How can you design a diversity and inclusion strategy to improve performance and engagement?

Diversity and inclusion are not only ethical and social goals, but also strategic ones. Research shows that diverse and inclusive teams are more creative, innovative, productive, and engaged. However, creating a culture of diversity and inclusion requires more than just policies and programs. It requires a clear vision, a strong commitment, and a systematic approach. In this article, you will learn how to design a diversity and inclusion strategy that aligns with your organizational goals, values, and needs, and that fosters a positive and supportive work environment for everyone.

1 Assess your current state

Before you can design a diversity and inclusion strategy, you need to understand where you are now and where you want to be. This means conducting a thorough assessment of your current diversity and inclusion practices, challenges, and opportunities. You can use various methods, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, audits, or benchmarks, to gather data and feedback from your employees, managers, customers, and stakeholders. The assessment should cover four key dimensions: representation, belonging, equity, and inclusion. Representation refers to the diversity of your workforce in terms of demographics, such as gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, etc. Belonging refers to the extent to which your employees feel valued, respected, and connected to your organization. Equity refers to the fairness and justice of your policies, processes, and outcomes, such as pay, promotion, recognition, etc. Inclusion refers to the extent to which your employees can participate, contribute, and influence decisions that affect them and the organization.

Add your perspective

Sanghamitra Satapathy

Co-founder at EdgeNext HR
Report contribution
In addition to this, the ‘why’ is very important and would play a huge factor in how to drive it. What is the purpose of focusing on D,I &E? Is it purely stat driven? Is it aimed at increasing brand value? Or does it have a more social and ethical purpose to it including business. If the INTENT of the leaderships is ETHICALLY RIGHT, it will lead to this initiative being driven in a holistic manner.

Like

2 Define your vision and goals

Based on the results of your assessment, you can define your vision and goals for diversity and inclusion. Your vision should be a clear and compelling statement that describes what you want to achieve and why it matters. Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART), and aligned with your organizational strategy, mission, and values. For example, your vision could be: "We aspire to be a diverse and inclusive organization that embraces and leverages the differences and similarities of our people to create value for our customers, employees, and society." Your goals could be: "By 2025, we will increase the representation of women in senior leadership positions by 20%, reduce the pay gap between different groups by 10%, and improve the employee engagement score by 15%."

Add your perspective

3 Develop your action plan

Once you have your vision and goals, you need to develop your action plan to achieve them. Your action plan should outline the specific actions, initiatives, and interventions that you will implement to address the gaps and opportunities identified in your assessment. Your action plan should also specify the roles and responsibilities, resources and budget, timelines and milestones, and indicators and measures of success for each action. For example, some of the actions you could include in your plan are: "Create a diversity and inclusion council to oversee and monitor the strategy; provide diversity and inclusion training and coaching for all employees and managers; implement a mentorship and sponsorship program for underrepresented groups; review and revise the recruitment, retention, and advancement policies and practices; establish a recognition and reward system for diversity and inclusion champions; and communicate and celebrate the progress and achievements regularly."

Add your perspective

Sanghamitra Satapathy

Co-founder at EdgeNext HR
Report contribution
Creating systems and policies is the easiest part, however the most difficult part is changing the employee/ manager/ colleagues, mindset, removing biases and making inclusiveness a part of their daily life and culture is a huge challenge. Few ways are- 1. Interactive training and sessions 2. Talks/ sessions/ Sharing of stories by D&I champions and representatives 3. Incorporating underlying messages of inclusiveness and belonging in all communications by leadership and organization. 4. Have regular conversations with employees to see if the initiatives are working or any correction needed 5. A strong stand against any kind of biases/ harassment or bullying

Like

4 Implement and evaluate your strategy

The final step is to implement and evaluate your diversity and inclusion strategy. This means executing your action plan, tracking your progress, and measuring your impact. You should also review and adjust your strategy as needed, based on the feedback, data, and results that you collect. You should use both quantitative and qualitative methods, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, audits, or benchmarks, to evaluate your strategy. You should also compare your results with your baseline and your goals, and identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your strategy. Additionally, you should communicate and celebrate your successes, as well as acknowledge and learn from your challenges, with your employees, managers, customers, and stakeholders. This will help you to sustain and enhance your diversity and inclusion culture, and to demonstrate your value and impact.

Add your perspective

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

Add your perspective

How can you design a diversity and inclusion strategy to improve performance and engagement?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Assess your current state

2 Define your vision and goals

3 Develop your action plan

4 Implement and evaluate your strategy

5 Here’s what else to consider

Staff Development

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

More articles on Staff Development

More relevant reading

How can you design a diversity and inclusion strategy to improve performance and engagement?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Assess your current state

2 Define your vision and goals

3 Develop your action plan

4 Implement and evaluate your strategy

5 Here’s what else to consider

Staff Development

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

Explore Other Skills