DOD Crowdsources Efforts to Promote Diversity, Inclusion

  • Published
  • By Jim Garamone
  • DOD News

Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper asked for the process as part of his Board on Diversity and Inclusion. The board — chaired by Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett — wants input from service members and DOD civilians, and crowdsourcing is one tool they will use.

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Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman Ramón "CZ" Colón-López, the most senior enlisted service member, by position, in the U.S. armed forces addresses the importance of diversity and inclusion within the Defense Department. The board — chaired by Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett — wants input from service members and DOD civilians, and crowdsourcing is one tool they will use. (U.S. Air Force courtesy video)

For those not familiar with the concept, crowdsourcing is the practice of using the internet as a source of information and solutions. Service members and DOD civilians can participate through Oct. 16.

"The secretary wants to hear from all of our service members about what the DOD can do to improve diversity and inclusion," said Marine Corps Maj. Sharon A. Sisbarro, a member of the board's support office. 

The board members didn't want to do yet another survey, Sisbarro said. "We adopted a kind of crowdsourcing-like model, where we just said, 'Tell us what we need to do,'" she added.

Personnel with a DOD common access card can participate in the crowdsourcing effort, she said. "Even though you need a CAC to get in, the comments are anonymous," she emphasized.


Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman Ramón "CZ" Colón-López speaks on diversity and inclusion at the Pentagon, Aug. 17, 2020. The board — chaired by Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett — wants input from service members and DOD civilians, and crowdsourcing is one tool they will use. (U.S. Air Force courtesy photo)
 

This is an effort to create a better culture within the department, Sisbarro said. The board will look at a range of issues, from grooming standards to first-person experience sharing about the reality of life as a minority, she explained.

Some Fortune 500 companies use crowdsourcing to foster innovation and speed adoption of ideas, Sisbarro noted, and this is the first effort on the DOD level.

Service members and civilians interested in offering their ideas and solutions can visit the site here.