Doing DEI Right: Harvard Business Publishing Case Study

In my last post I talked about the key takeaways from my presentation at PRSA ICON23,? highlighting four imperatives.

?For organizations:

·?????? The C-Suite must commit; it can’t be a check-box or purely HR-led program

·?????? Addressed the project with a top-down, bottom-up approach; both employees and the C-Suite contribute data, actions, drivers for permanent change

·?????? Apply change management principles to ensure viability

For communications pros:

·?????? Ensure the program is authentic before embarking on a promotional campaign, determining the level of executive commitment, whether words are supported by actions, how the initiative is measured and how results are reported

In this post, I’ll cover the remarkable case study that Ellen Bailey from Harvard Business Publishing presented at ICON 2023, demonstrating how the principles above translate into real results. As Ellen noted in her FY 2022 year-end report, “This DEI journey requires deep reflection and effort. It makes some of us uncomfortable. It often requires us to challenge our thinking. To slow down and be intentional about our words and our actions. To guard against slipping back to ‘how we’ve always done it.’ And even when issues of equity and inclusion are not making headlines, we need to continue to push for progress.”

In 2022, Harvard Business Publishing (HBP) embarked on a change management program centered around sustainable change, focusing on three key areas for transformation: culture, diversity and representation, and social impact.

To kick-start cultural transformation, they conducted training sessions to teach the skills required to promote inclusivity, launched employee resource groups to foster dialogue and provide support, launched speaker series, podcasts and storytelling groups, and held regular executive committee roundtables to report on the progress of the initiative and examine new ideas.

To bolster diversity and representation, they designed a career pathing strategy, adopted and published a new recruiting strategy and launched the annual DEI public reports to share status updates.

To broaden social impact, they inaugurated a free financial literacy training, “Advancing Your Small Business,” to help level the economic playing field for diverse groups, forged new community partnerships, provided content to a number of global organizations as well as launched a volunteer program enabling employees to volunteer their hours to community projects.

Communication is the glue that holds the initiative together. A formal communications program was given the same priority as the establishment of a performance management system. The communications program consists of specific mechanisms, priorities and strategies designed to provide ongoing, transparent and concise reporting on results while restating goals and persistently demonstrating the initiative lies at the heart of the organizational structure.

At its core, the HBP program is focused on leveraging cultural transformation as the driver of business transformation, and is founded on the value statement, “We will do what's right, what's hard and with excellence.” The program envisions a performance culture in which employees perform well because they are engaged, valued and continually learning.? Leadership is encouraged to prioritize strategic alignment on goals and priorities, build accountability into performance management, and refer to stated values as the measure of expected behavioral norms within the organization. This is the “top-down” commitment.

Fulfilling that commitment, however, depends on enabling employees through a “bottom-up” strategy that drives client-focused innovation by incorporating DEI principles into operating procedures, with an emphasis on clear communications, distributed decision making, inclusive discussions, encouraging and leveraging creativity through ideation, and diversity of thought. ?

To ensure the ideas become common practice and culturally embedded within the organization, the program seeks to foster an inclusive culture over the long term by incorporating DEI into codes of practice both for individuals and business approaches, and continually supports those changes by offering education opportunities to reinforce new behaviors.

Results and transparency

HBP’s 2022 report candidly articulates its progress – and challenges – across the initiative. While team participation across a number of initiatives was good, shifting the culture remains an ongoing effort that will remain a priority through 2023 and beyond. In terms of diversity and inclusion, the organization reports that the proportion of Black and Indigenous people and other people of color has increased to 24% of all employees, and it notes continued growth in representation among authors, moderators and case protagonists. The effort continues.

As HBP demonstrates, it’s possible to responsibly publicize a compelling DEI story as long as your goals and data support your public claims. They have been careful to communicate in detail why they’re pursuing the initiative, how their strategies are being implemented and what precisely they are doing to make progress. The four primary steps they have adopted are:

·?????? Define purpose

·?????? Leverage the power of data to show progress

·?????? Prove commitment through public statements and concrete actions

·?????? Empower employees and vendors to be part of the change

Ellen’s case study shows how DEI initiatives can launch successfully, and in the process earn organizations the right to tell the world how they’re working towards their goals. However, communications missteps will hurt even the best initiatives, so we offer these key tips for getting the message out correctly.

1.????? Ask questions first. Evaluate to ensure the DEI initiative’s goals and structure are organization-wide, measurable and performance-based. Questions might include:

-????????? What is the scope and target area of investment in ESG/DEI?

-????????? Who is the program owner? Is it devolved from or actively owned by the C-Suite?

-????????? Do any current programs exist? How have these effected change to date?

-????????? How is the program being measured? Are these measurements linked to business performance metrics?

-????????? Do you, as a communications professional, or your clients, perceive any potential disconnects from authenticity?

2.????? Consult the diversity committee before any promotion of the program. Their perspective is key.

3.????? Base your recommendations around positive, program-driven events and data.

4.????? Make sure your communications framework captures the diverse voices within the organization, including employees, management, customers and partners.

5.????? Validate initiatives through data demonstrating the success of program, both in terms of individual achievement and program results.

Communication, both internal and external, is one of the key elements of sustaining diversity and equality transformation. As communications pros, we’re in a position of privilege to help introduce and maintain these vital societal and business changes.