What I learnt Interviewing people about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Towards the end of 2020 I joined The Alternative Boards global DEI council with the ambition of improving myself as a person, as well as improving the lives of others. One of my duties as a council member was to take a subconscious self-bias test where I learnt that I am moderately racist. I was shocked, having been personally affected by bullying and racism myself. I looked at my own boards and found them to be diversified as a result of actively trying to be the best version of myself. That didn’t change the fact I had learnt underlying assumptions. It added another layer of complexity in resolving a lack of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the workplace.

After taking a little while to find our feet, the council agreed the starting place had to be with communication and education. Because my biggest takeaway was a personal revelation, I decided to start talking to people exposed to DEI organisational movements to learn from their personal experiences.

I created a list of some of my learnings. The list is not exhausted, nor could it ever be. Instead, I wrote about the learnings I found most insightful.

Small Discussions are the catalyst for sustainable change.

The conversation of DEI is polarising and everyone has their own point of view. People are more willing to listen and consider others when they have had the opportunity to share their own thoughts and experiences. In the workplace there are easy ways to bring DEI into the conversation through meeting agendas, newsletters, internal forums and conversations by the watercooler. It doesn’t have to be formal or objective as long as it is done in a safe space. By getting people to talk more about DEI they will start noticing how it affects them in an phenomenon known as Baader-Meinhof. This is when you notice something new, at least it’s new to you. Suddenly, you’re aware of that thing all over the place. (Pietrangelo, 2019)

We are all at different places in our journey.

It can be frustrating to work with someone who doesn’t share your values or beliefs. It can also prompt us to question our own thoughts. This is a necessary part of learning. Our experiences and perspectives are as individual as our fingerprints. Forcing people to see things from our point of view never works. That is why subjects like DEI are so polarising. When looking to prompt positive change through communication and education we must cater for people at different stages in their journey. We can do this by communicating the same message through different mediums, providing learning opportunities and leading over managing. By seeing people as people rather than obstacles, we can show the same empathy that we are asking of others.

Diversity is hard

Attempts at diversity often fail. We have survived as a species for as long as we have because we conserve energy where possible through taking the path of least resistance. We prioritise moving away from threats over moving towards opportunities. In a business setting, to improve DEI, we need to acknowledge and expect things to get harder. There will also likely be small failures along the way. This is no different to R&D, marketing, strategy or other areas of business. By setting realistic expectations and keeping the end goal in mind you will become more resilient. In the end it will be worth it and you will receive better outcomes compared to taking the path of least resistance.

Equity over Equality

In the workplace, diversifying your people will require larger investment of resources, a longer onboarding process and changes to management procedures. This will trigger some peoples’ fairness values, especially during recruitment processes.

Equality focuses on creating the same starting line for everyone. Equity has the goal of providing everyone with the full range of opportunities and benefits – the same finish line. (YMCA Calgary, 2017).

To unpack this, we need to acknowledge, whether someone is more or less qualified depends on what attributes we are looking for. By defining the company strategy, values, cultural statement and competency gaps, the business can articulate the position description and define the ideal candidate. It also allows the business to measure success relevant to the position requirements and calculate their return on investment.

All people are not the same so of course bringing in someone new requires a different kind of support. This is a good thing because the end result is better outcomes for everybody.

Everyone has an equal right to be heard and valued.

Great ideas and perspectives are often unheard or easily dismissed. This results in successful businesses being disrupted and lucrative opportunities being missed. One factor is that, it is easier and safer to agree with a superior then disagree. Another factor is that, in all positions we find business owners and employees suffering imposter syndrome. The I in DEI stands for inclusion, and inclusion supports everyone having an equal right to be heard and valued. In business having a written and practiced process to get information from the bottom-up, as well as the top-down, results in better decisions being made in shorter time frames. Businesses who do this well are more sustainable and more profitable.

Look for opportunities to upskill internal staff

Large organisations are well practiced at looking internally to fill new roles. Small to medium businesses do this less often for various reasons. The only people who know your business better than you is your employees. Your perfect low skilled worker could become the most valuable employee in the organisation once given the opportunity. They are already advocating your business, understand your communication and behaviour style, know your customers, as well as your stakeholders. It is also easier to find the right fit for your business in an entry level position.

It is easy for someone to get stuck in their role because they are good at it. As a business owner, if you lean into inclusion by looking for ways to increase the value of internal staff you will gain a competitive edge over those who do not.

DEI supports your existing values

Mandatory KPI’s are not sufficient for sustainable positive change. Businesses with massive resources have tried and failed at DEI targets because their culture rejected the change. Diversity, Equity and Inclusions in the workplace is complex and requires system intervention. Using systems theory, the most impactful way to intervene is by addressing mental modes. The most successful organisations at adopting DEI addressed mental modes by aligning it with existing values. By doing so it reduces friction between the positive change we desire with our existing position. An example of this is an organisation that values respect, addressing the mental mode that everyone is responsible for calling out their peers when the value is not adhered to. Another value example is world-class customer service. In this example, to deliver world-class customer service there needs to be training on how to deliver service to all types of customers. Once you start thinking about how you can align DEI improvements with existing cultural values the barrier to entry reduces and it gives you a place to start.

There is a commercial benefit to DEI

When researching companies who have run DEI initiatives you will find that in worse case scenarios it does nothing. In best case scenarios the businesses become significantly more profitable. It can be difficult to draw lines of causation compared to correlation because DEI in the workplace is complex. If you are willing to invest the time in research there is evidence of commercial benefits. An example is a report by The Australian Government on Women in Leadership Positions Improving Business outcomes. The report stated,

“Workplace gender equality is not just about fairness, it also has a compelling commercial imperative. This research provides hard evidence that more women in top-tier management levels will deliver improved profitability for business. Now more than ever, achieving workplace gender equality is an absolute necessity for every organisation in Australia.” (Duncan, 2020)

By linking DEI to increased profitability we have another tool in our toolbox to encourage business owners, leaders, shareholders and staff to embrace positive change.

References

I haven’t referenced each point because I didn’t see a need. I do hope that by making it to the end of my article you are starting to think about how you can start leveraging the benefits of DEI in your own workplace and encourage healthy conversation. If you have your own stories, recommendations or collaboration opportunities please feel free to reach out.

Duncan, R. C. (2020). Gender Equity Insights 2020, Delivering The Business Outcomes. Canberra: The Australian Government.

Pietrangelo, A. (2019, December 17). What the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon Is and Why You May See It Again... and Again. Retrieved from healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health/baader-meinhof-phenomenon

YMCA Calgary. (2017, July 26). Equity v.s. equality: What's the difference? Retrieved from YMCA Calgary: https://www.ywcalgary.ca/news/equity-v-s-equality-whats-difference/#:~:text=Equality%20focuses%20on%20creating%20the,benefits%20%E2%80%93%20the%20same%20finish%20line.&text=That's%20equality%20and%20equality%20does,So%20look%20around%20you.