There is barely an organisation that does not pay lip service to the importance of diversity, equality and inclusion in their company vision.  However, there is also a discernible nervousness among many organisational leaders that this whole topic might risk being a Pandora’s box of difficult and divisive issues that they are ill-equipped to deal with, and therefore a fear that trying to get to grips with this agenda might cause more problems than it solves and potentially constitute a reputational risk.

Many organisations don’t have the internal clarity around what actually constitutes effective DE&I policies and strategies and find themselves unable to see how these might mesh with the organisation’s own mission statement, values and codes of behaviour. Nor do they consider the relationship between aspirational commitments – such as signing up to a code of practice developed by an external organisation – and how these might link to or impact on internal HR policies such as disciplinary and grievance procedures.

This confusion means we are in danger to losing sight of what diversity, equality and inclusion within the workforce means, why it is important, and how policies can be developed and implemented that strengthen both the organisation and its employees.

Diverse organisations are more successful

We need to reiterate the benefits to organisations of a diversity of backgrounds and views, in reducing the danger of group think. The statistics bear out that diverse organisations are more successful. We need to highlight the danger of organisations becoming adrift from their communities, or developments within society in general.

In an increasingly competitive labour market potential employees will be looking at an organisation’s culture and whether or not it is serious about or just pays lip service to key issues, including diversity and inclusion. Reviews on Glass Door and equivalent sites are unsparing in pointing out when an organisation’s proclaimed approach is just spin.

From a moral standpoint, it’s vital for a healthy society that we minimise the existence of ‘out groups’, excluded from the education and attainment ladders that enable individual progress, and that we confront stereotypes which limit individual potential.

Diversity, equality and inclusion in practice can be challenging, not least because some members of the dominant group can feel under threat and try and pull ladders up. It is important and helpful to recognise that this is a journey for most organisations, as it is for society at large, and may be one with a long trajectory.

How can organisations improve diversity, equality and inclusion?

Peer influence matters – and it’s particularly important that leaders set the tone that ‘we really mean this stuff’ – it’s not just a sentence in our annual report. An organisation’s strategic narrative needs to use the power of story when it comes to DE&I.

Some key organisational and policy steps include:

• Encourage diverse groups to work together, to talk to each other and gain an appreciation of each other’s circumstances.
• Integrate different groups to allow them to establish both professional and personal relationships to harness their potential.
• Focus on empathy, rather than simply asking people to confront their own biases. This helps reduce prejudicial attitudes and behaviours.
• Calling out people in cases of prejudice and discrimination can be effective for curbing unwanted behaviour – as positive challenges against bullying and harassment have demonstrated.

What IPA’s work on diversity, equality and inclusion tells us

Diversity, equality and inclusion is not just a question of and for the excluded – it must not be seen (and dismissed) as a minority concern.  The views and emotions of the majority group also need to be heard and acknowledged, particularly if attitudes need to be changed. Failure to do so will lead to a lack of engagement, and even reluctance and resistance from those in a position to enable change.

Accountability is key.  Responsibility for the diversity, equality and inclusion strategy needs to sit with leaders at board level and not hived off as the responsibility of one person or one group — such as a DE&I Manager or HR team. Business goals must be tied to DE&I, leaders’ and managers’ competency should be included in individual assessments on achieving goals, and management feedback must encapsulate this.

Measure inclusion and inclusivity as well as diversity. Organisations often use a diverse demographic representation as their measure of success for their DE&I strategies. This primarily focuses initiatives on talent acquisition and promotion processes. Both are incredibly important, and should be part of the discussion around inclusion and equity. However, measuring belonging and inclusiveness are just as crucial - diversity without inclusion is pointless.

It’s a question of culture: DE&I approaches must be embedded in an organisation’s values and behaviour codes.  It’s not an aspirational add on, but a core strategy.  Training and development programmes must be considered in this light.

Systemic change – not only personal change - is needed. Organisational transformation does not happen through personal actions alone. Processes and policies must be reviewed, amended, or redone to ensure they are created with everyone’s success in mind. In some organisations exclusion is baked into systems (even if inadvertently). Whilst initiatives such as unconscious bias training are laudable, nothing will change unless policies and processes change first.

All parts of the organisation need to work together – employee/internal communications teams, external communications – PR and marketing teams, DE&I specialists and HR to ensure consistent messages particularly in times of challenge.

DE&I strategies and practices also need to align with other internal policies including disciplinary and grievance procedures. Don’t sign up to external codes or commitments without thinking through all the implications for people practices.

An organisation’s internal dialogue and policy development around DE&I – why, who, what, how and when – should be one of the most fruitful engagements. There is no point filing DE&I in the ‘too difficult’, or the PR box. Denial or lip service will come back to bite you.

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