Data Drive DEI w/ Laura McGee

Laura McGee is the founder and CEO of Diversio, a people analytics company that uses artificial intelligence to help organizations become more inclusive. With offices in Toronto, New York, and London, Diversio was recognized by Fast Company as a “World Changing Idea: Data and AI” in 2021. Prior to Diversio, Laura was a consultant at McKinsey & Company with a focus on economic growth. She was named a Top 25 Women of Influence in 2017 and holds multiple Board positions, including Global Citizen, University of Waterloo, Ted Rogers School of Management, and ArcTern Ventures. Mentioned in this Episode: Diversio WhitepapersDiversio Case StudiesThe homophily effect: Homophily and BusinessTime Codes:(3:15) - What brought you to DEI work?(6:18) - What does it mean to use AI to read data?(8:31) - Do you have an example of this algorithm being used in practice?(10:00) - How do you filter between issues from employees that stem from home vs. those that stem from the workplace?(13:17) - Diversio’s survey techniques and data trends.(15:12) - How do you identify the things a client needs to do well?(18:47) - How do you effectively implement pilot programs?(22:31) - What does the deliverable look like that a client sees when you go through a survey?(24:56) - What have been some of the biggest surprises you’ve seen doing this work?(28:07) - Are most of the issues you see caused purposefully or due to ignorance?(32:25) - What types of disabilities or mental illness are you seeing as being included the least in the workplace?(35:11) - What recommendations are you making for employers when it comes to mental health?(37:04) - What is neurodiversity?(37:33) - How do you respond to someone saying that there are simply too many sub-groups to effectively affirm everyone’s differences and still effectively run a business?(40:23) - Open source solutions for people who are motivated to start this work(42:34) - What were the conversations like when deciding to open source your work?(45:34) - What are the biggest hurdles you see companies facing even with all this data in hand?(46:44) - How are companies effectively implementing your feedback and solutions?(47:34) - Why would companies use this tool as a risk assessment?(50:12) - What are you sick of talking about?(52:23) - What are you most excited to be talking about?(53:11) - What do you think people are not talking enough about?(53:46) - What is the purpose of business?