George Floyd’s murder in 2020 — and the subsequent social uprising around racial injustice — catalyzed an unprecedented investment in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Organizations of all sizes and across industries pledged their support to Black employees and other underrepresented groups, to building more diverse and equitable companies, and to using their power for good.
To Sustain DEI Momentum, Companies Must Invest in 3 Areas
Organizations of all sizes and across industries pledged their support to DEI initiatives in 2020, including building more diverse and equitable companies, and to using their power for good. Now, with the spotlight no longer shining quite so brightly on corporate DEI, how much progress have organizations made against their promises? To understand the state of DEI efforts since 2020, the authors looked at aggregated, self-reported data collected from a subset of 48 of their clients, along with their experiences consulting with additional organizations. Overall, they find evidence of some positive progress. But they also find that organizations could be making better, faster progress if they were more intentional about how they craft their DEI strategies. They’ve identified three areas where organizations need to focus and invest to keep DEI momentum going: connecting a good strategy to the right accountability; collecting and analyzing the right data; and truly empowering DEI leaders.