DEI Strategies and Evaluations: Chapter 1 & 2

Despite significant investment, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives often fail to produce commensurate results.

Lack of quality control and accountability in DEI practices can lead to inconsistent and potentially harmful outcomes.

The informal partnership between the DEI industry and organizations where money is exchanged but the existing inequalities persist or worsen.

Defining DEI by tangible results, such as organizational demographics, structural fairness, and supportive environments, instead of intentions.

Measurable results like an organization's demographics, structural equality, and inclusive environments.

Persistent inequalities despite increased awareness and efforts to create change.

Workplace discrimination remains constant through DEI initiatives

A key aspect of effective DEI strategies is building, leveraging, and maintaining trust among all involved stakeholders

The composition of a workforce that shows representation and accountability, especially for underserved and marginalized populations.

Measured experience of individual, interpersonal, and organizational success across all groups; absence of discrimination. Achieved by eliminating historical and present-day inequalities.

An environment where all stakeholders feel respected and accountable, especially underserved and marginalized populations.

Well-resourced DEI initiatives can fail due to poor execution, conflict-heavy training, and leadership defensiveness.

Understanding what doesn't work in DEI efforts, gained from experience.

DEI efforts that lack stakeholder trust and are perceived as insincere, regardless of actions.

Potential to influence or compel people/events; embedded in systems.

The right to request behaviors from others.

Influencing behavior through promises of rewards.

Influencing behavior through threats of punishment.

Influencing behavior with specialized knowledge.

Influencing behavior via better information.

Influencing behavior through respect for or admiration of someone.

Measurable success and well-being of stakeholders.

Responsibility for achieving outcomes.

The rules, roles, and responsibilities that coordinate an organization's behavior.

The extent to which decision-making occurs at the top of an organization.

The extent to which an organization's processes are documented and formalized.

Shared assumptions and expectations for behavior within an organization.

The degree to which unequal power distribution is accepted in an organization.

The extent to which people see themselves as part of a larger whole.

Different roles needed for a movement to succeed, such as advocate, educator, organizer, strategist, and supporter.

Someone who brings issues to the forefront and boosts a movement.

Someone who helps people understand and act toward change.

Someone who brings groups together to achieve common goals.

The sum total of choices people make about power use.

Best at educating, building, and reforming within organizations.

A group of people working together for a common goal in DEI.

Individual sense of self, influenced by social factors; crucial to understand in change efforts.

A straightforward, linear process, involving priming for change, assessing the present, telling a story, experimenting, iterating, celebrating, and reiterating.

Requires carefully maintaining trust while following a non-linear path to change, balancing linear progress with building stakeholder trust.

Requires rebuilding trust to become a medium-trust environment first. Leaders must quickly establish medium-trust.

Trust is essential for motivating workforces, fostering stakeholder sharing and vulnerability, and engaging stakeholders in DEI initiatives.

Formally via surveys assessing belief in achieving goals, or informally by assessing skepticism/cynicism and how it's handled.

These arise from organizational responses to controversy, conflict, and harm, impacting how DEI initiatives are executed.

Leaders demonstrate their commitment to DEI initiatives by tying success to outcomes and establishing accountability groups, empowering stakeholders, and implementing small wins.

Leaders must focus on quickly transitioning to a medium-trust environment, possibly by empowering disadvantaged stakeholders to act first, ceding power, or using opportunities for significant advancement.