人都在學(xué)習(xí),我們都要明白,就個人層面而言,我們每個人都需要變化。我認(rèn)為這很重要。”
媒體現(xiàn)在應(yīng)該做什么?或者說,你對《財富》雜志有何期待?
你剛才談到透明度時提到,目前只有14%的《財富》美國500強企業(yè)發(fā)布多樣性數(shù)據(jù)。我認(rèn)為,媒體需要督促每家大公司負(fù)起責(zé)任,以確保我們不僅僅是發(fā)布相關(guān)指標(biāo)。隨著時間的推移,我們將設(shè)定更多的可問責(zé)目標(biāo),作為一家公司,我們需要在某些領(lǐng)域有所改進,但我認(rèn)為《財富》雜志在提升頂級公司的覺悟方面發(fā)揮著獨特的作用。務(wù)必要意識到,頂級公司對所有這些問題有著非同小可的影響力。所以我認(rèn)為這是一種非常有效的推動方式。(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:任文科
“如此多的人開始關(guān)注種族平等問題,這感覺就像是一個罕見的歷史性時刻。”谷歌和Alphabet的首席執(zhí)行官桑達(dá)爾·皮查伊通過視頻通信服務(wù)Google Meet告訴《財富》雜志。此次訪談旨在討論皮查伊于6月18日發(fā)布的長篇公告。他在該聲明中做出了一系列致力于推動種族平等的新承諾,其中包括增加黑人高管人數(shù),并設(shè)定了一項新目標(biāo):到2025年將代表性不足群體在領(lǐng)導(dǎo)層的比例提高30%。
在這份聲明中,皮查伊誓言要與黑人員工展開更深入的合作,以解決過去阻礙他們在公司獲得充分代表的文化壁壘。“我還將召集一個包括谷歌黑人+社區(qū)(Black+)高級成員在內(nèi)的特別工作組,就招聘、雇用、績效管理、職業(yè)發(fā)展和人才留用等所有影響谷歌黑人員工體驗的領(lǐng)域,制定具體的問責(zé)建議和提案。”他寫道。
為了催生公司之外的機會,谷歌擬投入逾1.75億美元啟動“經(jīng)濟機會一攬子計劃”,助力黑人企業(yè)主、創(chuàng)業(yè)者、開發(fā)人員和求職者實現(xiàn)夢想。除了為企業(yè)主提供融資和補助,為求職者提供技能再培訓(xùn)之外,皮查伊還將撥款約1億美元,參與到黑人領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的初創(chuàng)企業(yè)和資本公司之中,其中包括由創(chuàng)始管理合伙人Lo Toney在GV(原谷歌風(fēng)投)內(nèi)部孵化,注重多樣性的風(fēng)投基金Plexo Capital。
為實現(xiàn)這些承諾,皮查伊召開了一系列內(nèi)部會議,其中包括一個種族與公平“危機應(yīng)對小組”,其參考模板正是谷歌為應(yīng)對新冠疫情而創(chuàng)設(shè)的工作機構(gòu)(詳情見下文)。皮查伊希望其他公司也能制定類似的宏大目標(biāo),并進一步提升種族平等措施的透明度。他告訴《財富》雜志,僅僅發(fā)布相關(guān)指標(biāo)是不夠的。“務(wù)必要意識到,頂級公司對于所有這些問題有著非同小可的影響力。”他說,“隨著時間的推移,我們將設(shè)定更多的可問責(zé)目標(biāo)。作為一家公司,我們需要在某些領(lǐng)域有所改進,但我認(rèn)為《財富》雜志在提升頂級公司的覺悟方面發(fā)揮著獨特的作用。”
以下是我們的對話實錄。為節(jié)省篇幅和清晰起見,我們對其稍加編輯。
《財富》:長期以來,我們一直在處理和討論種族、平等、包容、警察和刑事司法等問題。你認(rèn)為此刻有什么不同?
