3 Insights to Transform your Workplace DEI Efforts from Intent to Impact

Welcome to the all new Competent DEI Practice newsletter! A monthly mailer pioneering competency-based and non-political workplace DEI practice.

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After years of consulting on workplace DEI and running Confessions of a DEI Pro, I discovered the crux of successful DEI practice: competency.?

What do I mean by competency??

Definition:?

Competencies are the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviours that contribute to individual and organisational performance.?

For example, key competencies for a DEI professional would include:?

• Leading with neutrality
• Psychological safety
• Facilitating conversations?

It is therefore a competency-based approach that organisations must implement in order to see substantial progress in their DEI initiatives.?

In a world where DEI efforts often fall short due to a lack of standardisation and practical application, we need a shift in attitude. From well-meaning initiatives to effective, evidence-based strategies that deliver real, measurable outcomes.?

This Month's Focus: Turning Activism into Action

The path to meaningful change in the workplace lies not just in advocacy, but in actionable, professional progress.?

As critical as social activism is in society, it is not a workplace competency.?

Lived experience, identity, and passion, are not workplace competencies.?

Yet this is how many organisations benchmark and hire DEI professionals.?

And DEI practitioners are allowing these things to seep into their professional role.?

The result?

• Polarisation of the workforce
• Increased distrust in DEI and HR functions
• Lack of clarity, competence and compliance in DEI

So what can we do about it?

Here are 3 key insights to transform your DEI efforts from intent to impact:

1. Compliance isn’t a dirty word

As in so many other domains, DEI requires a set of standards and benchmarks. We frequently hear negativity around DEI being a ‘tick box exercise’ – yet workplace DEI functions absolutely need checklists and guidelines to ensure compliance. Just as Health & Safety guidelines exist to save lives, DEI is intrinsic to people’s livelihoods and should be treated with the same formality.

1. Neutrality is key

Remaining politically and ideologically neutral is a critical yet under-discussed element of successful corporate DEI. The DEI function must be able to separate themselves from their work in order to make business progress (the ultimate goal). This isn’t about people’s feelings – it’s about competency.?

1. Ensuring business acumen in DEI

Understanding the business implications of DEI is crucial to getting priorities right. It's not just about making people feel included—it's about leveraging diversity as a strategic advantage. Our research shows that organisations with a high DEI competency see a direct correlation with increased innovation and market growth.

What's Next?

Tuesday 26th March: IGPP National EDI in the Workplace Conference

CCWE will have a stand at IGPP’s National EDI in the Workplace Conference in London next week. I will be giving a talk on competency and would love to see any of you in attendance!

We will also be at the Manchester event on April 25th, and in Belfast on June 26th.

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In the coming issues, we'll dive deeper into each component of the CCWE C3 System, share success stories from organisations that are leading the way in DEI, and provide you with practical tips to implement in your own workplace.

??? I’d love to hear from you!

Your insights and experiences are invaluable – so I encourage you to share your DEI challenges and victories, questions, or topics you'd like me to cover in future editions.?

Thank you for being a part of this proactive community. Together we can transform the workplace, one (competent) step at a time.

Warmest regards,

Ashanti?

Learn more about CCWE at ccweglobal.com and follow us on LinkedIn for real-time updates and insights!