Cambridge Business Association
Elevating Equity
Article

Elevating Equity

The Real Story of Diversity and Inclusion

Josh Bersin
Josh Bersin, 2021
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Overview
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs don’t perform as promised at many organizations. Tech companies, in particular, have notoriously failed to improve the diversity of their workforces. To explain why DEIs often fail to deliver, HR thought leader Josh Bersin, in partnership with people analytics firm Perceptyx, studied practices at more than 800 organizations. Bersin’s white paper offers powerful insights into approaches that will yield strong, sustainable DEI programs. 

Summary

Business leaders should focus their DEI efforts on inclusion and aim for systemic change.

DEI programs in American business have a powerful effect on economic mobility for minorities. They also boost employee satisfaction, protect organizations from costly lawsuits and contribute to thriving organizations. However, most businesses focus their attention on interventions that fail to add value and, hence, see little positive change.

Many companies pursue DEI by pushing diversity numbers; they focus on hiring and promotion targets, but neglect the real drivers of DEI success. Minority hires will not remain at organizations that lack diverse leadership and where they have no sense of belonging. Instead of focusing on diversity alone, leaders should aim at inclusion.

Inclusive design should pervade candidates’ experiences as they move through their careers. Companies achieve inclusiveness by eliminating bias from all...

About the Author

Josh Bersin is a thought leader focusing on the global talent market and founder of the Josh Bersin Academy.

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    D. D. 9 months ago
    Just great! A fascinating way to understand and star implementing DEI!
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    S. F. 3 years ago
    This article summary brings up some good points about how to effectively implement a DEI program within a company. It stresses the critical role played by senior leadership, stressing that systemic change cannot be achieved by implementing meaningless initiatives which only address the issue in a superficial way. DEI involves more than just making a company's diversity #'s look good. And it's an effort that shouldn't just be delegated to HR but should be company-wide. The author stresses the importance of listening to the voices of minority employees and then implementing change based on those discussions. The points made in this article could serve as a springboard for a good discussion on the ways to address DEI within a company.
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    B. C. 3 years ago
    This article emphasizes the critical part listening plays in moving DEI from an initiative to an element of an organization's DNA. It also reaffirms the need to "move" DEI out of HR into the entire organization especially leadership.