Clemente Piña

 According to a recent research study, approximately 52% of organizations in the US have started installing DE&I into their culture. Of those that have started, only 29% have hired a CDO and funded the department. Whether you’ve volunteered to start this effort in your organization or are fully staffed and resourced, this framework lays out the developmental stages that all organizations must go through toward developing a more Diversity, Equitable and Inclusive Culture. On its DEI Journey toward a full culture integration, all organizations go through the following 5 developmental stages: 1. Stage 1-START: Many organizations know they should do something but are unsure of where to start and what to do. Often this urging comes from employees, potential clients or reactions to social occurrences. Regardless of the impetus, START is the first stage because many still have not and as they say, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” 2. Stage 2-FOUNDATION: To lay a sound foundation, the following are a few examples of how: 1. CEO as the Executive Sponsor in full support of DEI. 2. Ensure Executive Leadership Team alignment. 3. Conduct various assessments and gather data. 4. Establish a DEI Council. This is 4 of the many additional steps in this stage that lay the groundwork for DEI success. 3. STAGE 3-APPLICATION: Utilize the assessment data to inform the development opportunities and build DEI training to address as many gaps as possible. The Post training intention is for employees to begin applying what they’ve learned in the workplace. However, experience teaches there are additional components needed for application to take place which is why we divide Application into two parts: Pre-training preparation and Post-training expectations. 4. STAGE 4-COMPETENCY: In addition to the knowledge and skills learned during the training, there is a larger body into which this work can fall, we call those Competencies. Within organizations there are generally 3 types: Technical, Behavioral and Leadership. These three establish the standards upon which every successful organization works. 5. STAGE 5-OPERATIONALIZE: Over time with setting clear DEI goals, building DEI score cards (metrics), updating policies and procedures, and monitoring, adjusting and reassessing as we go, a tipping point occurs where all this becomes just a normal part of the organizational culture.