IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016 - 10

IIDA Industry Roundtable

The focus of the 2016 IIDA Industry Roundtable was Design &
Diversity: Why Gender, Equity, and Multidisciplinary
Thinking are Essential to Business. Moderated by Cheryl Durst,
Hon. FIIDA, LEED AP, the discussion considered diversity in its
fullest meaning (racial, gender, generational, cognitive, etc.).
It proved an especially rich and intriguing subject that's germane
to business, yet highly personal-one's view of it being shaped
by his or her life experiences and value system.
Myriad studies conducted across all industry
sectors have demonstrated that a diverse and
inclusive workforce is a competitive advantage,
a driver of innovation that's good for creativity
and for the bottom line. Diverse companies
perform better financially, solve problems faster
and more innovatively, and are more immune
to the perils of groupthink.
The benefits of a pluralist staff have even been
proven by mathematical modeling, notably in
"The Difference: How the Power of Diversity
Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and
Societies," by Scott E. Page. In a New York Times
interview, Page explained that his research
showed "diverse groups of problem-solvers
outperformed the groups of the best individuals
at solving problems. The reason: The diverse
groups got stuck less often than the smart
individuals, who tended to think similarly."
Want to nurture truly inspired ideas and design
solutions? Don't bother assembling your "A-team"
for the project; you are better served by curating
a heterogeneous mix.

But despite awareness of diversity's social and
monetary value, many firms and organizations
don't do everything in their power to both
engender and support it-particularly with respect
to racial and ethnic diversity. And though interior
design doesn't suffer from the degree of inequality
that plagues the film industry (see: the 2016
Academy Awards and "The 4%: Film's Gender
Problem"), there is absolutely a gender imbalance
at the very top: Only 25% of firm leaders are female.
These are urgent matters that we don't always treat
as such. But the health and well-being of our
profession depends upon committed, tenacious,
and unflagging efforts to create a diverse and
inclusive workforce. Passivity is not an option.
IIDA is making strides toward a corrective. In the
galvanizing and idealistic spirit of the weekend,
the event culminated with the groundbreaking
formation of the IIDA Diversity Council-the
design industry's first such body. Chaired by
Milliken's Stacy Walker, Ind. IIDA, and with an
inaugural membership comprised of the 29
roundtable participants (a mix of manufacturer
and design representatives), the council's first act
was creating a diversity intention statement for the
profession. Among other benchmarks, the council
will fund diversity research, promote diversity
resources, and develop a curriculum that
encourages students of diverse backgrounds to
pursue design careers. All such initiatives are
intended to support designers, firms, and manufacturers in their own vital efforts to improve
diversity in their ranks.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2016