WHY EDI AND HOW TO DO IT
Should you even bother?
Of course, you should!
Research has linked improvements in diversity and inclusion to better business performances, responsiveness to customer needs, customer loyalty, and improved team collaboration and decision-making.
Organizations with inclusive cultures are:
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35% more likely to outperform their competitors (McKinsey)
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70% more likely to capture new markets (HBR)
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87% better at decision-making (People Management)
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More likely to hit their financial target goals by up to 120% (Forbes)
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Able to have teams generate 19% higher revenues (Boston Consulting Group)
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Better at navigating complexity (Leader’s Edge)
You might decide to do nothing as things are going okay, and this EDI thing sounds too complicated.
But that decision will lead to:
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Costs for HR management due to more incidents reported and consequent complaints and lawsuits.​
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More difficulties in finding insurance companies willing to cover the organization.
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Loss of clients and community partners who will prefer working with inclusive organizations.
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Ineffective Strategic Workforce Planning, with loss of current employees and future talents.
While many of these points are well-known by institutions, companies, and organizations, the implementation of EDI strategies lacks and is still largely performative. Indeed:
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Actions are implemented only as reactions to events.
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Tailored EDI policies are still absent in many organizations.
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Training is a one-time opportunity mainly for front-line employees only.
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EDI is considered a thing for marginalized groups only instead of a new systemic framework.
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Good intentions are the primary motivation for EDI.
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Tailored KPIs, assessment and evaluation strategies, and audits are mostly absent.
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No or very limited budget is allocated, and usually, the entire responsibility is on one person's shoulders.
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The focus is only on diversity quotas and appearance.
The primary reason for this situation is a fundamental confusion about what EDI work is about and why and how we implement it.
EDI is not just a new piece we add to our organizations as a cool toy to show on brochures and websites.
EDI is a new framework that reshapes how we manage and operate our organization. It's about rethinking our goals, commitments, and obligations to make our organization more equitable, fair, productive, attractive, profitable, and connected. It is a systemic way to update the governance, the entire HR life cycle, the development, production, and delivery of our products and services, and our relationships with community partners, suppliers, and all the key actors we deal with.
The solution is a data-driven systemic approach.
Organizations should focus on research and data collection, internal infrastructures, external relations, and a tailored ongoing learning offer to all levels to assess the situation and evaluate progress, design new policies within the EDI framework, and re-assign roles and responsibilities (including KPIs for performance evaluation).
Our Diversity&Inclusion Service Management Strategy* is based on ISO 30415:2021, a standard tailored to EDI created by the International Organization for Standardization, which illustrates fundamental prerequisites for EDI, associated accountabilities and responsibilities, recommended actions, suggested measures and potential outcomes. It recognizes that each organization is different and that decision-makers need to determine the most appropriate approach to embedding EDI in their organizations based on the context, challenges, and general goals.
* Certificate No. 1025202418 issued by the DISM Forum, New York (New York, USA), in partnership with Ventura Collective and Inclusion Corporation.
About
Michele is passionate about helping individuals, organizations, and communities identify and address barriers to equitable and inclusive environments where everyone can thrive. He does so through research and evaluation, policy review, and customized training sessions.
Michele has built his expertise through research and consulting activities across many sectors, disciplines, and topics internationally over the last twenty years. He can also count on his PhD in Comparative Social Research and many certifications on the issues he discussed, including an Intercultural Competency Master Trainer certificate and the most recent Diversity and Inclusion Service Management (DISM) certification, based on the ISO 30415:2021.
Contact us today for a FREE 1h consultation so that we can better understand your needs and expectations and provide a tailored plan: info@michelemanocchi.com