The Board Culture Playbook In Action
A Conversation with August Public: How Inclusion & Diversity Help Build Better Boards
The full video transcript will be available soon.
Lori and Barbara discuss the importance of board diversity to maximize board effectiveness, but also clarify that diversity on its own is not enough; we need intentionally inclusive practices to enable the board to unlock the full value of each director, no matter their expertise or seniority.
They argue for the importance of building inclusive norms into the fabric of the board’s operation, and how boards can structure their meetings more effectively, in ways that encourage productive dissent and promote meaningful progress.
They also discuss the valuable role individual directors can play in practicing inclusion towards newer or more marginalized members, and how individual actions can together build a more effective and equitable board culture.
Lori Nishiura Mackenzie is a speaker, researcher and change agent in diversity, equity and inclusion. She is co-founder of the Stanford VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab, and executive editor of the Board Culture Playbook. She has been recognized as a 2022 LinkedIn Top Voice in Gender Equity, a BBC’s 100 Women in 2017, and in 2020 was awarded the CEDAW Human Rights Award, Education, from the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women. She is also on the advisory board at August Public!
Barbara Adachi is a senior consulting executive with extensive experience in business transformation and human capital strategy, talent management, and business operations, including mergers and acquisitions. She was the National Managing Director for Deloitte's Human Capital consulting practice, and the National Managing Principal for Deloitte LLP’s award-winning Women’s Initiative (WIN) from 2007 to 2012.