In an oral argument before the Supreme Court last week, Justice Clarence Thomas made a statement that left some gobsmacked. To paraphrase, he said that he hears the word diversity thrown around a lot, but he has no idea what it means. At first blush, one might consider that if a Supreme Court justice doesn’t know what diversity means, then who does? It seems the words diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) have become a catchall with no real consensus on their meaning and importance in our society.
DE&I has become just one more cudgel in our continuing cultural wars. Yet, in the last two decades, organizations large and small have largely embraced the idea that DE&I is an important value to espouse and embody. This is true for numerous reasons, not the least of which is to attract great employees who can bring much needed life experience and perspectives to the workplace. Most large organizations now have chief diversity officers, DE&I committees, and affinity groups. They devote significant marketing and advertising dollars to diversity initiatives to attract clients and employees. Still, there is no agreed upon standard to which organizations hold themselves as committed to and living the values of DE&I.
What is generally missing from these efforts is intentionality around outcomes and results. When an organization says it is committed to DE&I, what does that mean? In practice, it runs the gamut from holding annual multicultural days and adding a DE&I web page to practicing compensation equity and everything in between. A consensus standard may be the answer, but this begs the question — who gets to define it?
The International Standards Organization (ISO) has recently published a standard, ISO 30415, that attempts to establish some parameters for assessing an organization’s commitment to DE&I independent of any jurisprudential determinations. Much like the ISO quality standards for business operations, the DE&I standard (or D&I, as they refer to it), provides guidance for organizations who want to integrate their commitment to DE&I into the way they do business. Those who can demonstrate compliance with the guidance receive a “seal of approval”, which is intended to be an international indicator of a robust and effective operational commitment to DE&I that measures outcomes and assigns accountability for performance.
While the standard itself is in its infancy, it is never too early to begin and/or to assess the hard work of organizations in incorporating principles of DE&I into business operations. As you think about your organization’s DE&I efforts, here are some useful guidelines to consider as you evaluate your potential for success in meeting the new standard:
- Is your organization’s leadership committed to DE&I in more than just words? Actions indicate real commitment and mean more to employees than mere words.
- Are your employees truly engaged at work? If they aren’t, layering DE&I on top is doomed to fail.
- Do you have a DE&I strategic plan with defined outcomes that are measurable? If it can’t be measured, it isn’t real.
- Are your operational policies, systems, and processes equitable? In other words, do they achieve outcomes consistent with your commitment to DE&I?
- Does your organization value accountability for outcomes? If there are no individuals assigned to implement, monitor, and measure your progress toward DE&I goals, there is no real commitment to DE&I.
Meeting a recognized standard is important, and it is the accountability built into that standard that will deliver lasting results. Defining and achieving real and sustainable DE&I in an organization requires intention, commitment, and accountability. It is not easy, but the rewards are, in a word, measurable.
T. H. Easter Consulting has a fifteen-year track record of implementing effective solutions and achieving measurable results in all facets of organizational, leadership and talent development. Our expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion has been recognized with a gold medal as Best in Class by the American Business Awards. For more information or for assistance in creating meaningful and sustainable DE&I, please contact us.