5-Step Roadmap to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Success: Integrating DEI into Business Strategy

The business case for diversity is clear: increased revenue, greater innovation, more productivity, better retention, and higher employee satisfaction overall. Yet, if it’s so obvious, why isn't diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) part of every organization’s strategic plan? 

Since corporate diversity training first took off in the 1960s, thousands of hard-working executives and professionals have pushed for individual and organizational awareness, assuming that changing minds would naturally change behavior as well. However, DEI cannot operate as an isolated initiative. One-off learning sessions make little difference in workplace culture, and mandatory education is usually met with resistance. As PwC’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Survey reveals, despite unprecedented investment in diversity education, “only 4% of organisations are succeeding in key dimensions of successful D&I programming.”

If you hope to build sustainable, effective, and worthwhile programs, DEI must be aligned with and integrated into the core of your business. It must be reflected in your mission, vision, and values, and it must be quantified like any other element that contributes to your bottom line.