Optica Corporate Member Insights: Marvell's Mandisa Diggs on the Future of DE&I
Becky Bosco, Senior Director of Corporate Communications, Optica
Mandisa Diggs is Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity at Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRVL), a leader in data infrastructure semiconductor solutions, a position she held since October 2020. Diggs works with the organization’s leadership team to develop policies, practices and programs that advance DE&I within the company. She also develops DE&I events in the communities where Marvell employees live and work.
Diggs has more than 20 years of experience in DE&I, for a range of companies and industries. Previously, she was a diversity and inclusion strategist at GE, Ford, Cisco and Meta (formerly Facebook).
Here, she discusses the importance of DE&I to the workplace of the future, the role of DE&I in leadership and three actions for technology leaders today.
Why is DE&I important to the workplace of the future?
Diversity, equity and inclusion are critical to the workplace now and will only continue to rise in importance in the future. Organizations today need to have diversity on teams and diversity of thought to bring innovative products and services to market. Additionally, there is a competitive advantage to diverse organizations as they are able to attract and retain top talent. It’s about attracting the best and brightest around the world. Prospective employees often ask about the culture of an organization during the hiring process and diversity is part of the dialogue. They want to know what the organization is doing to foster a diverse organization and if they join their perspectives will be valued. Today’s employees also want to join organizations with cultures built with intentionality for an equitable experience.
Gen Z, the most recent generation to enter the workforce, is already the most racially/ethnically diverse generation yet. According to Pew Research, 62% of Gen Z’ers see diversity as good for society and show support for organizations who have a diverse workforce. They expect brands to take a stand on issues of social justice and will act on those values.
At the same time, they are also more likely to leave a current job if their employer hasn’t done enough to address social justice issues. Gen Z is more comfortable than previous generations with gender-neutral pronouns, nonbinary and differing gender identities and LGBTQ-friendly policies. They embrace neurodiversity and support disability inclusion.
Research study after study shows organizations that are more diverse and inclusive perform better on every measure. Diversity, not sameness, is what leads to greater creativity and innovation. Without diversity, companies won’t have a future.
What role does leadership play in driving greater DE&I in an organization?
The leadership presence is pivotal. It’s not a little role; it’s the role! You can’t truly call yourself an organizational leader if you’re not actively working to drive greater diversity, equity and inclusion. According to the Deloitte digital maturity model, the transition point for change is at leader-lead. It’s at leader-lead for a reason because now we have responsibility being spread throughout the organization.
Organizations often place diversity efforts within the role of human resources but in order to drive culture, it’s up to the senior leaders to model what they expect. Senior leaders need to model their expectations on diversity, share what’s working and what’s not, and be willing to pivot for change. Ultimately, it starts to embed diversity into the DNA of the organization’s culture. Diversity improves the overall health of an organization.
Is DE&I imperative to organizations today?
Those who treat DE&I as optional are on a path to obsolescence. Organizations desire a range of creativity and innovative thinking and diverse representation on their teams but every organization is at a different place in its DE&I journey. Employees want to work with organizations where they can see themselves in leadership and feel a sense of belonging. Diversity, equity and inclusion is more than food, fun and flags during calendared commemorative moments. DE&I work is the work of organizational transformation. It’s deep, thoughtful, strategic-systems work.
What are three actions organizations can take in DE&I?
- Ask themselves “why?” Do they know what they want to achieve and why? Clarity is needed to expectation-set on results. Too often I see leaders outsource their DE&I commitment to others while they focus on the “real work.” They check a box that that it is “done.” However, when the top leaders of the organization are visible champions and they participate in the learning and attend events, it sends a huge message to the organization that DE&I is important. Understand the why and continue to assess against it.
- What are they willing to invest? Understand what risks the organization is willing to make to commit to change. Leaders need to have a growth mindset in order to be willing to take calculated risks for growth.
- How will you measure your DE&I program? Today, leaders must build their DE&I IQ in addition to their traditional business or research skillset. Leaders must model their diversity expectations and discuss the results within their organization.
In 2022, Marvell published an Inclusion and Diversity Strategy to create a “workplace of the future,” where every person can fully realize their potential and be empowered to do their best work. Targeted recruitment campaigns help us directly reach underrepresented groups. We provide comprehensive, market-competitive compensation and benefits globally and consider them a key priority for attracting and keeping top talent. Each year, we evaluate the “why,” identify growth opportunities and benchmark our diversity and inclusion programs against our industry peers to ensure we maintain competitiveness in each of our markets.
As a fabless semiconductor company, Marvell believes human and labor rights risks are related to the workplace practices of our suppliers. We work to reduce these risks where we can by upholding strong human rights and supporting fair labor rights through policies and practices, and responding to any concerns or violations. Marvell’s Human Rights Policy reflects our commitment to protecting the human rights of all people and is aligned with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labor Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
Diggs joined Marvell because of the organizational commitment to creating and fostering an inclusive, diverse and engaging workplace where people feel fulfilled, inspired and motivated to learn and grow both personally and professionally. Marvell leadership values the uniqueness that a diverse global team brings to our company and we are focused on creating an environment that fully leverages the perspectives and contributions of every individual. We’ve launched a number of initiatives since 2020, and the company is focused on making continuous progress in this important area.
Learn more and get involved with Optica’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives:
We unite a diverse, worldwide population of students, scientists, engineers and professionals. We are committed to being inclusive. We strive to provide an atmosphere in which all people feel valued and respected and have access to the same opportunities. To remove barriers, we are investing in a growing and impactful suite of funding, programing and engagement opportunities. We invite you to join us in our unwavering commitment to address challenges and help us pave the way for a brighter and more inclusive future.
Contact us: diversity@optica.org
