Opinion Piece.
Kudos to organisation’s publicly launching and sharing their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategies and Action Plans. I love reading them all when I can. I like a launch and the promise of what can be achieved.
Quick question? How many times have you been invited to a forum that signals the successful implementation or completion of a DEI strategy or action plan?
“We have completed our three-year DEI strategy, all the actions have been completed on time, all the targets met, all success metrics completed, every KPI achieved, all accountabilities met by responsible officers, the organisation is celebrating the success of achieving equality.”
“We are now ready to embark on the next even bigger and better Plan!”
So, once again, kudos to organisation’s publicly launching and sharing their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategies and Action Plans. I love reading them all.
Some are bold and aspirational, some are foundational, some are passive in their approach, some are broad brush without much detail, some are lengthy and detailed, some are practical, some have pillars, some have clear and transparent data, some don’t, some don’t link the evidence with the action, some have targets, some may have quotas, some introduce big pieces of work in the strategy, some are glossy and have a lot of pictures, some use new terminology, some contain DEI maturity models (I have collected quite a few), some have definitions, some have big commitment statements, some promise a lot, some are two years or four years, and some have interesting narratives. Some also bring the work to life with human stories.
What’s the right kind of DEI strategy?
Can a poorly written DEI Strategy derail, disengage or damage?
Can a great DEI Strategy or Action Plan make a significant difference (Yes, I believe it can and have seen it work, with long term vision, discipline, and genuine commitment)
Some don’t show you how the work is connected across different pillars and sections of the strategy.
I often think about when you’re cooking or following a recipe, you have all the ingredients, but you need to know how to bring it all together, and ensure the meal is delicious or nutritious. Being a good cook requires years of skill and practice. But once achieved, the outcome is undeniably positive.
DEI work is much deeper as you are getting to the core of someone’s being. The care for the work is important as it has potential to change people’s lives.
How do practitioners develop a DEI strategies and action plans? Is there a template design, ‘recipe’ or even standardized approach to developing DEI framework, strategy, or action – one similar to an engineering process, physics, or maths equation?
Is your action plan fit for purpose, is it flexible, is it specific or adaptable to your environment. Is it appropriate for your context? Is it too prescriptive? Is it a standard ‘off the shelf’ Strategy? Is in a imitation of other Strategies? Does the evidence and data support the actions? Are the diversity data sets inclusive? Is the methodology sound? Is the terminology so broad, that the unique and varied experiences of people not understood, or actions not personalised? Someone once told me that disability is as unique as a fingerprint. Does the Strategy use a deficit narrative or suggests fixing people, ‘othering’ people – diverse people, minorities, disadvantaged, ‘those people’, boxes, or other labels? Does it speak to everyone?
Is your DEI Strategy an overarching document that houses all DEI action plans and work? Does it guide the guide the reader on how to be equitable and inclusive in every setting? Does it include ways to address systemic and structural barriers that are often hidden? Does it hold leaders to account with KPIs and good governance structures? Are leaders invested? Does it include targets or quotas? Are quotas required if nothing is changing?
I have come across Strategies and Action Plans with hundreds of actions that can overwhelm leaders; plans that sat on shelves because of no accountability, no understanding of the benefits to the business, or success metrics, no time, no resources, no authorising environment to do the work. This leads to lack of engagement and lack of self-initiation by people outside of HR or the DEI teams.
I have always used DEI strategies and action plans as a guide or road map, and not necessarily the one and only instrument or way to progress DEI. I include equity principles, organisational enablers, and self-directed actions in my plans, as well as accountabilities, timelines, and success metrics.
I’m sure this is not a new concept and has been influenced by the evolution and maturity of DEI over the last 50 years. The sharing of DEI strategies in the public domain has been such an advance forward in our profession.
I used to develop actions for each ‘diversity’ pillar. However, I found the implementation of action using this approach too narrow and siloed.
Examples of Diversity Pillars
Gender
Disability/Accessibility
Racial Equity/Cultural Diversity
LGBTIQ+
Generational Diversity
Flexibility
If we thought about how to be equitable and inclusive in every setting, in our own areas of work and practice, then it may make sense to develop pillars across mainstream employment situations, or external facing work, for example,
Example Pillars – equitable and inclusive in mainstream employment situations and in every setting
Community Engagement, Collaboration and Participation
Safety and Respect
Employee Experience
Pathways
Education
Cultural and Psychological Safety
Excellence with Equity (Innovation, Sustainability, Ethical Decisions)
Leadership and Competency
Measurement and Accountability (including diversity data literacy)
Essential Elements Under Each Pillar
Actions, Success Metrics, Responsibilities, Resourcing and Time Frames
Embedding of intersectionality principles
Governance, Measurement and Accountability
Accountability over DEI outcomes
Live dashboard diversity data (for example, pay equity, diversity in leadership, exit, promotion data, job satisfaction, cultural safety, etc).
Regular DEI performance reports shared with all employees.
Regular performance report including key data, demonstrating how combinations of various actions have contributed to DEI outcomes, and how DEI activities are embedded and sustained.
Executives and Executive Sponsors/Champions to complete three actions a year (from the DEI Strategy) that will drive equity and inclusion in their portfolio, and two actions to drive change across their organisation.
Executives to report annually on their DEI KPIs/actions/outcomes to CEO as part of their performance management and appraisal (accountability)
The inclusion of the following under each pillar
Guiding equity principles
Organisational enablers
Individual – self-directed actions
after each pillar that gives guidance on principles and actions that enable and embed DEI.
With all these efforts, I wonder how many DEI strategies and action plans sit on the shelf or remain uncompleted? How many are fully or deliberately implemented? How many stagnate? How many don’t have the resources or professional skills to complete them?
See my article on, “How many people to implement a gender equity plan – at least five people.”
We agree that there is no end date to DEI work. However, it would be great to see an ‘end of completion’ announcement for a DEI strategy or action plan that states a time period, e.g., 2023-2026.
“We have completed our three-year DEI strategy, all the actions have been completed on time, all the targets met, all success metrics completed, every KPI achieved, all accountabilities met by responsible officers, the organisation is celebrating the success of achieving equality.”
Now that’s an event I would love to attend.