桑達(dá)爾·皮查伊:這是個很好的問題。先撇開為什么現(xiàn)在成為轉(zhuǎn)折點不談,目睹這場運動本身就是一件非同尋常的事情。它不僅僅局限于美國。我在巴黎,甚至在公司內(nèi)部,親歷了“黑人的命也是命”抗議活動,我從來沒有見過這樣的事情。我們?yōu)檫@場運動的相關(guān)事業(yè)開展了一場配捐活動。無論是從參與人數(shù),還是從募集到的金額來看,這都是我們公司歷史上規(guī)模最大的一次。(谷歌每年為每位員工匹配最多1萬美元的捐款。)
我們準(zhǔn)備在下周做的一些工作,將充分反映這是一個多么獨特的時刻。甚至在我們的搜索引擎中,許多術(shù)語的搜索量也創(chuàng)下了歷史新高。人們都在查詢這些話題,試圖了解更多。
所以,可以肯定的是,如此多的人開始關(guān)注種族平等問題,這感覺就像是一個罕見的歷史性時刻。很顯然,黑人社區(qū)長久以來的經(jīng)歷正在成為世人關(guān)注的焦點。
你們是如何制定應(yīng)對計劃的?從哪里開始?
在過去的幾周,我們與公司內(nèi)部所稱的“黑人領(lǐng)袖顧問小組”,以及“谷歌黑人網(wǎng)絡(luò)”(Black Googler Network,這是谷歌更廣泛的黑人+社區(qū)的組成部分)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者進行了一系列對話。種族平等是一段漫長的旅程。我以前也聽過這種說法,但在這種背景下聆聽他們的故事,讓我更加深刻地意識到,系統(tǒng)性的種族主義顯然不僅僅是執(zhí)法層面的問題,它還彌漫于住房、教育、醫(yī)療和工作場所等領(lǐng)域,對嗎?所以我認(rèn)為,現(xiàn)在的問題是如何才能利用這一契機,將其轉(zhuǎn)化為持久的注意力和努力來創(chuàng)造改變。
我已經(jīng)預(yù)覽了你的聲明,這是一個很長的行動清單。你能介紹幾個你希望產(chǎn)生非凡影響的舉措嗎?所有這些措施都將產(chǎn)生影響,但你肯定對其中一些尤為期待。
是的,很明顯,多樣性和包容性一直是我們公司的核心價值觀之一。我們始終在為之努力,并取得進展。所以說,這是我們一直在做的工作。作為其中的一部分,在首席多樣性官梅洛尼·帕克的引領(lǐng)下,我們建立了完善的團隊,我們擁有一個多樣性包容團隊。在過去的幾周里,我們與“黑人領(lǐng)袖顧問小組”和黑人+社區(qū)進行了深入的協(xié)商。在公司內(nèi)部,我覺得這是很多谷歌人愿意花時間聚在一起,從事志愿活動的領(lǐng)域之一。因此,我們在過去兩周建立了一個公正項目管理辦公室,其參考模板正是我們?yōu)閼?yīng)對新冠疫情而創(chuàng)設(shè)的工作機構(gòu)。
真的嗎?它是如何運作的?
是的,我們意識到新冠疫情是一場巨大危機,然后就迅速行動起來,著手建立了一個項目管理辦公室和一個危機應(yīng)對團隊。同樣,對于長久存在的系統(tǒng)性種族主義,我們也采取了相同的應(yīng)對流程。我們認(rèn)為,這種應(yīng)對方式有助于激發(fā)公司上下的能量和熱情,讓員工借助我們的平臺和產(chǎn)品推動變革。例如,為應(yīng)對新冠疫情,我們專門成立了一個產(chǎn)品團隊,鼓勵公司員工通過電子郵件分享創(chuàng)意。對于種族歧視問題,我們也遵循了相同的流程,這是一個工作流。我們很快就意識到,作為一家公司,我們必須要做好兩方面的工作。
第一項工作是什么?
雖然我們一直致力于多樣性,但進展緩慢,我們?nèi)匀挥泻艽蟮牟罹唷K晕覀儽仨毾露Q心,更加努力地工作,以切實改變公司內(nèi)部的非洲裔代表性。我們覺得必須從這里開始。如果無法在內(nèi)部解決這個問題,我們就無法推動公司之外的變革,所以這是重中之重。與黑人領(lǐng)袖和社區(qū)成員的對話讓我意識到,有一些事情我們顯然可以做得更好。比如,我們過去把多樣性培訓(xùn)、反種族主義培訓(xùn)作為一件單獨的事情來做。我們?nèi)绾伟阉掀饋恚屆课粏T工參與其中,并以此為例推動結(jié)構(gòu)變革?
