Make DEI Central to What You Stand For, or [It] WILL NOT Work!
A resurgence in the fight for social justice over the past few years provided an awakening period that caused organizations to reflect on how diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) fits into their ecosystem. Entities across the globe closely examined their operations to determine the extent to which they have created a reputation that fosters a philosophy and culture of acknowledging, embracing, supporting and accepting the differences within their organization.
Now, after all the public statements, increases in budget allocations, the barrage of panel discussions, and numerous meetings with DEI consulting experts, CEOs and upper-level managers are faced with the realities of trying to uphold some very lofty promises. But how? Especially when the odds are stacked against them…
A 2021 report from United Minds & KRC Research revealed that “DEI Initiatives” are failing to live up to their promise. Even more shocking, the report also discovered that 34% of employees, including 39% of leaders, believe that DEI initiatives are a waste of organizational time, effort and money.
So, what happens when management conjures up the notion that DEI initiatives could possibly threaten their “personal” career path? Or when buzzwords like critical race theory, systemic racism, cancel culture, or even Black Lives Matter generate misassociations and preconceived, negative perceptions on DEI? How can CEOs and change agents get past the communication clutter and biased notions to move towards progressive initiatives that foster more diverse, equitable and inclusive environments within their respective organizations? Since there can be no DEI success unless CEOs, upper-level management and other assigned change agents have complete buy-in to the strategy, it is imperative that a major focus is placed on the careful consideration of how to build support for these efforts.
DE&I strategies should be pitched as sensible business decisions that support the overall mission, vision and long-term goals of building a more positive reputation for the organization.
These initiatives should be centered around the core values that are central to the organization, and individuals within the system should be assured that these changes will ultimately work towards greater personal success for everyone who supports this progression. The DEI initiatives should be focused on definitive strategies that produce long-term organizational change—instead of forcing meaningless tactics that check-off boxes for the sake of temporary reporting efforts.
As Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev point out in the Harvard Business Review, “your organization will become less diverse, not more, if you require managers to go to diversity training, try to regulate their hiring and promotion decisions, and put in a legalistic grievance system.”
To that extent, organizations should work to fully understand their current culture, and how to bring about true change. An in-depth consideration for both external and internal factors of the environment that an organization operates in will help determine the direction to go and at what pace. For example, organizations in progressive industries that depend on innovation for survival will ultimately require a far more aggressive approach to DEI to ensure their long-term competitiveness. On the contrary, older organizations that take pride in their established culture and the reputation they’ve built with stakeholders will not be allowed as much leeway for drastic, immediate changes (...ask Bud Light how their collaboration with a transgender influencer went). They will instead need to strategically advance their initiatives at a balanced pace that allows for growth and progress, while still maintaining the relationships that support their success—both internally and externally.
Developing the right formula for implementing DEI initiatives is no easy task. But focusing on ideals that support an organization’s core values will help build a more positive reputation and foster more long-term success.
[A version of this blog post first appeared in RepTrak's Reputation Manifesto published by the Reputation Academic Collaborative.]
References:
Dobbin, Frank, and Alexandra Kalev (2016). “Why Diversity Programs Fail”. Harvard Business Review.
United Minds (2021). “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: A People Imperative”. https://unitedmindsglobal.com/codeify/
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