Organisations looking to develop a diversity and inclusion strategy must firstly recognise how to two concepts work side by side: a diverse workforce cannot flourish without an inclusive environment in place. However, as CIPD HR-inform writes, it is also important to recognise that they are distinct concepts and are therefore deserving of focus individually.
It is also essential to get guy-in to the strategy, from the very top of the organisation, all the way down to the most junior positions. Without this buy in, attempts to implement diversity and inclusivity measures are unlikely to be successful. Board and senior leadership should be actively seen to be on board with these measures, role modelling them wherever possible, to demonstrate to the workforce how committed they are to this.
Creating and developing a diversity and inclusion strategy is a long-term commitment. It should not be seen as a one-off initiative, although there is no reason not to include these in the overall strategy, to raise awareness and continuously improve inclusion levels.
Organisations should have goals beyond simply making a profit. With the rise of Corporate and Social Responsibility, and Environmental and Social Governance, more and more focus is made on how the organisation interacts with the community and environment within and around it. Diversity and inclusion go hand in hand with these concepts.
A strategy that is designed to incorporate the many business goals an organisation has, including addressing the needs of diverse employees and customers, will help the organisation succeed in many ways.
The topic of diversity and inclusion is one that is constantly evolving and developing, and therefore any strategic approach should also include ways to keep up-to-date with the law, and reviewing policies through checks, audits and consultation to ensure they are still relevant.
Diversity & inclusion: leadership
Line manager support need also to be built into the overall strategy, including guidelines for them to follow and training on implementing them. This will ensure they are equipped to respond appropriately to diversity needs. They are vital change agents, and they need the support and scope for flexible decision-making.
Another important element of diversity and inclusion strategy is to link diversity management to other initiatives such as such as Investors in People (IIP), BSI 76000 Valuing People and ISO 9001 Quality Management.
In an organisation that operates internationally, be aware that the approach to managing diversity will need to take account local legislation, norms and social issues, and the ways that individual working styles and personal preferences are influenced by national cultures.
Any strategic approach needs to be monitored not only for compliance, as identified above, but also to ensure it remains relevant. A strategy that is flexible, and capable of adapting to changes within the workforce and the wider world, will have longevity, and ultimately, more success than one which is fixed and rigid.
Senior leaders are usually in a highly visible position and need to display the core values of the organisation. They set the tone and provide an example of expected behaviour. They should therefore be careful to act in an inclusive way so as not to undo the other diversity and inclusion work going on in the organisation, as to do so could seriously undermine the strategy.
Encouraging positive behaviours is one thing, but if they are in line with people management practices within the organisation, they will not last.
Having inclusive HR policies and practices will act to increase levels of both inclusion and diversity in the organisation. By directly committing to diversity in these policies and practices, inclusion will follow naturally on as the barriers to it are broken down in the pursuit of greater diversity.
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