你認(rèn)為還有什么原因?qū)е履銈兊亩鄻有詳?shù)字增長緩慢?
就黑人+員工的實際代表性而言,去年是我們?nèi)〉米畲筮M步的一年,尤其是在科技領(lǐng)域。我們承諾到2025年將這一數(shù)字增加30%。一個小小的說明:當(dāng)公司不斷壯大,員工持續(xù)增加的時候,計算起來實際上是很困難的。為自己設(shè)定目標(biāo),會讓你思考和質(zhì)疑你所做的工作,搞清楚哪一部分行之有效,哪一部分不一定有效果。舉個例子。我們意識到,作為一家公司,我們必須去一些地方建立辦事處,并在擁有多樣性人才的地方進行投資。更重要的是,我們需要確保社區(qū)結(jié)構(gòu)和機構(gòu)為這些人才提供支持,幫助他們過上充實的生活。這就是我們?nèi)ヒ恍┬碌胤降牟糠衷颉T诿靼走@一點之后,我們作出決定:“好吧,讓我們做好長期規(guī)劃,投資于亞特蘭大、華盛頓、芝加哥,以及世界上其他一些我們能真正取得進展的地方。”
留住這些員工往往是最具挑戰(zhàn)性的。
沒錯,我們也意識到,決不能僅僅為了提高代表性而招聘黑人員工。我們必須想清楚,一旦這些員工進入公司,他們的職業(yè)發(fā)展是什么樣的?他們是否覺得自己能真正融入谷歌?所以,我們正在研究公司的工作環(huán)境還有哪些可以改進的地方。
第二項工作聚焦于公司外部。你們是如何作出這種承諾的?
正如我剛才提到的那樣,這跟我們?yōu)閼?yīng)對新冠疫情所做的事情非常相似。我認(rèn)為,我們也可以在公司之外做一整套事情。就我個人來說,我對投資教育,以及利用我們的能力彌合教育差距特別感興趣。舉個例子。我嘗試著了解一些與教育相關(guān)的數(shù)字,但總的感覺是,在美國,大概只有很少的黑人擁有計算機科學(xué)博士學(xué)位。我們聘用了很多博士,那么我們能對這種狀況做點什么呢?我們知道人才就在那里。那么,我們能做些什么來推動有意義的改變呢?我們可以贊助哪些項目?一旦開始這樣思考,我們就意識到機會是非常廣闊的。
包括你們自己的產(chǎn)品嗎?
我們一直在思考如何才能更好地支持黑人擁有的中小型企業(yè)。比如,我們怎樣才能在谷歌地圖等產(chǎn)品中更好地展示這些企業(yè),以便于人們尋找?事實上,在過去幾周,黑人擁有的企業(yè)是一個增勢迅猛的搜索查詢領(lǐng)域。人們試圖理解這些企業(yè),希望給予支持。這就是我的想法。你剛才問這個流程是怎樣的,我的回答似乎長了些。
我想問一下透明度問題。谷歌在2014年首次發(fā)布了一份多樣性報告,當(dāng)時很多人以為它會引發(fā)一波透明度浪潮。但根據(jù)我對《財富》美國500強的了解,提供這項數(shù)據(jù)的公司仍然很少——僅為14%。你認(rèn)為是什么原因?qū)е逻@些大公司不敢發(fā)布這個數(shù)據(jù)?
