Recently, I had the opportunity to participate on a panel to address diversity in motorsports. There never seems to be enough time for all the panelists to provide their keen insight. Lyn St. James, one of the founders of Women in Motorsports N.A., talked about the hurdles of being a female racing pioneer, including her famous drives in the Indy 500. General Motors’ Tai Robinson and African American Automotive Association founder Chris Harris shared their uphill climbs on being Black in a sport that was reluctant to open doors for them initially. I addressed STEAM Sports Foundation’s scholarship program for women engineers of color.
As we all touched on diversity, I made an observation. Virtually everyone with whom I cross paths in the industry makes the same claim. Work hard. Put in the time. Help your colleagues. Show that you want to learn, and no matter what diverse group you are part of, we will find a place for you. The only trouble with that position is that as one looks around the industry, only perfunctory progress is being made. That begs the question(s), “Is that claim really sincere or do those making that claim not believe those diverse groups have those qualities?” … which would be quite an indictment.
I’d like to believe that the conflict is not as described but more about intentionality. An organization can’t expect diversity to happen organically. It can’t expect diversity to simply walk through the front door. It has to seek diverse talent. And it has to be intentional about it. Perhaps it doesn’t know where to begin. Ask. On the stage that day were champions from organizations who can direct seekers to much of that diverse talent – if they are serious.
Moderating the panel that day was Cheryl Thompson, CADIA’s executive director. For those not familiar with CADIA (Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion, and Advancement), it does yeoman’s work providing data points, resources, education, classes, and workshops around diversity. Earlier this year, it produced joint research with KPMG called “Driving Diversity” in an effort to unlock the power of diverse workforces for the future of the transportation industry.
So, let’s start there. When we think about the automotive industry (a vast subset within transportation), what are we talking about and how big is it? The industry is significant. It produces more than $2.5 trillion in revenues annually and among the 10 top global industries, three fall into the automotive category: No. 2 automotive sales, No. 7 automotive parts & accessories and No. 8 auto manufacturing.
The panel at SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association), one of the world’s largest automotive conventions, was clearly an appropriate turf. Afterall, many of the innovations that were originally “test-bedded” on the racetrack in motorsports found their way to the consumer vehicle. From the early days of the rearview mirror and the steering wheel to others such as disc brakes, carbon fiber, all-wheel drive, turbo charging, and semi-automatic gears. The list is long.
Significant industry. Significant topic. Diversity. Is diversity making gains in the automotive and motorsports industries? Or does it even matter?
The CADIA/KPMG study was quite telling. Among the most significant learnings was that while the overall workforce is 47% female, only 24% of automotive’s workforce are women. The study had data points on women, minorities, and female minorities within the industry. All sectors lagged when compared to the overall workforce, often significantly.
STEAM Sports Foundation had an interest in determining the percentage of minority female engineers in motorsports. That’s what it does – provides scholarship aid to that demographic who wish to pursue careers as engineers in the automotive/motorsports industry. While that criteria was not specifically a part of the CADIA/KPMG study, with a bit of subjective calculating and reverse engineering, it was determined that minority female motorsports engineers make up about .001% (or less) of the overall industry.
One might ask, as some have done, are you really trying to push a square peg into a round hole? Afterall, how many women of color really want to enter the machismo world of autoracing, especially as an engineer. There are so many other opportunities among the OEMS for those talents.
The answer: STEAM Sports Foundation believes in making PIONEERS. If someone never sees one who looks like them in a certain profession or having success in that profession, it is easy for them to conclude that there is no opportunity there or that the road is one filled with obstacles. That scenario has been evidenced other places in the sports world.
Ten years ago, there was not a single female official in the National Football League. To many, that was not an oddity. What girl in their right mind would want to officiate football let alone on the highest stage? Fans, coaches, players can be rough on those enforcing the rules. Today, there are nine female officials in the NFL – three on-field and six instant replay officials awaiting their turn. One day there will likely be an entire female officiating crew. Imagine that. Kinda like imagining an entire array of minority female engineers heading a championship race team.
Some still ask the questions why diversity is important and what exactly is diversity. Some incorrectly believe that diversity means giving positions held by the majority race to those who are not. Diversity represents an entire array of human differences. Race, disabilities, sex, sexual orientation, religion, the neurodiverse, veterans, second chances from the judicial system and more.
Diversity is a fact of life in the U.S. That’s how our country was built – with immigrants from all over the world. It is what makes the U.S. unique. Currently, 46% of the U.S. identifies as non-white; 52% are female; 25% (more than 80 million) have some sort of disability.
More importantly, however, are the results for a diverse workforce. A recent “DEI Is Good for Business” ¹ study showed:
Boston Consulting Group – “Companies that are diverse and inclusive outperform those that are not. … companies with higher-than-average management diversity teams reported innovation revenue that was 19 percentage points higher than that of companies with below-average leadership diversity (45% s. 26%).”
BetterUp – “A diverse and inclusive workplace attracts top talent and creates a sense of belonging, making employees feel valued and respected. This leads to higher engagement, motivation, and productivity … a strong sense of belonging can boost job performance by 56%, lower turnover risk by 50%, and reduce sick days by 75%, potentially saving a company with 10,000+ employees over $52 million annually.”
Gallup – reports “that disengaged employees cost U.S. businesses $1.9 trillion in lost productivity in 2023 alone.”
Harvard Business Review – “Diverse teams offer a wealth of perspectives, leading to fresh ideas and creative solutions … diverse teams are more likely to re-examine facts and remain objective, which improves team performance.”
Deloitte – reports “that companies with inclusive cultures are six times more innovative and agile. They increase innovation by 20% and decrease risk by 30%.”
Back to where we began – Diversity in Motorsports. It is good business. We encourage those in motorsports to become better by becoming more diverse. Diversity makes us all better.
To date, STEAM Sports Foundation has provided fourteen $5,000 scholarships to eleven female minority students who seek careers in motorsports/automotive engineering. Applications open January 1 and close May 15. In addition, the foundation provides two “Immersion Tours” for its scholarship recipients – one to North Carolina and one to Michigan - to experience General Motors’ technical and research centers for motorsports and consumer vehicles.
¹ “DEI Is Good For Business” was originally presented in partnership with the PR Council, AMEC, Commission on Public Relations Education, Diversity Action Alliance, HRPA, Institute or Public Relations, Page, PR Museum, and TLF.
Bob Dickinson
Founder/Executive Director
STEAM Sports Foundation
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