The “Wilson Rule,” named after Xerox’s
first CEO Joe Wilson, covers all management and executive-level
positions, much like the “Rooney Rule” that requires one minority
candidate be interviewed for every head coaching vacancy in the National
Football League.
Xerox — led by Ursula Burns, the first
female African-American CEO of a Fortune 500 company — announced the new
initiative in conjunction with President Barack Obama and the White
House’s first Demo Day, aimed at bringing greater diversity to the tech
world.
The White House effort showcased work by more than
30 startup teams of women, minorities and young people — all
underrepresented in entrepreneurship. The exhibits ranged from
early-stage technology to consumer products. About 3 percent of
America’s venture capital-backed startups are led by women; around 1
percent are led by African-Americans. About 4 percent of U.S.-based
venture capital investors are women, according to the Whie House.
“Xerox
has been in this game a very, very long time,” said Damika Arnold,
global diversity and inclusion leader at Xerox. “What we have decided to
do as a company is reinvigorate our efforts.”
Outside
the U.S., Xerox would require that one woman be included in the final
pool of qualified candidates. Not addressed — at least not yet — is
whether and how to ensure the diversity of those making the hiring
decisions. Arnold said the rule is still evolving. Wilson’s Rule will be
implemented beginning in the fourth quarter of this year, Arnold said.
“Our
first goal was really to figure out what type of rule would be
beneficial to us,” she said. “This is where the real work begins, to
figure out how this works in the real world.”
Xerox
claims to stack up well nationally when it comes to diversity, with 28
percent of executive-level positions filled by women; 13 percent by
minorities. Women account for 41 percent of managers globally, while
minorities account for 24 percent of managers in the U.S., Damika said.
The Wilson Rule evolved from a companywide project earlier this year,
focused on the management and executive ranks, that looked at diversity
in hiring. While numbers were not low from an industry standpoint, she
said.
“We think people are hiring from small, non-diverse
applicant pools,” she said. “Even though diversity numbers are good,
comparative to the industry.”
Separately, USA TODAY reported
that the National Venture Capital Association pledged concrete steps to
increase diversity, from assessing and sharing company diversity,
sharing model human resources policies and helping diversify the next
generation of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists by participating in
career programs that work with diverse populations.
BDSHARP@DemocratandChronicle.com
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