這是一個很好的問題。改變絕非易事。我認(rèn)為許多企業(yè)不愿發(fā)布這項數(shù)據(jù),是害怕遭到抨擊。我覺得這是部分原因。所有人都在談?wù)撌裁词钦_的企業(yè)社會責(zé)任(CSR)指標(biāo)——諸如少數(shù)族裔代表性、可持續(xù)性之類。在我看來,這項指標(biāo)的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化程度越高,它越有可能成為公司年度報告的組成部分,也許就會在結(jié)構(gòu)方面取得更大的進展。我認(rèn)為,要想把14%這一占比大幅提高,這是個可行之策。我感到潮流正在轉(zhuǎn)變。如果你和我在幾年后進行同樣的對話,這個數(shù)字預(yù)計會有很大的不同。至少這是我的期許。
所以我們經(jīng)常談?wù)撐幕兏铩2粌H僅是谷歌,其實整個科技領(lǐng)域的從業(yè)者都給人以一種模式化印象——頑固且驕傲的技術(shù)男,他們用一種獨特的方式向世界展示自己。媒體從業(yè)者與之相同。金融從業(yè)者是同一個人的不同版本。所以,這項工作需要我們采用大大小小的方式,要求每個人換個角度思考,深呼吸,使用新術(shù)語,克服尷尬場面。你怎么看待文化變革?你知道的,許多公司在推行文化變革時遭遇到內(nèi)部的抵制。對于這些公司的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者,你有何建議?
這是個好問題。首先要說的是,我們?yōu)樘岣呱贁?shù)族裔代表性所做的工作,甚至包括我們多年來為改善性別平衡而付出的努力,都有助于創(chuàng)造一個更加美好的世界。我認(rèn)為,假以時日,科技領(lǐng)域的少數(shù)族裔代表性問題將逐漸好轉(zhuǎn)。比如,在計算機科學(xué)項目中,我發(fā)現(xiàn)這種改變正在發(fā)生。這是其中一部分。我們剛剛討論的培訓(xùn)問題,以及我們近幾個月一直在研發(fā)的新版本,都將成為推動變革的催化劑。我們將找出哪些項目可以在全球范圍內(nèi)擴展,并將其更深入地融入培訓(xùn)之中。事實上,我們正在與加州大學(xué)伯克利分校包容型社會研究所(Othering and Belonging Institute)的主任約翰·鮑威爾合作,開展一場面向整個公司的全面對話,而不再舉行往常的周五例會。(鮑威爾還是加州大學(xué)伯克利分校法律教授,專注于非洲裔美國人和種族問題研究。他喜歡在名字中使用小寫字母。)
我們需要從領(lǐng)導(dǎo)層做起。我認(rèn)為,包括我自己在內(nèi),所有人必須認(rèn)可這個過程。我是移民到這個國家的。對我來說,理解美國的種族關(guān)系經(jīng)歷了一段旅程。每個人都需要經(jīng)歷這樣一個過程。我們需要告知人們這一點:“瞧,我們每個人都在學(xué)習(xí),我們都要明白,就個人層面而言,我們每個人都需要變化。我認(rèn)為這很重要。”
媒體現(xiàn)在應(yīng)該做什么?或者說,你對《財富》雜志有何期待?
你剛才談到透明度時提到,目前只有14%的《財富》美國500強企業(yè)發(fā)布多樣性數(shù)據(jù)。我認(rèn)為,媒體需要督促每家大公司負(fù)起責(zé)任,以確保我們不僅僅是發(fā)布相關(guān)指標(biāo)。隨著時間的推移,我們將設(shè)定更多的可問責(zé)目標(biāo),作為一家公司,我們需要在某些領(lǐng)域有所改進,但我認(rèn)為《財富》雜志在提升頂級公司的覺悟方面發(fā)揮著獨特的作用。務(wù)必要意識到,頂級公司對所有這些問題有著非同小可的影響力。所以我認(rèn)為這是一種非常有效的推動方式。(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:任文科
“[This] feels like a one of those rare moments, capturing awareness at scale,” Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, told Fortune via Google Meet. We were meeting to discuss a lengthy announcement of new commitments to racial equity that Pichai made yesterday, including increasing black employees at senior levels and a new goal to increase leadership representation of underrepresented groups by 30% by 2025.
In the announcement, Pichai vows to work more deeply with black employees to address the cultural barriers that have prevented the company from full representation in the past. “I’m also convening a task force, including senior members of the Black+ community at Google, to develop concrete recommendations and proposals for accountability across all of the areas that affect the Black+ Googler experience, from recruiting and hiring, to performance management, to career progression and retention,” he wrote.
To help fuel opportunity outside of the company, Google is dedicating more than $175 million to an “economic opportunity package” that will target black business owners, startup founders, developers, and job seekers. In addition to financing and grants for business owners and reskilling training for job seekers, Pichai is directing some $100 million in funding participation in black-led startups and capital firms, including Plexo Capital, a diversity-minded venture fund, incubated inside GV (formerly Google Ventures) by founding managing partner Lo Toney.
