Can there be a silver lining to a global catastrophe?

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered so many patterns, and much of the impact has been negative. But one change may benefit people and companies, according to Dr. Justin Velten, CEO and co-founder of Go Culture International.

Velten, in an interview for the podcast “Let’s Have This Discussion,” said companies are discovering they can incorporate increased diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in their workplaces. 

The rise in online meetings and telecommunications has allowed firms to take a quantum leap on DEI, he told podcast host Kevin McShan.

“Because of these technological advances, and because we’re accepting them so rapidly now as norm, then that allows individuals who before might not have been considered for candidacy ... now in a much better spot,” Velten said. “I think these technologies that we’re seeing, and they’re all over the place from one end of the spectrum to the other, these technologies are allowing individuals who were not given a shot, a shot. And that’s exciting.”

He said research, development and training in academia traditionally take 30 years to become accepted in workplaces and classrooms. But that has changed in the last year.

The use of Zoom meetings and other forms of telecommunications has a provable impact on personal relationships, Velten said. 

In the past, studies showed people did not feel connected and as comfortable with those they work with from a distance. But by seeing their faces and interacting with them through video conferencing, they feel a connection.

“It was a perception gap,” Velten said. “People had a perception they were in each other’s proximity.”

This would not have happened as rapidly without the mandatory adaptations forced by the pandemic.

“Technology has just transformed everything, and if we didn’t believe it, you know, then there was COVID, right, and it forced a lot of people to really make some adaptations for a more technologically advanced way of doing things,” he said.

Velten said the past 10 to 11 months have placed a spotlight on the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. DEI has had high and low moments in the past — right now, it’s at the center of global discussion, he said.

“I think now that what we’re seeing is that there is so much more attention placed on this,” Velten said. “And it’s not going away. And that is wonderful news.”

Companies may hire a certain number of workers for jobs, he said, but a “revolution” is underway that will convince them they can consider an entirely new pool of applicants. Velten said that will end up being a relief to those firms while benefiting their employees.

“We want to create that organizational mindset to improve those DEI attitudes and behaviors for every single employee so that as new people come in, they have a much more rich experience,” he said.

Velten said the changes will be felt by workers as well. They will be much more interested in joining companies that show an enhanced sense of inclusion and acceptance of all potential employees.

That’s an important lesson for companies to grasp, he said.

Go Culture International is working with companies that have pledged to change and improve their DEI behaviors and policies. Many CEOs pledged to oppose racist practices and improve their diversity efforts, Velten said, but were unsure how to take the first step.

Go Culture can help them change their companies, customers, communities and cultures, he said. It starts in school, from early childhood programs through high school and beyond.

Velten said the goal is to help “change generations” and improve the world in which we live and work. That’s a tall order, but big steps were taken in that direction in the past year.

Dr. Velten has worked as an assistant professor of intercultural communications at The University of Texas at Tyler, a professor of communication at Faulkner University, and an instructor of human communications at Abilene Christian University.

He began collaborating with Dr. Carley H. Dodd, a renowned scholar with 47 years of experience on intercultural competency, to perform research, development and training on DEI. Then founded Go Culture as a public, web-based offering to improve attitudes and behaviors in DEI. 

Dr. Velten has written for numerous scholarly journals and been a featured speaker at events in the United States, Canada, Russia, Hong Kong and Poland, while serving as a consultant to companies across the globe.