Antoinette Hamilton, Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity, Lam Research.
getty
A robust inclusion and diversity (I&D) program is an ongoing effort, not simply a one-time training module or event. It requires program evaluations and assessments, modifications to meet the organization's needs and, as I discussed in a previous article, a clear strategic road map. If you're conducting a “spring cleaning” of your I&D program to look for areas of improvement, below are three elements I recommend implementing.
1. Use data in new ways.
It is essential to use data beyond demographic information, such as counting how many women or members of an underrepresented community are employed by your company. I recommend digging deeper into an employee's experience and looking at the data through an I&D lens to derive insights beyond general statistics. For example, look closely at the comments in employee surveys to analyze the employee's mindset. Ask yourself, "Why are they saying this?" Getting a pulse on thoughts and disposition can also be done by engaging with employee resource group members for feedback and holding focus groups on I&D topics to gather opinions.
Analyzing the data to determine employees' ethos will help define what new programs or training might be needed. For example, at Lam Research, we expanded our I&D development opportunities beyond microinequities training by adding a new learning journey for global people managers that encourages teams to build more inclusive practices and habits. This training provides tools for transparent conversations with employees to ensure we're supporting them in the way they need. We developed this initiative based on sentiment analysis of the feedback we received in our employee survey, ongoing feedback from our ERG members and executive listening sessions.
2. Remember 'hope' is not a strategy.
Your organization may be one of many that announced charitable donations following June 2020's spotlight on inequity faced by the Black community. However, it’s important to build on the desire to hope for the best with a sustainable partnership road map. Companies can expand their investment in underrepresented communities through scholarships with the United Negro College Fund, for example. At Lam, we sponsor interns from the National GEM Consortium, whose mission is to increase the participation of underrepresented groups at the master's and doctoral levels in engineering and science. This sponsorship creates rewarding experiences for students while also building a pipeline for the company to hire the next generation of technical talent.
The goal is for I&D to be embedded throughout your organization, so it is viewed as a business strategy. I&D programs need to have legs; you should plan for long-term growth. It is essential to create the "why" for your organization. For consumer goods companies, it's easier to know the "why" since their customers are diverse, but other organizations may need to work to connect I&D to their business impact.
It should be clear to employees that the company is making sustained efforts to ensure an inclusive culture that works better for everyone.
3. Leverage partners to expand your I&D team.
With the increased focus on inclusion and diversity management, many new professionals have entered the I&D ecosystem in a relatively short time. Leverage this growing network of experts to level up your team's skillset in ways that bring value to your business and its workforce. Inclusion and diversity has many facets in terms of how it impacts the overall business plan. You can rely on partnerships and alliances to help fill the skills and experience gaps and tap into the latest practices for inclusion and diversity.
Consider joining an organization like the Alliance for Global Inclusion, a coalition of companies committed to providing tangible, innovative solutions to shortcomings in diversity, equity and inclusion. Another example might be your company's CEO joining the more than 2,400 who signed the CEO Action Pledge for Diversity and Inclusion and tapping into the broad set of resources available from this organization.
Final Thoughts
Making progress on I&D indicators strongly correlates with positive business outcomes and long-term sustainable growth. As you shape your company's culture to work better for everyone, keeping these three guidelines in mind will help enrich your program.
Full disclosure: Lam works with the organizations listed above. I also recommend looking into Project Basta and the Tech Accountability Coalition, organizations we are not currently working with, to support your efforts.
Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?
