EDI in a state of crisis, you say? Back to fundamentals
There are major shifts taking place in the world of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) globally and in the UK. One such shift, the least perceptible, is also perhaps the most fundamental. I have noticed a trend across sectors and industries:
Diversity and Inclusion Strategic leaders at senior and executive level are leaving organisations, for what we imagine to be compelling reasons;
They often state that they do not intend to come back to inhouse EDI roles;
The organisations they are leaving are not replacing them, are waiving strategic EDI roles altogether and are absorbing EDI into the programmatic, often under the banner of Human Resources.
There are perhaps as many approaches to EDI as there are contexts and consultants, but here are two main approaches: the operational or programmatic approach to EDI and the strategic one.
Many organisations, understandably, begin their EDI journey with an operational approach which typically focuses on:
Implementing specific programmes or initiatives
Meeting compliance requirements including charters
Addressing immediate reputational concerns or issues
Short-term metrics and goals
The operational is mostly a reactive approach, a response to issues as they arise which puts EDI teams on almost constant fire-fighting mode. The efforts are mostly confined to HR functions. Typically, the initiatives revolve around EDI training, the establishment of staff networks, inclusive recruitment and promotion best practices, the celebration of cultural heritage months. The priority tends to be short term results and culture is usually addressed under the scope of People and Culture, as opposed to organisational culture.
An operational approach is valuable for achieving short-term gains, producing visible results, working towards satisfying grassroots stakeholders and meeting compliance requirements. It, therefore, builds a good foundation and is commendable. But, at the same time, an operational approach can only take an organisation so far. Moreoever, it can leave EDI teams feeling stuck in an endless cycle of treading water while underlying systemic problems remain more or less untouched.
A strategic approach, on the other hand, involves generating a big picture EDI strategy that supports the mission and business goals of an organisation. A strategic EDI strategy requires a holistic, long term frame that addresses structural barriers, the complexity of coordination across departments, levels of leadership and international dimensions where relevant. A strategic approach has a pragmatic rationale that is as important as the human dimension. It seeks ways to connect the dots between diversity, inclusion, organisational outputs and innovation. By speaking to different motivations this approach generates buy-in to the EDI vision across different identity groups.
A strategic approach encapsulates, and at once, moves beyond numerous isolated programmes and initiatives, which can exhaust EDI advocates while frustrating other stakeholders. It provides a wider framework for fundamental change in organisational culture, processes, and structures. It relies on Inclusive Leadership development as the main building block and catalyst for change. While leveraging the groundwork of the operation to solve the problems of yesterday, it is equally focused on the opportunities for sustainable, systemic change aligned with the organisation’s broader mission. It is future focused and business savvy, taking into account the contexts of superdiversity and migration patterns and the fact that the youngest generation to join the workforce will be, by far, the most diverse the workplace has known in terms of ethnicity, sexuality, religion, neurodiversity.
It is both ironic, on one hand, and understandable, on the other, that a number of organisations, having tried out a strategic approach, are moving back into a programmatic approach to EDI. Organisations sometimes like the idea of strategic EDI, which comes with visible status of their commitment to EDI, without understanding what the transition from a programmatic to a strategic approach entails. This lack of discernment is perhaps the worst context from which an organisation could be making EDI decisions.
On the other side of the spectrum, I work with a number of CEOs who are investing in a transition to the strategic. I share the following good practices, based on insights from my consultancy roles, to guide this transformation:
Lead by example by being open to being coached about the pitfalls and opportunities around EDI. This will help you adjust your organisational approach accordingly
Conduct an audit of existing EDI efforts, identifying strengths, weaknesses, barriers and areas for improvement to gauge which approach is right for your organisation at this moment in time
If you gauge that your organisation is ready for strategic EDI, allocate necessary resources to your strategic lead in EDI to set them up for success
Create space for the development and implementation of an EDI strategy that supports your organisational vision and mission.
Conclusion
Organisations may not be ready to commit to strategic EDI, especially those which already have a backlog of operational issues to resolve. In that case, committing to the operational fully may be the right way forward, for an interim period. This is a modest and realistic position to take and buys organisations time to prepare for the transition to strategic EDI, and do so before the pain points of the solely programmatic approach become untenable.
However, it is essential that senior leaders understand the fundamental difference between operational and strategic approaches to EDI if they are to drive meaningful change within their organisations.
Without this discernment, organisations run the risk of conflating both approaches. This is the worst choice organisations can make. Given that the operational, in its urgency and immediacy, will always trump the strategic, the conflation of approaches places their EDI teams between a rock and a hard place, virtually eliminating all hope of achieving the worthy goals and ambitions of strategic EDI.