To reach these commitments, Pichai convened a series of internal meetings, including a race and equity “crisis response team,” modeled on one the company used to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. (Read more on that below.) Pichai hopes that other companies will set similarly big goals and become more transparent in their efforts to achieve racial equity. Sharing metrics isn’t enough, he tells Fortune. “I think it's important to realize the top companies have a disproportionate impact on all of this,” he says. “There are more accountable goals over time, and there are areas where we are improving as a company, but I think Fortune plays a unique role in the mindshare it has amongst the top companies.”
Below is a record of our conversation, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Fortune: We’ve been dealing with and discussing issues of race, equity, inclusion, and police and criminal justice for a long time. What do you think is different about this moment?
Pichai: I think it's a good question as to why this is the tipping point now, but it's been extraordinary to see it, that it's not just in the U.S. For me, watching the Black Lives Matter protest in Paris—even within the company—I've never quite seen anything like that. When we did the gift-matching campaign [for causes related to the Black Lives movement], it was the largest participation ever in terms of number of people and the amount raised in our entire history as a company. [Google matches donations of up to $10,000 per employee per year.]
I think next week we are doing some work to reflect how unique a moment it is. Even in our Search—many terms hit all-time highs they've never seen before across all these topics and from people querying around all this.
So, for sure, it feels like one of those rare moments capturing awareness at scale, obviously what's been long-lived experiences for members of our black community.
How did you formulate your plan to respond? Where did you start?
Over the last couple of weeks, we had a series of conversations with what we internally call our Black Leader Advisory Group, as well as leaders from our Black Googler Network, which is part of the wider Black+ community at Google. It's been a long journey. I've heard it before, but to hear stories, particularly in this context, it's clear that there is systemic racism that permeates not just dealings with law enforcement, but be it housing, be it education, be it health care and in the workplace, right? And so I think the question is how can we capture the moment and translate it into attention and effort that sustains over time to create change.
I’ve previewed your announcement and it’s a long list of actions. Could you identify a couple of initiatives that you’re hopeful will have an unusual impact? All of them will have impacts, but some that you're really hopeful about.
Yeah, obviously diversity and inclusion has been one of our core values as a company. We've been working hard to try and make progress. And so, there's been an ongoing effort, and as part of that, we have well-established teams with our chief diversity officer, Melonie Parker, and we have a diversity inclusion team. Through the past few weeks, we have consulted deeply with the Black Advisory Leadership Group and our Black+ community, and internally it's one of the areas where I felt a lot of Google has come together to volunteer and spend their time. So, we set up an equity project management office for the past two weeks. We modeled some of the setup around how we responded to COVID-19.
Really? How did that work?
So, we realized when we saw COVID-19 as a crisis, we kicked into gear and set up a project management office and a crisis response team. We brought that same process to bear while this [systemic racism] is an ongoing long-term problem. We realized, if we responded that way, we could capture the energy and the desire from the company to make change also using our platform and products. So, for example, for COVID-19, we set up a products team where people from around the company could email ideas. We followed the same process for this, and that was one work stream. And as part of that, we quickly realized there has to be two broad buckets of what we can do as a company.
What was the first?
While we've been committed to [diversity], progress has been slow, and we still have big gaps. And so we have to commit ourselves and do the work even harder to make real change in where our internal representation is. We feel it has to start there. If we can't address that, I don't think we are in a position to drive change outside our walls, and so that's been a big focus. In conversations with black leaders and members from the community, it's been clear that there are a few things we could do better. For example, in the past, we have had diversity training, anti-racism training as a separate thing. How do we integrate it, make it more part of something which everyone goes through, as an example of how do you more structurally drive change?
What else do you think is behind the slow progress in your diversity numbers?
Last year was one of our biggest progress years in terms of actual representation of Black+ employees, particularly in tech. We are committing to a 30% increase by 2025. And, small note—when you’re a company that’s growing and adding people, the math of it is actually harder. Committing ourselves makes you think and question what is the part of the work you've been doing that's working well? What's the part of it just not necessarily working well? One example: We realize we have to, as a company, go to places and establish offices and invest where there is diverse talent available—and more importantly, they’re available in a way in which people have the community structures and institutions which will support them and help them live in a way that is fulfilling. And so it's part of us going to these newer places. It's understanding and saying, "Okay, let's do long-term planning to invest in Atlanta, in D.C., in Chicago, and other places around the world that we can actually make progress."
