The article dissects and comments on a few concepts explored in Michelle King’s article “Three reasons why Diversity, Equity and Inclusion fail”.
DEI has been a subject of interest for decades in various degrees, forms, and shapes. The death (read here murder) of George Floyd has catalyzed the spotlight shed on the inequities lived by minority groups (rather an overwhelming number of people really) and has been the trigger for renewed and increased interests in DEI. All of a sudden, it became a hot topic that no one could avoid, only out-covered in the news by the pandemic.
Looking back on what has been achieved compared to the expectations and hopes raised can only bring a rather grim expression on one’s face.
We want to bring here key elements and contexts that can support DEI efforts to succeed, with a vision at three different levels: Systemic, Leadership, and Individual.
Systemic approach
It is essential to remind ourselves where companies stand: they are an integral part of the society we all live in. As such, they are influenced by the culture and the legal framework of where they operate. As a member of society, they do have a corporate responsibility not only economically, but also in terms of the social and environmental impacts they have.
Recontextualizing companies into society opens the doors to a systemic approach to DEI. In that context, companies must play their rightful role in DEI initiatives: it is about moving from good intentions (it is the right thing to do) to concrete results that actually tackle the inequities in society (it is our responsibility).
Leadership approach
One must not forget that individuals stand behind systems. Yes, any employee can engage in different ways (employee resource group, DEI committee, etc.), but beyond that, they want concrete actions and tangible changes. Those changes can only happen when DEI initiatives are supported, encouraged, endorsed, prioritized, resourced, and promoted by the company leadership. The leadership has the capacity to articulate the systemic approach with the individual approach by aligning the company’s vision, mission, and values with its corporate responsibility within society. It can formally explain the company’s position, ambition, and objectives for its corporate responsibilities. In the case of DEI, it is about making clear the influence of society on the company, how it has shaped and is shaping its policies, procedures, and approaches, along with the impact of inequities and injustice on the company’s employees. It is also about showing the misalignment of the status quo would be with who the people are and the consequences of not doing anything. Going beyond the intentions, the leadership must commit to its ambitions on a long-term basis (they owe it to their employees and the society), through an incremental process with concrete resources (human, financial, etc.) as change at the system, leadership, and individual levels take time.
At Advantage Management Consulting, we are passionate about leadership and leadership development. Despite its complexity, DEI is an incredible focus that encompasses many (if not all!) of the leadership competencies. One of our core values is Authentic Role Modelling, which implies, particularly in dealing with DEI:
- Living what we teach: in our lives and our work
DEI should never be a box to check; the leadership should model the change they want to be, starting with and including the highest rank, the CEO. Going beyond the words, resources should be allocated demonstrating that actual actions and outcomes are expected, making DEI a living reality.
- Courageous, Authentic Conversations
Courage in leadership is what allows one to face the so-called difficult conversations and to have authentic ones, without diluting or avoiding the real subject. In DEI, it is about having those conversations where people can at times feel uncomfortable.
- Transparency
Transparency is key to being accountable. In the case of DEI, it means setting clear targets and being accountable for them, while reporting with accuracy and honesty the DEI progress at the three levels: Systemic, Leadership, and Individual.
As much as professional and personal developments are never-ending processes, such is DEI. It is a life-long process, where the journey is as important as the place reached.
Individual approach
The individual approach focuses on the individual responsibility towards DEI targets and living out the DEI principles. By definition, it brings individuals out of their comfort zone, into an unsettling space of uncertainty and complexity. It requires a growth mindset (we are continuously learning) supporting a continuous learning process and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Employees, as a collection of individuals play a key role in engaging in grassroots initiatives, that can be anchored into and supported by the organizational strategy.
Most and foremost, DEI is experiential, and employees are the ones that can inform about the true level of inclusion. Of course, we can find objective indicators (the so-called Key Performance Indicators, KPI) measuring several aspects of diversity and equity. But inclusion relates to the actual experience of every individual. To what extent can employees express their true identity in the workplace? What inequalities are they confronted with? Here also, employees play a vital role in holding accountable the leadership and the company to the goals, progress, and efforts related to DEI initiatives.
Moving the three approaches together (organization, leadership, individual) certainly supports DEI initiatives that are more holistic, integrated, and impactful. Despite unsatisfactory achievements, we can still do better, no, we MUST do better, and now is the time.