DEI Strategy Formulation: Case Study
Felicity Menzies
CEO, Culture Plus Consulting | Culture Change | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Respect at Work | Harassment, Bullying & Discrimination | Inclusive Leadership | Unconscious Bias | DEI Strategy |Trauma-Informed Practice
Culture Plus Consulting was engaged by a large government agency to develop an overarching diversity and inclusion strategy to guide the prioritisation and coordination of diversity and inclusion investment and efforts across the agency.
Objective
The goal of the engagement was to progress diversity and inclusion within the agency and maintain the organisation’s reputation as a leading DEI employer. Although the agency had received multiple awards in recognition of its work in fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, stakeholders believed there was further work to be undertaken to embed a culture of inclusion across the organisation.
Services Provided
Phase One of the strategy formulation process involved a thorough diversity and inclusion diagnostic encompassing best-practice benchmarking, stakeholder interviews, employee focus groups and interviews, and an extensive documentation review to identify critical risk areas and opportunities.
Phase Two of the engagement involved stakeholder consultation, drafting of the strategy, and executive engagement.
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Diagnostic Results
Notwithstanding that the agency had established foundational elements of a best-practice diversity and inclusion program including a diversity and inclusion plan, diversity and inclusion learning and development, inclusive policies and practices, and employee networks and champions, the agency had not progressed beyond a programmatic approach to diversity and inclusion to achieve a culture of inclusion across the agency.
Evaluation findings indicated the most significant impediments to advancing diversity and achieving a culture of inclusion at the agency were a lack of leadership accountability and weak integration with the business strategy and other organisational functions. Establishing a robust governance framework, formulating diversity and inclusion metrics that align with and support the achievement of the organisation’s business strategy, holding leaders accountable for the achievement of those goals, and embedding diversity and inclusion into the corporate infrastructure were identified as the agency’s most critical diversity and inclusion opportunities and key strategic priorities.
Other areas of opportunity included leveraging data to identify diversity and inclusion risks across the business and implementing targeted D&I interventions, strengthening diversity and inclusion capability, reinvigorating employee networks, building on entry-level programs to support the professional development and advancement of diverse talent, and embedding flexible working arrangements and accessibility as business as usual.
Outcome
Although initially project sponsors were concerned about stakeholder resistance to shifting accountability from the people function to the business, after successful consultation and engagement with executives, the strategy was adopted and approved by the Executive.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
5 个月Thanks Felicity Menzies for sharing this. I try to read all the new DEI strategies that are developed and published. They help to progress our work collectively, as we can use some best practice in our own work. I really liked the section on actions - What staff can do How staff are supported, What managers can do How managers are supported and What Senior Executives can do How Senior Executives are supported p14, 15 and 16. I'm tempted one day to write in a pillar on resistance in a DEI strategy and plans to address it in all of it's forms. Roman
Nation Nation Institution
5 个月nativenation.world
Human Resource Executive - Chief People Officer
5 个月Great initiative. To really understand the live experiences of a workforce. If the audience changes, so too should the information inputs but to have an evidence base to make decisions from is always the place to start.
Igniting Women's Transformation-Beyond Cancer ?? Women's coach ?? Release Limiting Beliefs, Step Into Your True Potential ?? Proven Approach Designed for Impactful Results ?? Work Culture Change: Leaders, Employees, HR
5 个月One of the impacts I’ve noticed with agencies that don’t deal with MOG changes (which funnily enough, tend to refresh workplace cultures with the influx of large and diverse groups of people) is that mindsets, attitudes and behaviours can unconsciously become stuck inside accepted norms and ‘group think’ that have developed decades before. This ‘stuckness’, plus inertia, can often limit the impact of any new culture change initiative. It’s certainly worth considering. Good luck! ??