“ If the CEO and other senior leaders aren ’ t committed to creating a culture that values diversity and is equitable and inclusive , progress will stall .”
And what followed right behind employee well-being on this list , ahead of leadership development , employee experience , managing remote workers and talent acquisition ? Diversity , equity and inclusion ( DEI ). This , too , may come as little surprise . After all , the push for our businesses to better represent the diversity of our society is not new , and the demand for transparency and change grew to possibly its greatest level during social and racial justice protests that took place across the globe last year . However , the on-theground impact of initiatives designed to positively affect DEI may not yet be having the intended impact , as illustrated by new research from Harvard Business Review and the Society of Human Resource Management ( SHRM ).
Playing Catch-Up
The stated goal of this recent study on diversity , equity and inclusion was to measure the “ extent to which DEI is a strategic priority in organizations and how successful organizations are in creating diverse , equitable and inclusive workplaces .” Nearly three-quarters of respondents ( 71 percent ) agreed that their organizations are behind where they should be regarding DEI efforts . Clearly , there is a seeming disconnect between the high priority level assigned to DEI by so many HR leaders and the low percentage of organizations deemed to be on pace with respect to their efforts in that area . In fact , the research indicates — in a figure that aligns closely to Future Workplace ’ s data — that 65 percent of organizations say that DEI is a high strategic priority , but only one-third of survey respondents described themselves as being “ very successful ” in creating a diverse , equitable and inclusive workplace . About four in ten respondents ( 38 percent ) said they have achieved moderate success in creating such a workplace , and 29 percent reported not having achieved very much success .
What might account for this gap between the stated goals of leaders and the actual state of affairs in their organizations ? Some of SHRM ’ s data suggests that many organizations may not be taking the steps necessary to turn good intentions into reality . For example , almost fourfifths of organizations surveyed have at least one person accountable for meeting DEI objectives , but only 12 percent of them incentivize improvements in DEI . In addition , nearly two-thirds of organizations ( 60 percent ) do not have a chief diversity or DEI officer . These figures suggest that DEI efforts may not always receive extensive dedicated support within many organizations , which could make sustaining broader support for and investment in them more challenging . According to the study , half of respondents from organizations that are lagging behind in implementing successful DEI initiatives say that a lack of commitment among leadership . Nearly three-quarters ( 72 percent ) say that a lack of diversity at senior levels of the organization is dampening their efforts .
On the other hand , successful organizations not only label DEI as a strategic priority , but they also ensure that it is treated as such by driving its importance home from the highest levels . They accomplish this by often placing a senior leader in charge of DEI initiatives and sharing accountability for DEI more broadly than others . Just how big a difference can this kind of top-down approach to DEI make ? Researchers found that companies whose CEOs set DEI strategy and frequently communicates progress towards DEI goals are 6.3 times more likely to have a diverse leadership and more likely to be a leader in its sector .
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021 n PULSE 51