A Collective Effort: Finding a Common Language for Actionable DEI
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – better known as DEI, has become quite a buzzword, and for good reason. In recent years, we have seen more emphasis on rethinking workplace structures, having tough conversations, and understanding the inherent inequality of our systems.
But the real question is, how do we amid these hyped conversations, ensure that we’re moving beyond just talk? How do we engage effectively with the work and ensure that everyone plays a part in reversing the damage done? Finally, how do we ensure executives and management teams, predominantly white men actually care and prioritize DEI in their organizations and teams?
In What Does DEI Mean in the Workplace, Kate Heinz defines DEI as “an ethos that recognizes the value of diverse voices and centers inclusivity and employee wellbeing as central facets of success.”
Illustration by Liu Liu
Here’s How We Break it Down
Diversity involves the presence of different people and groups in a single space. When we’re talking about workplace settings, we mean moving beyond white, male, heteronormative, able-bodied, and cis-gendered folks, and instead intentionally making space for people with different races, ethnicities, gender identity, and class status.
Equity is an important one, and it ensures that our diversity efforts go beyond tokenism and box-ticking. At the heart of equitable workplaces is equal access to opportunity for all. This means that we create and recreate our processes, programs, and policies so that they are fair.
Inclusion advocates for belonging for everyone in the workplace. This means that marginalized individuals feel a sense of psychological safety where they can show up and be their true selves, and speak up, without feeling like their job is jeopardized.
So now that we have defined DEI, let's consider what prevents folks from engaging in DEI conversations and taking necessary action.
The Barriers to Taking Action
One of the major factors in obstructing result-driven DEI initiatives is our continuous centering of whiteness in this work. In her article Why DEI and Anti-Racism Work Need to Decenter Whiteness, Janice Gassam Asare writes, “diversity education and training typically focus on how to help white professionals learn about their biases and racism.” With this in mind, it’s nearly impossible to turn words into actionable steps when white fragility is still at the table. She goes on to say, “More energy must be put into uncovering the specific needs of the most marginalized groups in order to understand how to implement support systems that promote safety and wellbeing.”
“While white men consider DEI important, only 56% said they were actively supporting DEI initiatives in their roles.”
Another barrier that prevents us from taking action is that the power sits in the hands of leadership and management teams, who happen to be primarily white and male. And although engaging these folks is important, power dynamics and the lack of accountability prevent us from engaging in continuous, meaningful, and actionable efforts.
A research report by the Centre of Talent Innovation titled What Majority Men Really Think About DEI, shows that while white men consider DEI important, only 56% said they were actively supporting DEI initiatives in their roles.
Julia Taylor Kennedy, Executive Vice President and Lead Researcher at the Centre reports that the most common reason for not being involved is that they are too busy. This indicates that even if leadership considers this work as important, it’s not seen as a priority. Kennedy says that the lack of prioritization makes DEI “still seen as kind of extracurricular,” and that “it hasn’t been positioned as a core competency to driving business or individual leaders’ careers forward.”
So, How Do We Brings Others into the Conversation?
Although research indicates that organizations and white executives are understanding the importance of DEI, we’re still struggling with making it a priority. In our pursuit of researching ways to bring white leadership into the conversation, we came across many resources that spoke to the economical value of DEI.
Sophia Kerby and Crosby Burns explain in their article that a diverse workforce is imperative to meeting the needs of today’s marketplaces, leading to economic growth. In order to bring white men on board, companies must show how building diverse and inclusive spaces are fundamental to hitting sales targets, bringing in new clients, and growing as businesses. In other words, DEI work benefits everyone, and speaking their language helps push the work forward.
“The fundamental problem with “speaking their language” is that it requires us to give up ours. For us to sit at the table with white male executives, there needs to be a common language that honors the true ethos of what DEI strives to do. Only then can we build better.”
While we understand that this is a reality that we have to deal with, especially as women of color, we do not believe that economic growth should be or can be the driving force behind deliberate, meaningful, and grassroots DEI work. The fundamental problem with “speaking their language” is that it requires us to give up ours. For us to sit at the table with white male executives, there needs to be a common language that honors the true ethos of what DEI strives to do. Only then can we build better.
The challenge continues to be how to create that shared and common language, together. In a recent conversation with Diya Khanna, Global Diversity Equity Inclusion Program Manager at Amazon, and Founder and Equity Consultant at Global IDEA, we discussed the importance of designing solutions that are co-created, and centre people at the margins.
The 3 A’s Framework
You might be asking, how does this pan out in the workplace? Here’s Khanna’s 3 step framework at a glance:
Awareness – This is the educational component, and speaks to understanding the structural and systemic issues that exist in our society. It’s the first step to ensuring we’re all on the same page.
Accountability – This has to do with what we can influence and impact, and who and how we’re holding individuals accountable.
Action – These are key takeaways, solutions, and strategies that we create, and the ways in which we bake them into systems.
While it’s great that most organizations and executive teams want to engage in DEI work, it’s not enough to simply do it on their terms, or for an extra buck. In order for us to rebuild systems that benefit us all, we require a common language that positions DEI initiatives at the heart of workplaces.
Coming up Next
Working in today’s systems and structures can be exhausting, and taking good care of our minds, bodies, and souls has never been more important. Next month and as we head into Spring, we’ll be thinking about self-care tips for women of color. Stay tuned!