Exclusive Interview with Hoyun Kim, Chief Legal Officer and Head of Inclusion, ExecOnline

"DEI Is More Than Compliance And ROI; It's A Cultural And Moral Imperative"

 

“Diversity and inclusion is about more than compliance. It’s about more than the return on investment; it’s a cultural and moral imperative of any organization in a progressive society. With the heightened awareness of this over the past year, I believe we’re starting to see a rise in the level of true conviction that diversity, equity, and inclusion are valuable and attainable goals,” says Hoyun Kim, Chief Legal Officer and Head of Inclusion, ExecOnline.

In an exclusive interview with HR.com, Hoyun tells us why diversity & inclusion is much more than compliance and ROI, what has been her biggest challenges while implementing DE&I initiatives, and more.

Experts from the interview:

Q. Diversity and inclusion is about more than compliance. What is your take?

Hoyun: Diversity and inclusion is about more than compliance and it’s about more than the return on investment; it’s a cultural and moral imperative of any organization in a progressive society. With the heightened awareness of this over the past year, I believe we’re starting to see, in the business world, a rise in the level of true conviction that diversity, equity, and inclusion are valuable and attainable goals. In reality, of course, many organizations have struggled with translating this belief into action and accountability, so we still hear about false starts and outcomes that fall dramatically short of expectations. 

For a long time, DEI leaders often held very little actual authority and ability to enact change in their organizations, and that has led to tremendous cynicism about DEI as a profession. That is changing, and some companies are publicizing real commitments to not only taking action to improve their DEI performance, but also specific actions that address systemic, historical inequities.  

Q. What are the biggest challenges you faced when implementing DE&I initiatives in your company? How did you overcome them?

Hoyun: I recently stepped into the new DEI role at ExecOnline after five years of leading the company’s HR and legal functions. So, I had the advantage of being at a company I already knew very well, where I had trusting relationships at all levels. The individuals on the talent team are forward-thinking and creative people, and very in-tune with thought leadership around DEI.  A lot of great ideas have emerged from this team and I, now, partner closely with our new Chief Human Resources Officer Matt Castaldo, who has broad experience with DEI initiatives in larger organizations. I depend on him as a thought partner and as someone with a keen focus on data, methodology, and process - the tools necessary to make change happen. 
 

I could not be in a more receptive environment for launching DEI initiatives. Our business is all about helping organizations build workplace cultures, where development opportunities are more equitably distributed. Our mission is to democratize leadership development, which translates to greater career opportunities for historically underrepresented groups. This is the reason ExecOnline exists, and our CEO Stephen Bailey and my peers on the executive team are out there everyday spreading this message. 
 
So, my challenges are not situational as it relates to the company - that’s the easy part. What has been challenging in this initial stage of building our DEI function is the search for frameworks and best practices. It is an evolving field, and of course, there are practitioners who have been doing this for a long time, but in a different, much more resistant environment. Because I haven’t found a treasure trove of great models that resonate with me, I have started to get creative, tapping into my own experiences as an Asian American professional working in the traditional field of law in this country, and listening to our employees who are some of the brightest and most thoughtful people I know. I also talk to professionals in the field who are creating new approaches for assessing the effectiveness of DEI initiatives. I am currently on the hunt for technology solutions too, and I think we’re going to see a lot of innovation over the next couple of years. 
 
Putting ideas forward that do not emanate from some known authority always involves personal risk, but our CEO believes in fresh thinking and data-driven approaches to our efforts, regularly stating “...you cannot manage what you cannot measure.”

Q. What are the key factors of building a diverse, equal, and inclusive workplace? 

Hoyun: I believe the key factors fall into several categories:  mindset, everyday behaviors, and purposeful actions. Some of the fundamentals we are talking about at ExecOnline are, (1) putting employees first when developing programs and policies, meaning trying to best understand what they need and want as the starting point rather than focusing on external optics; (2) leadership behaviors that create the environment where equity and inclusion can thrive; and, (3) developing greater “DEI fluency” across the organization – we all need to learn the language of DEI and the communities we are seeking to embrace.

Q. What measures are you taking in order to eliminate unconscious bias from human and technology perspectives? What were the challenges and how did you address them? 

Hoyun: Eliminating unconscious bias is part of the mission of our business, and our learning experiences on unconscious bias, which we offer to clients, are also available to our employees. Last year, we addressed this extensively during our first “Inclusive Workplace Awareness Week” when the talent team led training sessions on inclusion that was designed to be interactive. It was an immersion experience into the unconscious bias that culminated in a town hall meeting where anyone who wanted to share their thoughts and experiences was welcome to speak. There was an impressive level of participation across all levels of the company; I was truly inspired. 
 
The beauty of opening your eyes to unconscious bias is that once you see it, you can no longer unsee it. Then it becomes second nature to recognize it in yourself and within your environment.  The challenge of raising awareness of unconscious bias is that, by definition, it requires self-reflection, which some people are naturally good at and some people are naturally resistant to.  It’s a journey, not a one-time epiphany. 
 
I believe, it starts with empathy, which grows out of awareness of another person’s experiences. That is why I appreciate that so many people at ExecOnline are open to sharing their experiences. If you start with that rich environment where people are talking about it, the learning has already begun, and you build on that.     

Q. What steps do you take to embrace and celebrate differences?

Hoyun: In the past year, our employees formed a number of employee resource groups after the idea was presented to me by members of our talent team. We have six ERGs now, and they work with the talent team to raise awareness of the interests they represent.

During Black History Month and Pride Month, the ERGs published spotlights of individual ERG members with their thoughts on the people and organizations that have inspired them. I love seeing those because it is an opportunity to get to know people in a fuller context that is not just about their jobs. 

At the executive level, we are discussing how we can support the growth and development of the ERGs and enable them to drive DEI learning within the organization. It is an important part of our culture now.  

Q. How important is inclusivity to build a diverse workplace? What are the measures you take so that employees feel inclusive?

Hoyun: Inclusivity and equity are the real keys to building a truly diverse culture. This becomes obvious when you are recruiting people and you observe their behaviors and try to imagine what they see. I always notice when candidates are visiting for interviews, how they look around and take in the environment. They take mental notes about who is comfortable here, whose voices are heard, who looks confident and important, and even who looks like they do.
 
What Malcolm Gladwell calls “thin-slicing” is what candidates do when they observe people at work for that brief time. If a person from an underrepresented group can picture themselves in the scene, if they can imagine being happy and successful here because others like them are happy and successful here, then you must be doing something right! 
 
A truly inclusive workplace attracts a diverse pool of candidates. To create that inclusive workplace requires a focus on retention, and the specific ways we support individuals along their career paths.

Q. How important is it that leadership take an active role in these conversations? Currently, this is not happening much. Why? How can this be changed?

Hoyun: Leadership absolutely needs to take an active role in these discussions, even if it becomes uncomfortable, at times. 

We can all do better, if we put ourselves in the stance of being a learner. You do not have to be an expert to be an effective listener; you can start there, and as you learn, you develop points of view, and that leads to ideas. 

When you’re a leader, especially when you are in a field like law or in a technical field, you get used to being valued for your expertise, and that may lead to a bit of paralysis when you are thrown into an environment where your views and voice are important in matters outside of your expertise.  But it is not always just about your technical expertise, and this is why I think it is important to learn the language of DEI as a foundational part of self-learning.   
 

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