An effective diversity and inclusion strategy is a north star for creating a better workplace. Ideally, it communicates with the organization’s broader business strategy.
Why Having a Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Matters
Diversity, equity, and inclusion have different definitions in the organizational context. Diversity refers to all the ways in which people are different in a workplace based on demographic, experiential, and cognitive factors. Equity ensures that people’s success or failure in working life is not predicated on characteristics or factors that are unrelated to their job by providing the tools they need to succeed. Inclusion is about creating an environment where all individuals, regardless of their personal characteristics or background, are appreciated and treated with respect.
In an inclusive organization, people feel safe, valued, and empowered to fully participate and contribute. There’s clarity and consensus on what the values and norms are, and how inclusion efforts are actively supported. People from different backgrounds can see themselves applying for open positions and succeeding at the organization. A diversity and inclusion strategy contains the elements, including a roadmap for creating such a workplace.
DEI work is organizational change. This doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen on its own. There has been justified criticism of DEI efforts being fragmented, consisting of ad-hoc or one-off initiatives that fail to create any impact.
With this understanding, organizations that want to become better workplaces for everyone must incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion into their strategy and practices, and resource the work accordingly. In practice, this concerns culture, leadership, and values. Strategic DEI work goes beyond trying to simply hire for more diversity, or having one-off celebrations during Women’s History Month or Pride Month, for example.
Building a more in-depth understanding of diversity and inclusion and how they relate to the organization’s values, culture, sustainability commitments and business goals is foundational to a functional, purposeful diversity and inclusion strategy and sustainable DEI efforts. Every organization is unique, so while you might feel tempted to benchmark other organization’s strategies, areas of focus, or metrics, it is of utter importance that you assess the unique needs of your team, your vision, values and resources, and draw your own strategy based on those.
Building an Effective Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
Embedding diversity and inclusion into your strategy begins with understanding your starting point: your employees’ experiences and your organization’s culture and leadership practices. There are different kinds of data and metrics which can be gathered. Demographic metrics track diversity across different employee groups. Common metrics of this kind are related to, for example, gender balance in leadership roles. Scale-based metrics capture employee’s experience through surveys, allowing organizations to gauge how culture, leadership practices and ways of working are perceived and experienced in practice. Remember to measure all aspects of DEI, not just diversity.
Read more: Otava leverages survey insights to target their DEI efforts more effectively
Once you have determined where you are, the next step is to define where you want to be. Here, it’s important to ensure DEI goals align with overall business objectives. Identifying these synergies ensures DEI work is integrated and does not operate in isolation. Setting clear goals helps make DEI efforts targeted and effective rather than reactive. After defining goals, organizations must determine specific actions needed to bridge the gap between the current state and desired outcomes. Finally, a structured plan of action can be established to bridge the gap between the current state and desired outcomes.
Read more: Qvik developed a DEI roadmap
Senior leadership’s commitment is crucial to DEI success
For DEI work to truly result in positive, sustainable change, it must be driven by the entire organization. This starts with the executive and leadership teams.
While leaders may delegate many tasks, they cannot delegate the entirety of DEI responsibility, given their crucial role in it. Leaders set the direction for the organization, and what they do and don’t talk about communicates what matters. When they actively engage in conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion, employees are more likely to see these efforts as genuine.
Leaders do not need to be experts in diversity and inclusion to talk about the topics. It can in fact be more empowering and impactful if they are honest about their own learning needs, while making their commitment to the agenda clear. Setting clear DEI goals that align with the company’s vision and mission, allocating resources to support long-term progress, and leading by example through words and actions all contribute to making DEI a sustained priority.
Read more: Ahlsell gained senior leadership buy-in with comprehensive training sessions
Increase DEI Impact with Effective Internal Communications Strategies
A well-planned communications programme is key to implementing your diversity and inclusion strategy in a holistic and impactful way. Internal communications about DEI supports building buy-in from across the whole organization, and supports the success of all other DEI efforts, such as surveys, training programmes, coaching, or employee resource groups.
It is essential to provide a comprehensive explanation of what DEI work entails and why it is vital for the organization, before expecting employees to actively participate in the converzation. Well-planned internal communications not only propel change forward but also help mitigate potential resistance. If the meaning of diversity and inclusion work for your specific organization are not explained well, or there is a lack of shared understanding among employees of what DEI work really is in practice, it is highly likely that many employees will feel apathetic to the topic, or even actively push back or object to it.
Remember that communications alone is not enough – your employees will want to see tangible results and concrete activities to create a more diverse organization with a more inclusive culture.
Defining DEI Success: KPIs and Metrics
Establishing key performance indicators for DEI work is essential to measuring the success of the diversity and inclusion strategy. These metrics help organizations track progress, assess impact, and identify areas for improvement. This ensures resources are focused where they are needed the most.
There isn’t a perfect combination of metrics that every company should use, but rather each organization should set its metrics based on its strategic goals and priorities. An important consideration when setting KPIs is whether the focus is on measuring output or outcomes.
So then the question is, what should be measured, and how should it be done? To create effective DEI KPIs you should consider the following:
- Define how DEI objectives connect to overarching organizational goals. This ensures that DEI work is seen as essential rather than a nice-to-have. KPIs related to DEI should speak the language of how the company measures success in general, which ensures they are treated on an equal footing with other business KPIs.
- Identify the metrics and targets that are relevant and realistic as well as the ones that are aligned with the broader organizational strategy.
- Determine which data needs to be collected. Think about it as a way to take a picture of your current situation and as a way to identify where you want to go next. Data has to go beyond demographics and include insights about experiences of different groups through, for example, surveys or focus group interviews.
- Ensure KPIs are clear, with specific criteria for measuring success. Establish ways of tracking and reporting progress, and allow for adjustments as needed.
- Clarify who is responsible for tracking and measuring progress. While DEI is an organization-wide agenda, assigning responsibility to a specific team or person ensures consistency, follow-through, and proper resource allocation.
It’s important to regularly collect and share data on DEI efforts. Collecting and sharing DEI data and progress builds trust among employees and genuine motivation to continue advancing inclusive and equitable practices.
Taking the Next Steps in Your Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
If your organization is ready to develop or advance its DEI strategy, Inklusiiv can help. Book a free consultation with our experts who will help you identify where to get started.