How to use data to transform EDI at your company
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You may be collecting equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) data as part of your surveys with staff and/or with clients. If you aren’t, I strongly suggest you engage a firm to help you. If you are, give yourself a pat on the back as you are helping to transform your organization. You may be asking, how exactly is this data helping? I often work with organizations who are collecting this data but don’t exactly know the power it holds.
First, collecting data give us facts. Facts help to confirm perceptions/observations which cannot be disputed. I recently worked with an organization where staff observed that management and senior leadership were predominately white, but they were unsure if their perceptions were correct. As part of my engagement with the organization, I conducted an EDI survey, and, as I usually do with the data, I cross-referenced race to the position held in the organization. Sure enough, the data showed that staff were correct – management and senior leadership were predominately white and not representative of staff demographics. The senior leadership team acknowledged the data as fact and started to make strategic hiring decisions that led to an increase in diversity within management and senior leadership ranks.
Data also helps your organization to draw insights. I recently conducted an EDI survey for a client in the real estate industry and benchmarked their data to sector trends. This gave the client comparatives to their peers (which they are on par with). However, I do caution that comparing to industry trends/peers does not always mean your organization is where it should be on EDI. It’s important to benchmark your data against EDI indicators – a really great source I use is the Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Benchmarks (GDEIB). However, over the years, I have built on the GDEIB and incorporated my own research and practice to strengthening those indicators. Your organization may want to do the same or hire someone to build it for you. I strongly encourage clients to benchmark leadership demographics to staff composition. For non-profit organizations, it’s always a good idea to benchmark staff representation to labour market statistics, neighbourhood profiles, and client demographics.
Data can also help to drive action. Data collected through EDI surveys can help to inform organizational and human resource planning. For example, when I conduct EDI surveys, I often find senior leadership ranks are not representative, and so I will identify specific action items with respect to recruitment, succession planning and career advancement. A question I get from clients is how do I prioritize the EDI actions? Simple, your EDI data can help you with that. For example, for one EDI survey I conducted, psychological safety came up as key priority, whereas for another organization it was benefits. Your EDI survey data can help you to identify key priority action areas for your organization. I would also strongly recommend conducting EDI surveys on a yearly basis to see if key areas are getting addressed.
I hope some of this has been helpful to you. Is your organization working on an EDI-related survey and need help understanding how you can use data to transform your organization? Feel free to reach out to us at dipal@ddinclusion.com. You can learn more about us here: www.ddinclusion.com.
Lastly, keep doing the good work you do and I hope EDI is alive and well in your organization.