Silicon Valley companies are facing increasing criticism over their lack of diversity in hiring and workplace culture. While less than 10% of employees at most companies are black or Latino, diversity has been proven to enhance creativity, decision-making, and problem-solving. In response, 8 top teams have been assembled to pitch plans to make Silicon Valley companies more inclusive in hiring practices and workplace culture at a conference on September 1st. The pitches should expand on why diversity is important and propose new, creative solutions to influence positive change.

1. 2015 ALANA Experience
Case Study
Tuesday, September 1st

2. Problem:
SiliconValleyisattractingmore andmore presseveryday,showcasingjusthow muchthey want
to influencethe US.Whetherit’stheirnew wearables,slimmercellphonesorsmartertechnology,there
isalwayssomethingthathasthe possibilitytorevolutionize how we interactwithtechnologyandthose
aroundus. Lately,however,SiliconValleyisreceivingalotof pressexposingjusthow severe their
weaknessesare,andmostly,ithasnothingtodo withthe tech theyproduce.
The disparitybetweenraces
and gendersinthishighly
competitivearea,filledwithtoptier
companies,are more shockingthan
almosteveryotherindustryhere in
the US. It has beenseenthat“In most
cases,lessthan10 percentof the
companies'overall employeeswere
blackor Latino,comparedwith27
percentinthe Americanworkforce as
a whole.”Also,the gendered
differencesare increasinglybeing
noticed,withmanycompanies’
practicesbeingsurveyedas
unknowinglybeinghostile andbiased
throughthe hiringand working
processes.Ithasbeennoticedthatin
SiliconValley,“lessthan10 percent
of the companies'overall employees
were blackor Latino,comparedwith
27 percentinthe American
workforce asa whole.”

3. As techcompanies
withinSiliconValleyare
receivingmore antagonism
for theirhiringpractices,
theyare beginningtorealize
how importantdiversityis to
bettertheircompaniesand
increase theirinclusivity.It
has beenproventhat
“diversityenhances
creativity.Itencouragesthe
searchfor novel information
and perspectives,leadingto
betterdecisionmakingand
problemsolving.”Noticing
that hiringmore diversity
shouldn’tbe justtofollow
compliancesorlookbetter
to the public,butto enhance
the communitythatthe
companyistryingto build,
SiliconValleycompaniesare
learninghowtobestgrow theirstaff toembrace all kindsof people.Inastudyfrom 2007, “companies
withmore womenboarddirectorsoutperformedthose withthe leaston…returnon equity(53percent
higher),returnonsales(42 percenthigher),andreturnoninvestedcapital (66percenthigher).”Beyond
female leaders,all typesof diversityhave proventobettercompaniesof all sizes,nomatterthe
industry.

4. The Task:
Noticingthatthere are problemsthatneedtobe solved,companiesfromSiliconValleyare
lookingforthe topteam to workon howtheycan be more inclusive anddiverse throughoutthe entire
workingprocessfortheiremployees.A conference hasbeenputtogethertoallow 8 toptierteamsto
pitchtheirplansfora more all-encompassingSiliconValley.Whetheritbe abouthiringpractices,
workingculture orbeyond,asolutionneedstobe found.A brief executive summaryof recentfindings
shouldbe presentedtogetabetterpicture of the entire techenvironmentconcerningdiversitybefore
givinginsightintothe team’sfuture strategiesforimprovement.Plans shouldencompassanew,
creative wayto approachthislack of diversity,andwhyitisimportantto influence thischange.Teams
shouldbe readyto presenttheir5minute pitch(presentedbynolessthan4 representativesfromeach
team) by5:15 pm,on Tuesday,September1st
inthe WilderPavilion.Pitchesshouldnotreiterate specific
statisticsorinformationgiveninthisbrief orpresentedtoyou,butexpandonfurtherinformationfound
on diversityorSiliconValley.Informationpresentedshouldbe done soinaclear and concise manner,
but still reflectthe personalityof the group.
Bestof luckto all teams.
Breakdown:
 5 minute pitch
 Minimumof 4 presentersmustspeakfromeachgroupduringpitch
 Must include:
o Explanationof SiliconValley’s diversityproblem
o Explanationof whyitmatters
o Creative solutionforbusinessesinSiliconValley