3 Questions to Consider Before Creating a DEI Council
So...you are looking to help drive diversity, equity and inclusion at your organization. You’re thinking of creating or rebooting a DEI Council to jumpstart some action. You’re energized. You’re ready to get down to business.
But, where do you start?
Before diving headfirst into the action, you need to drill down on the purpose of your council. This is a challenging, but essential task to set you up for long term success. And while we’d love to be able to recommend a universal approach, your council’s purpose will be highly dependent on your organization’s unique context and where it is with respect to its DEI journey.
A DEI Council -- sometimes referred to as a DEI Committee -- can take many forms. It can be a temporary task force that drives a specific initiative or an ongoing group that partners with leadership to support DEI efforts, be it operational or cultural, strategic or tactical. Maybe it focuses on culture. Or perhaps, it helps build strategy or guides implementation.
If there is one takeaway from this article, let it be this - a DEI Council is not a panacea for addressing organizational gaps in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Many organizations may feel tempted to over-rely on DEI councils due to uncertainty at where else to start. Good intentions aside, making a council own your entire DEI initiative in lieu of leadership-driven action can be counterproductive. Far too often, we see employees who participate on these types of councils feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and ultimately burned out.
Given this, we’d like to share a few key questions to reflect on as you work to clarify the council’s purpose and identify some specific, actionable, and realistic goals for it to focus the work:
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WHY DOES YOUR ORG NEED A DEI COUNCIL? WHAT WAS THE CATALYST FOR THE COUNCIL’S CREATION?
This may seem like an obvious question, but it’s one that is often overlooked when there’s a desire to take action quickly. Take a moment to reflect on why you want to start or reboot your council. For example, was there a pattern of internal incidents? Is there a notable gap in representation amongst staff or leadership? Did a survey indicate low cultural belonging? Or is the push in response to recent waves of protest in support of the Black Lives Matter movement? Evaluating the source of the push will help you craft the council’s purpose and make an impact that is noticed by your community.
You should also consider what your community is demanding. Is there a push for specific changes? Are people looking for a forum to discuss anti-racist topics? These are widely different goals with different solutions. The first might demand a DEI council whereas the second could be addressed by an anti-racism discussion group,slack channel, or employee resource group (ERG) - an employee-led affinity group organized around a particular identity or topic. Reflecting on your community context will not only help clarify your council’s goals but also guide decision making on the best structure.
WHAT IS ALREADY HAPPENING? HOW DOES YOUR COUNCIL FIT INTO EXISTING EFFORTS?
Remember, you’re not acting in a vacuum! Your mighty council should be one tool in the proverbial DEI toolbox -- one that is visibly supported by leadership vision and guided by a larger strategy. Without leadership alignment and buy-in, your progress will be limited. Speak directly to your C-Suite membership or sponsors about how they view DEI - what are their short term priorities and long term goals? How do those roll up to business and organizational goals? Where do they need support? Create your council goals accordingly.
Also, consider existing infrastructure and initiatives in your community. The last thing you want is to duplicate efforts. Take stock of other groups or functions that might already be working to improve DEI at your org. Figure out how you can best plug into that network to support and amplify each other’s efforts. For example, do you have ERG’s who can support discussion forums? Do you have an L&D team who can drive DEI education? Do you have HR experts who assess and build out inclusive people policies?
WHAT IS THE REACH OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP? WHAT ACCESS DOES YOUR COUNCIL HAVE AND WHAT ARE ITS LIMITS?
The makeup of your council’s membership will heavily influence the scope of its impact. This essentially boils down to decision-making power. There are typically two types of DEI Councils:
Strategic - This decision-making body defines organizational strategy on DEI and holds functions accountable for achieving on overarching DEI goals. Membership here typically includes a number of leaders (CEO/Execs and maybe ERG leaders/people managers). Often, they are responsible for accountability -- ensuring that DEI initiatives are moving forward effectively.
Advisory - This supporting body may identify DEI needs within the organization, communicate them to the executive team and provide advice on plans or initiatives. Membership here typically consists of representatives across the organization and may be more employee-led, though we always recommend some level of leadership representation.
Note: Be aware of the limits of your council’s resources and expertise. In some cases you may to bring on a DEI professional or consultant.
Once your council is formed, make note of each council member’s unique expertise and reach. What internal influence does each person bring? What kind of insights? Is your council representative? Remember, you don’t want to tokenize people, but neither do you want dominant groups to be overly represented.
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This is just a starting point. With a purpose and set of goals in place, your DEI Council will be better equipped to make a real impact. Though we’d all love for our action to breed immediate results, this work can demand some thought and reflection behind it. Don’t forget to put your identified focus and structure into writing so you can hold yourself to these goals. A little structure -- and a lot of commitment and buy-in -- is the secret to sustainable change.