Developing an EDI Strategy

Developing an equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy can seem like an overwhelming task. This document will act as your roadmap to ensure an intentional approach to identifying and achieving organization-wide EDI priorities and goals. So, where do you start?

Identify opportunities

Leaders need to take charge. In order to set a direction, create alignment, and generate commitment to EDI initiatives in your organization, leaders must articulate their individual and collective perspective, identity, values, and culture; consider how experiences of power and privilege may impact their approach and effectiveness; and evaluate how diversity may impact the organization’s overall direction and strategy.

Your EDI strategy must be tailored to the organization in order to be credible and get buy-in from staff. You cannot simply duplicate diversity initiatives that seem trendy or effective in other organizations. Those within your organization will see through this. Instead, this work involves doing the research (staff surveys are a great start) to understand the types of diversity across your organization, and the context in which equity, diversity and inclusion play out for individuals, teams, and your organization as a whole. By exploring their specific context, leaders can engage others in the organization to identify the most relevant opportunities for change, and then select strategic actions that will drive the desired results.

Put equity first

Without a proper understanding of equity, efforts to promote diversity and inclusion are admirable, but not sustainable. It may be helpful for your organization and leadership team to have an organizational definition of equity, to ensure that it isn’t conflated with equality. Something simple like: “To enact equity is to provide all people with fair, (but not necessarily the same) opportunities to reach their full potential.”

To make progress on EDI, leaders need to acknowledge societal inequities and recognize that, unintentionally, their organization may mirror those inequities. That’s okay. The first step to moving things forward is acknowledgement. When organizational leaders express their motivation, as well as acknowledge any barriers, for countering inequity; set clear goals toward greater equity; and take action, they signal a commitment that becomes the foundation of the organization’s diversity and inclusion efforts.

Diversity

Diversity is the collective of differences and similarities that includes individual characteristics, values, beliefs, experiences, backgrounds, and behaviors. Activating that diversity is a process that involves recognizing and engaging differences within your employee and client base. You must equip managers and teams to explore the impact of diversity on perspectives, assumptions, and approaches, and identify ways to enhance the contribution of all.

Note: The discourse around diversity sometimes gets conflated with representation (i.e. the proportion of women, racialized people, LGBTQ2S+ people in positions of leadership in your organization). While representation has value, in order to get the full benefits of diversity, leaders have to dig deeper than trying to increase diverse representation. Your organization must create a culture of inclusion and belonging.

Inclusion

Inclusion requires active, intentional, and ongoing efforts to promote the full participation and sense of belonging of every employee, client, and partner. It involves policies and practices, but also the ability to envision and enact new ways of leading. Leaders need tools, resources, and support as they improve their ability to identify and mitigate bias, respect differences, build empathetic relationships, foster allyship, manage conflict, and bring out the best in others.

Communication

Communication is the most important task of leadership. The topic of EDI can be emotionally charged for equity seeking groups or employees within your organization who have been waiting for acknowledgement and meaningful action to be taken, as well as others that are only beginning to understand the hardships experienced by these groups. People will have questions. Some may even feel that they are being left behind. The role of leadership is creating a psychologically safe environment for meaningful engagement on the issue. When done well, this creates allyship and, more importantly, a higher functioning organization.

Creating a sustainable culture change requires an intentional approach to EDI. This is not something that happens overnight; it will require ongoing commitment. But if you are looking for tangible things to do that go beyond well-worded tweets and proclamations, we hope you consider these steps as you begin this journey.

 Written by Michelle Okere