10/22/2024

Make Faster Progress in Your DE&I Goals

Implement these three steps to speed up your approach

While news feeds are dominated by stories of high-profile companies publicly walking back or cutting diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) programs, a majority of companies remain committed to DE&I. In a March 2024 Gartner survey of 90 DEI leaders, more than 70 percent stated that they had not restructured, paused hiring, or rebranded their DE&I programs in response to backlash. Only 10 percent of organizations made adjustments to their programs to be less legally risky.

But despite a commitment to DE&I, many organizations are struggling to scale progress. According to a February 2024 Gartner survey, the number-one challenge for 53 percent of DE&I leaders this year is the lack of business leader ownership for DEI outcomes.

Today's DEI leaders are overwhelmed, and DEI efforts lack the necessary participation to sustain and maximize impact. Yet, it’s a key driver of progress. Organizations that are able to drive accountability and business leader ownership of outcomes can generate a significant return on investment. The February 2024 Gartner survey found that organizations where business leaders have high accountability for inclusion saw 49 percent higher inclusion, 40 percent higher engagement and 14 percent higher performance among employees than organizations whose business leaders had low accountability for inclusion.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Fast Company.