In the wake of the social justice movement and COVID-19, many organizations took action to improve inclusive practices, discuss social issues and support employee activism at work and in the communities they serve. But most did it without a strategic plan — a blueprint for a comprehensive approach toward becoming a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization.
DE&I is unique as a business driver because it often involves significant culture change. DE&I has suffered from a lack of executive-level leadership — critical for culture change — and the lack of a comprehensive approach. Only about 35% of organizations employ a DE&I strategic plan or set of short-term and long-term DE&I goals, Brandon Hall Group research shows.
In a survey of HR professionals involved with DE&I in their organizations, respondents were far more likely to say a strategic plan is important than they were to have an effective one in place.
Strategic Planning for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Lack of leadership and strategic planning for DE&I created a disconnect between the high level of importance and the impact of DE&I on the business. For example, less than one-third of organizations address pay transparency issues by gender and race/ethnicity, have a diverse talent pipeline or a leadership group that reflects the composition of the workforce, according to Brandon Hall Group research.
For DE&I to have significant business impact, there must be an organization-wide mission, vision and strategy. Key questions organizations should address include:
• What are the functions of a DE&I strategic plan?
• How do we create an organization-wide strategy around DE&I aligned with key business objectives?
• What are the key components of a DE&I strategic plan?
For DE&I to have significant business impact, there must be an organization-wide mission, vision and a robust talent strategy, dedication to continuous learning and a commitment to organization-wide engagement.
Here are the elements you should use to build your strategic plan:
• Making the business case. A successful strategic plan must be relevant to an organization’s mission, vision and business objectives.
• Commitment and involvement from the top. Business leaders must have the backing and active involvement of leadership, including the CEO.
• Vision, Mission and Strategy. This is the “where, what and how” of the plan. Each part should establish timetables for meeting goals and objectives.
• Governance. How will the DE&I strategy be run? All stakeholders of the organization should be represented in some way.
• Diverse hiring. The plan must outline an approach to recruitment and hiring that aligns with the DE&I vision, mission and strategy.
• Onboarding. Everyone involved in onboarding new employees must advocate and demonstrate the organization’s DE&I values.
• Employee retention. The plan must identify the drivers and behaviors needed to retain historically excluded employees.
• Training and Development. The strategic plan must show how to provide development opportunities to diverse populations and how everyone will be trained to demonstrate DE&I values and behaviors.
• Communication. There must be a detailed plan for communicating the values of DE&I across the enterprise, considering different audiences, locations and, when applicable, languages and customs.
• Marketing, Advertising, Branding. The plan must include how the diversity, equity and inclusiveness can be marketed as differentiators to provide a competitive advantage.
• Strategic Alliances, Partnerships. Consider resources outside the organization to help drive ongoing DE&I efforts.
• Corporate Social Responsibility. Identify how outreach initiatives to diverse communities and organizations will be part of the corporate social responsibility strategy.
• Customer and Employee Experience. The plan requires goals for how DE&I will improve customers’ and employees’ experience with the organization.
• Supplier/Vendor Diversity. Philosophy, strategy and goals for doing business with a wide variety of suppliers and vendors
• Measurement and Accountability. The plan should define how the organization will determine if DE&I efforts achieved the desired results.
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