Companies tend to fail at diversity, equity and inclusion efforts for three main reasons:
They act on assumptions
DE&I is an emotional issue but it’s critical to make DE&I decisions based on data and facts. If you build your programs based purely on assumptions, you end up addressing the symptoms of the issues rather than the root cause. The resulting efforts are not only likely to miss the mark, they may also weaken your case for DE&I activity in the longer term.
They take a programmatic approach
DE&I needs to be approached as a joined-up strategic imperative. When organizations tackle it as a series of discrete DE&I initiatives or programs, we have seen time and again that it simply doesn’t stick. It is only when DE&I is sewn into the fabric of the business that it becomes a true lever for competitive advantage.
They focus exclusively on behavioral change
Behavior change is an important part of building diversity, equity and inclusion. But without addressing the structural biases within the organization’s underlying policies, processes and practices, changes in behavior will have only limited effect. That’s why companies that focus exclusively on unconscious bias training, or on programs that help underrepresented talent navigate the organization more effectively, rarely meet with success.
To design and build a truly inclusive organization, companies need to develop DE&I strategies that are grounded in talent and business priorities, based on data and analytics and are implemented by inclusive and accountable leaders.