There is a growing interest among academics and practitioners in measuring the impact of EDI interventions in the workplace. This trend is gaining momentum partly due to backlash against DEI programs in the United States and, conversely, the recognition that EDI work has become critical to organizational success. While critics may seek to undermine progress toward equality made over decades, those who are committed to EDI have a crucial role in continuously evaluating the impact of their work, thereby ensuring its effectiveness and relevance.
Initiating a discussion on the effectiveness of your organization's EDI strategy should be undertaken with a spirit of curiosity. It's crucial to delve deeper into how individuals in equity-deserving groups, such as women, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities, Black people, Indigenous people, people in religious minorities, and more, have led and experienced organizational change. However, this conversation should not be limited to the workplace. It should encompass communities and industries, thereby broadening the scope and relevance of the discussion.
Measuring the impact of EDI initiatives necessitates a commitment to challenging assumptions that have solidified into accepted practices. Unconscious bias training, employee resource groups (ERGs), and PR campaigns are common ways organizations allocate their EDI budgets. However, there is limited evidence to support the long-term impact of these interventions on equity, diversity, and inclusion.
As an employer, advertising equitable pay backed by independently audited data could provide a significant advantage in attracting and retaining talent. Similarly, tracking how investments in ERGs contribute to increased employee satisfaction, retention, and promotion is critical to ensuring the sustainability of these initiatives. Organizations can use many quantitative and qualitative methods to gain a holistic perspective on the efficacy of their EDI work.
One of the reasons organizations are often reluctant to undertake rigorous assessments of EDI programs is the risk associated with receiving negative feedback from employees and partners. While this is an organizational risk, it is also an opportunity to involve people who have given their time, energy, and expertise to advance EDI, often taking considerable personal and professional risks to contribute positively to their workplace. The greater risk is being left behind while competitors and industry leaders learn from mistakes and invest in new ways of working, failing to acknowledge that the assessment process can build momentum toward change.
The outcome of a rigorous EDI Impact Assessment should be a renewed vision that includes confidence in what is working, commitment to pivot from what is not, and insights that lead to innovation in the future. Transformative EDI Impact Assessments consider organizational culture, EDI strategy, and policy context to help build a comprehensive understanding of unique opportunities within organizations and industries to lead change.
To learn more about how a customized Reflect EDI Impact Assessment can benefit your organization, visit us at www.reflectedi.com.
Further Reading
Andrea May Rowe and Corinne Schuster-Wallace (2023). Implementing EDI across a large formal research network: contributing to equitable and sustainable water solutions for a changing climate. GeoForum. 147 (103881) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2023.103881
Andrea May Rowe,(2018) "Gender and innovation policy in Canada and Sweden," International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 10 Issue: 4, pp.344-360, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-04-2018-0039.
Caroline M. Elkins, Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss, Critics of DEI. Forget That It Works. New York Times, January 21, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/21/opinion/diversity-equity-inclusion-dei.html
OECD Focus on Gender pay gap reporting and equal pay audits Lessons learned across OECD Countries. (2023). https://www.oecd.org/gender/Gender-pay-gap-reporting-and-equal-pay-audits-Policy-Brief.pdf
Shirley Malcom, Strengthen the case for DEI.Science 383,1395-1395(2024).DOI:10.1126/science.adp4397
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