Diversity, Inclusion, And Equality As Central Organizational Tenets

Focusing on DEI helps companies succeed in their industry moving forward

Most organizations recognize the importance of having a workforce that represents the full volume demographic spectrum of their community and marketplace, so they have been addressing the diversity issue for a while. Creating a truly inclusive environment, though, takes diversity beyond the numbers. In focusing on inclusivity, organizations are looking to ensure that all employees feel valued and respected. They want employees empowered to participate fully in the workplace while at the same time staying true to their authentic selves. Belonging takes a step beyond inclusion. With belonging, everyone can thrive in the workplace, whether they’re part of the dominant group or not. 
 

To help make organizations more welcoming and equitable for all employees, companies must include diversity, inclusion, and belonging efforts in the central facets of their business. And L&D teams can lead the effort to train and develop employees, especially leaders, to create a more diverse and inclusive workforce in which all employees feel comfortable and valued. 

Improving diversity, inclusion, and belonging in the workforce starts with creating inclusive talent strategies. All talent-related efforts must be aligned and designed to recruit, hire, develop, retain and promote diverse employees. As a starting point, HR professionals should examine their current hiring practices, such as how they are seeking out candidates, how those candidates are vetted and determining whether these practices are equitable and are helping D&I efforts versus hurting. The channels in which HR professionals recruit should be diverse and should include diversity-centric resources, conferences, colleges and job boards. 

Additionally, those tasked with writing job descriptions should be educated on how to do so using inclusive language. Consider the “must have” versus “nice to have.” Do you really need employees to have “x” degree and “y” experience, which may rule out some candidates, when what really matters on the job are attributes- resilience, flexibility and eagerness to learn. The expectations of an individual’s commitment to diversity should be written into their job description. 

Following that, L&D should evaluate the inclusivity of their leadership development training and other high-potential programs to see if selection criteria and pipelines are truly inclusive, and whether the programs address the unique needs of employees from underrepresented and underserved groups. 

To make this possible, you need senior leaders who are attuned to diversity, who practice inclusivity and who understand the value of diversity and inclusion. As mentioned above, there should be a hiring strategy in place that supports diversity, and inclusion should be a red thread running through all training for employees. Senior leaders must also be skilled at creating a safe place to work and thrive for underserved populations. They must understand how to cultivate their diverse talent, including being able to spot those times where someone needs additional support and being an ally.

Once that is created, it is important to maintain this pipeline by ensuring the leadership selection process accounts for diverse candidates. It’s best to avoid a nomination-based approach, as it is human nature to choose candidates in our own image and likeness. So even if you have a diverse set of leaders pulling up the chairs and giving someone a seat at the table, they may not be creating a truly inclusive cohort. Rather than selecting someone based on an impressive company they had worked for or the school they attend, they should be selected in an objective and performance-based manner. 

Additionally, an inclusive talent development pipeline should be a shared experience for all participants, and bring everyone along on the journey with a shared purpose. This will lay the foundation for a sense of belonging, community and trust within those leaders. Aspiration is important and expected in leaders, but the program should not ask more of them than would be expected. It’s important not to overtax diverse learners in order to “fill” your diversity requirement. 

Further, content and resources incorporated into a leadership program should be localized so that it’s understandable, relevant and accessible to all. It’s important to keep in mind that equality, diversity and inclusion may not mean the same thing around the world, so experiences should be tailored accordingly. Organizations should create and provide safe environments for leaders in all countries-areas where they can share their experiences and educated leaders on differences.  

Focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion helps companies succeed in their industry moving forward. Inclusivity also help organizations compete in today’s workforce given the rise in workers’ desires to know an organizations’ stance and commitment to diversity. 

Ellen Bailey is senior advisor for diversity, inclusion, and belonging at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. Ellen has over 20 years of combined diversity & inclusion, leadership, consulting and solution design experience. Visit www.harvardbusiness.org  Connect Ellen Bailey