Organizational change is challenging in the best of circumstances. But organizational change aimed at cultivating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace where all identities, unique backgrounds, experiences and perspectives are valued in today’s climate is no small endeavor. 

As many leaders consider what’s needed to create and foster such an environment, the usual resources such as time, people and money come second to the less evident, internal resources and characteristics needed by leaders to anchor their personal actions and drive the change; if they are to be successful.  Consider these attributes as you ponder where to start.

The 5 C’s:

Consciousness: The protests last year aimed at addressing racial injustice, police brutality, systemic racism and oppression prompted many leaders to release statements in solidarity with black communities⎯signifying, many might have been on autopilot and perhaps suddenly had their consciousness raised to a greater level of awareness.
They are now faced with a choice of what to do about it, because going beyond awareness to enact change requires courage.

Courage:  Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”  Cultivating a workplace where everyone feels respected, valued and a sense of belonging can be viewed as that more important, something else; and rising to this challenge will test and stretch you as never before. I have observed working with leaders that one of the primary inhibitors of getting started is fear, which is often accompanied by crippling guilt and shame serving to paralyze many and keep them from acting.  I have found when you acknowledge the things that are holding you back and choose to act from your personal values, principals and convictions, you are then enabled to lead your organization or team to your desired reality⎯which also requires a level of confidence.

Confidence: This comes from first doing your own personal change work to enhance your level of awareness, deepen knowledge, and acquire key competences and skills needed to effectively lead a diverse workforce and cultivate an inclusive workplace. As you continue your personal development, this will help increase your confidence, mitigate fears and support you in walking the talk. This level of effort requires commitment.

Commitment: Many leaders have pledged commitments to support anti-racism, social justice and equity, creating the opportunity and prospect of making changes across their own spheres of influence. This commitment to change has already manifested in multiple ways such as donations to black-led organizations, changes in business practices, formalizing Juneteenth as a paid holiday, conducting listening tours, and others. But once the dust settles and the new normal establishes itself in a post-COVID society, and many are back in the workplace; what will continued commitment look like in practice every day particularly for your BIPOC employees? Because one-off solutions don’t completely address the problem. Long-term commitment to sustainable change is what will transform the personal behaviors, cultural norms and external practices which perpetuate the status quo.  Since these changes don’t happen overnight, continued communication is required to keep everyone informed of where they’re going.

Communication: Employees want to know what’s the vision and how you’re going to lead them in getting there.
They’re looking for their leaders to provide them with this information if they are going to come on-board and trust that you know the way. This transparency requires you to bring them along with you every step of the way from the beginning, starting with explaining, among other things: 

• Why this, why now?
• What’s your role and their expected role in this process?  
• How it will benefit them personally?

All of this culminates in you “walking the talk” by modeling what the change looks like for everyone else to follow.  Leveraging your internal and external resources will improve your chances of success.

We’ve recently seen many CEOs and leaders make statements regarding their commitment to stand against systemic racism, oppression and white supremacy in solidarity with the African- American communities in this country. Given our current climate, this is probably very strategic. However, the hard work comes now in backing up those statements. 

Many black employees have reacted negatively to several of these statements as being just that, a statement with no real credibility or substance behind it based on their experience in some of these workplaces.  It’s not my job to determine if these statements are true or not in terms of their sincerity.  But for argument’s sake, let’s just say many of these leaders are sincere about standing in solidarity with the black, brown and other historically marginalized communities. What does this mean for their internal organizational dynamics?  

As a practitioner, I have observed that many leaders would like to create more diverse, equitable and inclusive (DEI) workplaces; but don’t know how, or where to start. I’m also convinced that most leaders don’t really understand what they are signing up for when they approach this work. Because truly creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization is a transformational process that won’t be accomplished simply through training.

It often boggles my mind the approach that many of the most high-performing organizations take when addressing DEI. Many times, a strategy can be developed for everything else, but when it comes to DEI; it’s a bolt-on at the end of an already full agenda or relegated to a program. Why is that?

Dr. Stephen Covey said, “To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination.
It means to know where you’re going, so you better understand where you are now; so, the steps you take are always in the right direction.” This is a good strategy when approaching this work. 

Understanding your vision of what you want your organization to look, feel, act and be like is critical if you are to shift from “doing” DEI, to being a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization. Because the ultimate goal is to embed DEI into the very fabric and culture of your organization, as your way of being. This must be a strategic imperative, if it is to be successful.

So, if leaders are truly sincere about standing with blacks and other marginalized communities begin by looking at yourself and your organization. Are you an inclusive leader? Is your organization a monocultural workplace (i.e., white supremacy culture), where in-groups and outgroups, assimilation and conformance for non-dominant group members are the norm? Are your workplace policies equity-centered?  

Cultivating workplaces that are more diverse, equitable and inclusive of everyone requires a commitment to doing the work required at every level of the organization in fostering an environment where differences are viewed as an organizational strength, rather than toleration.  An environment where you build on your commonalities, leverage and celebrate differences; and, where practicing mutual adaptation is the norm. This level of commitment requires more than a statement.  It requires action.

When organizations work towards cultivating more equitable and inclusive workplaces where all talent can advance and thrive; this is an environment where it is possible to have a counter-cultural experience. It isn’t Utopia; but for some, it sure might feel like it.

Creating workplaces that are more diverse, equitable and inclusive represent spaces that offer an experience outside of the normative experience of most Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) in this country; as evidenced by the recent protests and civil unrest which followed as a result of the killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd.  

These on-going protests have elevated the issues of institutional and systemic racism. Namely,  the more than 400-year struggle and oppression of BIPOC and other marginalized communities in this country; not only in the criminal justice system, but has particularly illuminated white supremacy culture which permeates every system in this country; including the workplace.

Organizations are described as socio-technical systems, comprised of two interdependent, interconnected systems which operate as one, with changes in one system impacting the other and, both systems requiring joint optimization for peak performance. So, this means the racism, injustice, discrimination, inequality and white supremacy culture which permeates our larger society is also prevalent in the social systems of many organizations today.

These systems and cultures impede peak performance, employee engagement and satisfaction, high productivity and retention of diverse talent. And, unless organizational leaders are taking concrete, tangible and measurable steps towards dismantling the oppression reflected in its own leadership, structure, policies, hiring and recruitment practices, pay and cultural norms; these unjust systems will continue to perpetuate.

In this Harvard Business Review reading list of articles: https://hbr.org/2020/06/confronting-racism-at-work-a-reading-list; organizations are encouraged to revisit their approach towards building more diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace.

The SHRM article on “Taking Steps to Eliminate Racism in the Workplace (2018) reports:  “Racism is bad for business on all fronts. Not only does it place a company in legal jeopardy, but it also fosters a divisive work culture that undermines morale, teamwork and productivity. It makes it harder to recruit, engage and retain diverse talent, and it tarnishes an organization’s reputation and brand.” 

This moment in history is an inflection point which seems to be raising the collective consciousness of our country as organizations across the globe race to share their statements of solidarity with the Black community. Your BIPOC employees, in particular, are watching; expecting change and looking for results. Many organizations have a lot of work to do in eradicating systemic racism and other forms of oppression from within its own ranks.  

Utopia may be an imaginary place with near perfect qualities for its citizens. However, a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace doesn’t have to be. It may not happen overnight, but it is possible for those who are actually ready, willing and able to do the work.