Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – Time for Action! (Part 1)

When DEI is seen as a problem that the Human Resources department needs to solve, change is often slow and not sustainable due to a lack of aligned corporate leadership commitment. When it becomes an organizational priority as part of an organizational culture change with active sponsorship from the Board and CEO down, sustainable, long-lasting change can occur. 

“A strong culture increases net income 756% over eleven years,” according to a Harvard study of more than 200 companies. 

Organizational culture change is needed to address DEI within organizations. We need to change mindsets, ways of operating, and we need to seriously re-think, re-imagine, and break the existing patterns and corporate systems that impede DEI. 

Leaders need to listen with new ears, listen with openness and not just pay lip service to DEI. Leaders must sponsor and be active participants in organizational change, starting with identifying and acknowledging their known and hidden biases and blind spots.

Transformational change requires a clearly defined roadmap. To reshape organizations, we need to start with recruitment, retention, and succession practices.

We find many companies modify their recruiting, hiring, and employee onboarding processes to be more diverse; however, these companies often miss the mark when it comes to the inclusion of the newly hired and existing diverse team members.

DEI-related culture change is a business transformation long overdue. We need to create corporate cultures where everyone can bring their whole self to work every day and feel safe, secure, and supported. We need to create corporate cultures where everyone can utilize their innate talents and skills and have their voices and ideas heard. Many organization’s brands, culture and future, depend on it.