How Diversity Strengthens Security Risk Management
When talking about security, our minds often immediately jump to CCTV, guards, alarm systems, checklists, assessments and standards. However, while each of these components is undeniably crucial, there is an additional critical factor for security programs which is equally important but often overlooked: diversity.
Diversity here isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a critical element of an effective security risk management programme. However, when it comes to security, diversity often takes a backseat to technical considerations.
Diversity can sometimes be perceived as a distraction from the “real problems” rather than the critical consideration it is, and as a result, is rarely talked about as a strategic factor within the security risk management context. That is why this Pride Month we want to focus on why security professionals need to pay more attention to diversity, and ensure it is adequately considered in their strategies to build more resilient, secure organizations.
Diversity in Security: 404 Not Found
Let’s face the reality. Security risk management is not an industry particularly known for its diversity.
While Gartner Reports that “Gender-diverse and inclusive teams outperform gender-homogeneous, less-inclusive teams by an average of 50%”, professional security roles have been largely male-dominated for decades. And even though there has been some progress, it is still slow, and many organisations are lagging behind. According to a recent survey, diversity in the security industry is still lacking significantly. 77.7% of respondents identified as male; 82.1% as white, 88% as heterosexual, and 63.6% as being over 45 years old.
In such a homogenous environment, multiple issues arise. Aside from the lack of diverse perspectives, a lack of diversity can directly impact the security levels within an organization. Limited understanding of cultural context and different ways of working stymies innovation and effective stakeholder management, accelerates group think, and significantly impacts the efficacy of engagement throughout the security risk management process.
Alongside this, workplace conflicts such as interpersonal disputes and bullying can rapidly escalate in environments lacking diversity, and intensify existing feelings of hostility and anger, eventually transforming into active disengagement or even insider threats. As of 2022, nearly 50% of workers indicated being on the receiving end of discrimination or harassment each year. Racism, sexism, and unequal pay emerge as significant concerns, although a notable portion of respondents also cited instances of homophobia, ageism, transphobia, and ableism.
Yikes.
So Why Should We Care?
According to Mary Legere, Managing Director at Accenture Federal Services for the National and Defence Intelligence Sector, diversity is a strategic necessity not just because it is the right thing to do, but because diverse teams perform better and deliver better results.
Diversity fosters diverse perspectives, innovation, and helps teams better achieve their objectives via a more effective understanding of cultural context. In the Security Risk Management domain, this translates into more robust risk assessments, more deeply embedded continuity plans, and more effective cross-functional communication on potential crises.
McKinsey also notes that companies with a higher representation of women in their senior leadership teams demonstrate a higher likelihood of outperforming those with lower representation. This trend persists across multiple areas of diversity, with the most gender-diverse companies exhibiting a substantial 48% higher likelihood of outperformance compared to those with fewer or no women on their executive teams. What is more, the elevated probability of higher performance remains consistent for diversity in ethnicity too, reinforcing the importance of a multifaceted approach to diversity for all senior leadership teams.
Additionally, teams that perform on diversity recruit and retain talent more effectively. Studies have shown again and again that high potential candidates are more willing to work in diverse, inclusive environments – in particular the emerging new generation of leaders who are essential for succession planning and future resilience.
Diverse Perspectives, Stronger Security
Every organization is obligated to exercise a duty of care by implementing all reasonable measures to safeguard their employees against foreseeable risks. Diversity is a key component of delivering on this duty of care, helping teams better identify and manage potential risk factors in complex scenarios and deliver more effective outcomes.
A useful framework to visualize the importance of this has been developed by the Global Interagency Security Forum (GISF). Firstly, security risk teams must recognise all employees as individual, diverse people with different, unique risk profiles. Secondly, they must remember that security is significantly affected by these different contexts. And, finally, security processes must be implemented in such a way as to embrace this diversity and make it a core strength, rather than weakness, of the overall security program.
By understanding the critical elements of diversity across individual context, organisational context and operational context and how they intersect, the fact that embracing diversity is a critical component of an effective security risk management program becomes even more clear. The way risk manifest, or remains unidentified and untreated, is often linked to diversity – or a lack thereof.
Diversity in security risk is not just an empty slogan. Embracing diversity is a critical investment to enhance the security posture of an organisation and help build a more well-rounded and effective security team, equipped to address complex challenges from multiple angles. By embracing diversity in people, perspectives, and thinking, security leaders can foster better stakeholder engagement, reduce blind spots, and minimise groupthink.
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