With a wealth of experience at companies like PayPal, Google and Yahoo, LaFawn Davis (pictured) can speak with authority on what it takes to maintain healthy diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. Six months into her role as Twilio Inc.’s global head of culture and inclusion, Davis is developing the company’s strong values and enthusiasm for a culture embodying the same open communication that it gives its customers.

“Ten years ago it started with diversity — numbers, demographics. … It was really about recruiting. Now it’s gone into more of the inclusion space, making sure people feel they have a voice that can be heard. … The belonging space is really where companies are starting to focus,” said Davis about how her work in diversity has evolved over the last decade. “It’s not just about having a seat at the table. Do you want to be here? Do teams work well together? Are we working on something that’s important to you?”

Davis spoke with Rebecca Knight (@knightrm), co-host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing event in Orlando, Florida. They discussed the importance of a comprehensive approach to recruiting, developing and retaining diverse talent to ensure employees feel valued and included throughout the employee life cycle.

Passion for company values at every level

At the crux of Twilio’s strategy for creating that vital sense of belonging are the strong core values it brings to every point of its operation, according to Davis. “When you have values that are that specific, you can stand on them, you can count on them, and you can call each other out. … If you keep hiring people … that already lend to your values; you’re going to continue to have that culture,” she said.

Twilio’s approach has been successful in large part because it’s consistent from the C-suite down. “This is the first company where I don’t feel like I have to talk about the business case for diversity,” Davis said.

Though there is still much work to be done before the industry reaches a place of full equality, Davis is hopeful for the future. “There’s some bad apples that have been dragged through the mud lately, but I think for the most part people are coming from a good place. They may not know what to do — I think we have to change the conversation,” she said.

Changing that conversation has an impact far beyond employee morale — into product design and success. “It’s really easy to just say, ‘I think we need to do this feature,’ but if that’s not what people need or you’re not getting other perspectives, then you’re building an inferior product,” Davis concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing.

Photo: SiliconANGLE