The retention piece is often the most challenging.
For us, it's also been a realization that it's not just hiring for representation, but it's about once people are in, what does their career progression look like? How do they feel included within Google? So [we’re looking at] what happens in the context of a workplace and where we can improve.
So the second bucket is the externally focused? How did you make commitments there?
As I mentioned, drawing parallel to what we did with COVID, I think there's a whole set of stuff we can do externally as well. For me, I'm particularly interested in investing in education and using our ability to close the gaps there. For example—I think, I'm trying to understand the numbers—but I think there are roughly a very small number of black Ph.D.s graduating in computer science in the U.S.. We hire a lot of Ph.D.s, so what is it that we can do? We know the talent is there. So, what is it that we can do to meaningfully make change? What funding can we do? What are the programs that we can sponsor? So it's about thinking like that, and once we start thinking like that, we realize the opportunity is very broad.
Does this include your own products?
[Thinking about] how can we better support black-owned small/medium businesses—how can we better showcase them in our products like Google Maps when people are coming looking for it? In fact, black-owned businesses, it's been an area where we see a tremendous rise in search queries for the past few weeks. People trying to understand that and people wanting to support them. So, it's bringing all of that, so a long answer to your question of what the process has been.
I want to ask about transparency. You first released your diversity report in 2014, and a lot of people thought it was going to ignite a wave of transparency. But in my world of the Fortune 500, the number of companies making this data available is still low—barely 14%. What do you think makes people afraid?
I think it's a great question. I think change is hard. I think people are afraid of being criticized. I think that's part of it. I think all of us are talking about what are the right CSR—corporate social responsibility—metrics, and be it representation, be it sustainability. I think the more we can standardize and actually make it more a part of the annual reporting we all do as companies, and maybe making progress more structurally—I think that’s the way to increase the numbers from 14% to much, much higher numbers. I think the tide is turning. I think if you and I have this same conversation in a few years, I expect the numbers to be significantly different. At least that's the hope I have.
So we’re often talking about culture change—and not just Google, but technology in general—has a certain stereotypical type of a person, perhaps a tech bro who's maybe resistant, very proud, has a very specific way of presenting themselves in the world. Media has the same person. Finance has a different version of the same person. So part of the work is asking in a variety of small and big ways for individual people to think differently, to take a breath, to use a new term, to push past some awkwardness. How do you think about culture change? What’s your advice for any leader who's facing their version of resistance inside to these kinds of changes?
It's a good question. First of all, our work on representation—even our work we have done to get better gender balance over the years—all of that contributes to a better environment and world. I think the nature of tech representation is slowly changing over time. When I look at computer science programs, I can see that change underway. That's a part of it. The training, which we are talking about, the new version, we've been working on this for a few months—I think this becomes a catalyst for it, to find programs which we can scale globally and make it more integrated in training as part of what everyone asks. In fact, we are having a full conversation for the entire company in lieu of our normal TGIF meeting, with john powell, who runs the Othering and Belonging Institute at Berkeley. [powell is also a professor of law, African-American studies, and ethnic studies at the University of California at Berkeley. He prefers to use lowercase letters in his name.]
We need to model it from leadership. I think we—all of us, including myself—have to acknowledge the process. I was an immigrant to this country, and it's been a journey for me to understand race relations in America, and it's been a learning and so acknowledging that to people and saying, "Look, all of us are learning, and we understand that there's work at an individual level for all of us to take the change. I think it's important."
What should media be doing now? Or Fortune?
I think you asked this question about [diversity data from Fortune 500 companies] transparency being at 14%. I think holding all of us accountable to make sure that we're not just sharing metrics. There are more accountable goals over time, and there are areas where we are improving as a company, but I think Fortune plays a unique role in the mindshare it has amongst the top companies. I think it's important to realize the top companies have a disproportionate impact on all of this. And so I think it's a very impactful way to drive it.