Here are 5 reasons why DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives do not work in your company:
- You are worried about fixing quotas before you fix your culture- Stop trying to get people in the door before you clean the floors! Clean the dance floor before you extend the invite. Do not expect your quota fillers to fix your culture, it might not be their skillset! If they should decide to be so gracious and contribute to DEI, don’t expect them to do it for free.
- You are hiring diverse people with a lack of expertise for your DEI positions and not giving them the support they need to be successful in the job- Just because a person is diverse does not mean they can do diversity, this is not a determining qualifier for the job!
- Weak Metrics- Diversity is about visible and invisible diversities. Race and gender are important but they are not the only intersections we have. Learn how to utilize data to produce equity and not your bias.
- Lack of Resources- DEI takes money, time, and effort! You can’t just throw human beings at the problem without a strategy, funding, and supportive networks and systems in place.
- Your executive champions are executive chumps of DEI- The most powerful people in your company have no idea what these three terms mean or what they look like in action. They speak superficially about it and at a surface level. Teach them, train them, correct them.
You’re Welcome,
Dr. CI
