Affirmative Action - Part 2

The phrase “affirmative action” evokes strong emotions from supporters and opponents. The 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers, however, provide a perfect example of how affirmative action is supposed to work and how affirmative action helps organizations excel. The president of the Dodgers, Branch Rickey, recognized that he was fishing for employees from the same pond as every other baseball team. The more that pond is fished, the harder it is to find good talent. If you find another pond where no one else is fishing, however, it’s much easier to find talented employees.

If Branch Rickey were alive today and president of any organization, what would he do? First, he would actively pursue talented people from diverse backgrounds. Rickey didn’t wait for Jackie Robinson to beat down his door. Instead, Rickey sent scouts into the Negro Leagues to find the most talented players. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone say “I’m willing to hire minorities, they’re just not applying.” There’s an easy solution to this problem…it’s called recruiting.

If Rickey were alive today, he would also willingly pursue talented people from diverse backgrounds. One of my favorite parts of the Jackie Robinson story is that Rickey voluntarily pursued Robinson. In other words, there was no government intervention requiring Rickey to do so. In fact, I love the freedom most organizations have to not use affirmative action. That makes it easier for companies like the Dodgers to beat companies like the Red Sox (who didn’t integrate until 1959 and never finished above third place during the 1950s).

Branch Rickey also demonstrated the first-mover advantage. By being the first team to integrate, the Dodgers established a reputation as an organization that valued talented employees regardless of their skin color. This reputation allowed them to quickly recruit other talented African-Americans like Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe. If Rickey were alive today, he would love finding untapped pools of talent where he could be the first.

These principles are probably not surprising to anyone. What is surprising, however, is the number of organizations that are not practicing these principles. I wonder what would happen to the U.S. economy if every company actively and willingly recruited, hired, and promoted the most talented individuals instead of friends, relatives, fraternity brothers, and people that make us comfortable. I’m pretty sure we would have fewer companies like Enron and more companies like Southwest Airlines. I’m also pretty sure there would be more than 10 female CEOs leading Fortune 500 companies.

I honestly don’t believe that most companies consciously and willfully exclude females and minorities from leadership positions. Instead, I think the evidence is pretty overwhelming that discrimination can occur accidentally and unconsciously. The assumptions and stereotypes that drive discrimination are so deeply ingrained that even the best of us are not aware when it’s happening. The fact that it can happen accidentally makes it all the more important for leaders to actively and willingly pursue talent in undertapped pools before our competitors do.