Rethink Diversity & Inclusion

2 December 2017 | Rebekah Steele

Originally published on LinkedIn

How we can achieve your boldest aspirations for D&I

We know that engaging a broad mix of people is crucial to sustainably addressing our most difficult business and societal challenges. Including diverse perspectives and identities is both the right thing to do and a potent ingredient for innovation and business success. As we recognize the value we have brought to organizations through our work in Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), we also know how far we still need to go.

Like you, I have worked within a mix of both stubborn challenges and remarkable opportunities of D&I. I know many share my discontent with the sticky status quo: efforts that fail to keep pace with powerful shifts within our organizations and communities, or practices that fall short in delivering meaningful progress. I’m not alone in my frustration with the D&I Dirty Dozen (12 risks many organizations take with D&I that they would never tolerate with other business domains). Moreover, I’m certainly not alone in my positive vision for transforming D&I to fulfill its tremendous promise.

We can do better.

In my work with forward-thinking colleagues around the world, I have witnessed powerful shifts in how people think about and approach D&I. I have witnessed excitement and fresh possibilities when leaders shed familiar rhetoric and outmoded habits and commit to imagining transformative innovations. Also, I have witnessed seismic shifts when leaders accept that business as usual is a risk they cannot afford, and when they embrace innovation to design the promising future of D&I.

It is time to act boldly.

To overcome current challenges and achieve our ambitious goals, we must transform D&I. Building upon respected D&I traditions, we have a responsibility to elevate a contemporary foundation to shape the future. We must challenge ourselves to think and work differently as we interrogate the familiar and courageously re-imagine D&I goals, frameworks, strategies, and initiatives. To remain relevant, expand impact, create demonstrated business value, and fulfill stakeholder expectations, we must relentlessly pursue fresh approaches to ensure that our work delivers the worthwhile, business-relevant results we know are possible.

We must transform D&I, a significant challenge that cannot be done in isolation.