Brick by Brick: Developing Sustainable DE&I Initiatives

Developing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are a critical component of being a 21st century organization. For years some organizations have become more diverse, yet some have simultaneously lagged behind with implementing inclusive practices that foster progression and multicultural competence. In this blog, I briefly address five strategies to help organizations develop sustainable DE&I efforts which integrate organizational assessments, learning, and leader development programs that focus on cross-cultural exposure and engagement.

Executive Engagement vs. Executive “Buy-In”

Many organizations are concerned with acquiring executive “buy-in” from their senior leaders. Much of the attention during the initial phase of exploration is attempting to receive the “blessing” of the executive leader. Once this is attained, some are tempted to withdrawal from calling the executive to more. In my opinion, this is highly problematic. Executive “buy-in” is the minimum of developing a sustainable strategy. In contrast, executive engagement provides members the opportunity to see the embodied investment into DE&I initiatives. Executive engagement does not mean that the executive(s) runs the meetings, muddy’s up the initiatives, or micromanages as an attempt of optical allyship. In contrast, the executive takes an opportunity to demonstrate multicultural humility by being curious of the initiatives, supporting the ongoing efforts, and taking a posture as an engaged learner. One of the best ways for executives to cultivate followership is do something themselves that is worth following.

Organizational assessments on a continual basis

Where have we been? Where are we now? Where would we like to go? How will be get there? Those are the four questions that I use to guide my initial conceptualizations of organizational change. During the initial phase of assessment, these questions need to be asked, asked again, and clarified throughout each echelon of the organization to ensure a shared understanding. The history of the organization will provide knowledge regarding the current context and how organizations do, or do not, respond in a timely manner to societal changes. Next, I seek to understand how an organization conceptualizes the current social environment that impacts their people, and how that correlates with the operational environment of the organization. Then, it is important to determine a clear path forward and the key ways and means to get to the stated ends of sustainable, inclusive, and equitable practices.

Developing a culture of learning and leader development

Cultivating an environment of learning is simple, but not easy. The first first step of creating such a learning environment is establishing a clear commitment to leader development. The work of DE&I is professional, yet deeply personal. The intersectionality of holding multiple cultural identities provides an array of topics that would be helpful to cover during the learning phase. However, prior to jumping into a hodgepodge of workshops and training, understanding the deficits within the organization is vital. This is why assessments are an important initial step to sustainable practices. Leader development can then be focused on helping individuals through poignant workshops, interactive training, diversity formation groups, and executive coaching to help all echelons of the organization. This type of continuous learning helps implement multiple points of contact for DE&I initiatives.

Investment in senior and junior member interaction

Organizations that allow junior members to be a part of meetings, committees, or have ongoing exposure and engagement to senior leaders will find that this inclusive practice is another way to increase engagement and vitality. The responsibility of modeling this type of equity falls in the hands of the top leadership. Advocating for intentional interaction(s) starts with executives who prioritize inclusion and equity, however these efforts will not be sustained with executives who exhibit multicultural ambivalence.

Sharing values with new members

An additional component of building sustaining DE&I initiatives is sharing the value of DE&I with new members. Organizations may need to rethink their talent assessment and selection practices and/or their values. Some organizations teach their values better than others. In 2002, when I first enlisted in the military, I was amazed at the amount of time that was spent on teaching the organizational values. To this day, I still receive training on these values, and the significance of transforming these values into behaviors. In the same way, DE&I efforts require ample time, budgets, and effort. By sharing these values on a continual basis, it solidifies and sets a clear path forward for the organization.

Conclusion

Brick by Brick is the way forward with the implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. These concepts and strategies are not novel. However, the commitment amongst key personnel is what contributes to the longevity and overall success. As DE&I research evolves, we will learn more about the efficacy of this work, and how this domain will shape our globally connected and interdependent workforce of the future.

Dr. Cedric Williams is a Consulting Psychologist & CEO of Legacy Consulting & Research Group. His work and research interests are in the domains of Multicultural Competence, Resilience, Leadership, and Occupational Thriving. He serves as the Diversity and Inclusion Chairperson for the American Psychological Association’s Division 13, the Society of Consulting Psychology. Dr. Williams provides coaching and consulting services for individuals, teams, and organizations. For more information fill out the service request sheet below.  

References

Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350-383. doi:10.2307/2666999.

Creating multicultural change on campus. Pope, R. L., Reynolds, A. L., & Mueller, J. A. (2014). Creating multicultural change on campus. Jossey-Bass.

Glover, J. & Friedman, H.L. (2015). Transcultural Competence: Navigating cultural differences in the global community. American Psychological Association.

Sue, D. W. (2001). Multidimensional facets of cultural competence. The Counseling Psychologist, 29(6), 790–821. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000001296002

Williams, C. (2020, March 27). What is Multicultural Competence? Retrieved from https://legacycrg.com/blog/2020/blog2

Dr. Cedric Williams

Founder + CEO

Legacy Consulting & Research Group LLC