5 Things / Not DEI

I had a conversation this week with a very kind senior DEI leader who wanted to help me help the company. They gave me some words to say that they thought might help get buy-in from the boss. This person encouraged me to pitch our Inclusive 360 Assessment as an “organizational improvement methodology”, not DEI. Our future work together as “change management”, not DEI.

All of this is true because our assessment examines the systems for gaps in equity and inclusion. What it delivers is a roadmap for meaningful systemic change and organizational improvement. 

Not DEI. I’ve found that a lot of the organizations I speak to aren’t quite invested enough for “organizational improvement”, beyond changing the way they hire. We deliver a lot of workshops and keynotes to help establish that readiness, but those workshops are mostly about behavior change. About people. While that’s great, I know that will only move the needle so far.

Lily Zheng recently wrote about this in HBR – To Avoid DEI Backlash, Focus on Changing Systems — Not People. Organizational improvement, change management, systemic change, whatever you want to call it. We’re here for it. 

Have you found that you've had to change your messaging around DEI to get buy-in?

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

  1. A Colorado Ski Resort Is Opening a Day Care For Employees—and It Could Provide a Blueprint to Help Solve the Childcare Crisis

    • There’s a childcare shortage in the U.S., exacerbated by Covid. Many women, in particular, have chosen not to return to work because of the high cost of child care. Because of that, Steamboat Ski Resort in Colorado established an onsite day care facility for employees. Having onsite day care isn’t especially unusual – but the story provides a blueprint for establishing one through public and private partnerships. It’s a wonderful model. This matters because families shouldn’t have to choose between work and child care.

  2. Brown University Bans Caste Discrimination Throughout Campus in a First for the Ivy League

    • An increasing number of colleges are adding caste to their non-discrimination policies. Earlier this year, the entire University of California system added the protection, and recently, Brown University became the first Ivy League school to do the same. The caste system is a hierarchical system that originated in India but carries over to other societies, and to this today affects societal rank and opportunity. This matters because caste is a hidden form of oppression.

  3. Ava DuVernay Becomes the First Black Woman on a Ben & Jerry's Pint with New Caramel Flavor

  4. A Hundred UK Companies Sign Up for Four-Day Week with No Loss of Pay

  5. Anti-racism: When You Picture Doctors Without Borders, What Do You See? 


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5 Things / Going First