The Importance of Healthy DEI Within Your Corporate Structure

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is not a trend hyped up by marketing teams. It is a venerable and ancient practice that holds many powerful benefits for every business, including yours. 

It is easy to dismiss DEI as a business buzzword. However, as Global Practice Leader of the Supply Chain, Logistics, and Transportation Practice Group for Stanton Chase and as Managing Director of Stanton Chase Los Angeles, I’ve gained enormous respect for DEI’s place in the corporate world.   

The Benefits of Healthy DEI in Business 

Here are a few of the biggest ways that healthy diversity, equity, and inclusion can benefit a business — and by “healthy,” I mean a genuine and honest investment on the part of a company and its leadership to diversify its workforce.  

DEI Improves Company Culture  

The more diverse your workforce, the more important it is for everyone to remain aware of and respectful of differing opinions. Rather than falling into a collective hive mind mentality, you must remain willing to listen to different perspectives and opinions.   

In my experience, I have found that this tends to create less conflict over time. Instead, a company’s staff are more aware of cultural and gender-related interactions.  

DEI Fosters Greater Innovation  

A wide scope of opinions and views will foster a greater diversity of thought. The more perspectives you introduce to your group, the deeper and more profound their collective thinking and creativity will be.  

This is especially true when you integrate DEI on every level of a business. When C-suite and SMEs (subject matter experts) are also diversified, the power to innovate becomes synergistic.  

DEI Cultivates Greater Leadership  

At Stanton Chase, we love to help assemble strong, motivated, and effective teams of leaders. When well-structured and properly implemented, DEI initiatives will result in organic momentum throughout your organization, including at the executive and senior levels.  

Healthy DEI makes leaders more relatable as role models and mentors for a larger percentage of your staff. This, in turn, helps to cultivate future leaders within your organization’s internal ecosystem.  

DEI Is an Effective Recruiting Tool  

A diverse staff naturally expands the talent pool that your business will attract. When candidates see a workforce filled with a variety of diverse professionals, it sends the message that you will treat them with respect, regardless of any differences they may have from the majority.  

DEI also helps on the recruiting side of things. Human resources representatives who are diverse provide a wider range of perspectives and opinions when evaluating candidates in their hiring process. 

Ways to Reinforce DEI Initiatives  

Realizing the potential value of DEI initiatives within your company takes a concerted effort. Here are a few tips that I’ve found that help generate a genuine, healthy DEI culture at your company:  

• Communicate: Everything starts with communication. Let your entire team know about your DEI goals, hopes, and vision. Have broad discussions, practice active listening, and make sure to let everyone in on the conversation.  
• Use surveys: You can measure the effectiveness of DEI initiatives over time by conducting employee surveys. However, you have to take them seriously. Have a structured and organized system in place to analyze, interpret, and act on the data.    
• Meet consistently: If you regularly discuss DEI topics, it raises their visibility and sends the message that diversity is a priority. Make sure to practice intentionality, mindfulness, and focus as you consistently review your progress.  
• Set goals: It is hard to achieve something if you do not know what it is you are trying to do. This goes for DEI as much as anything else. Create tangible SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) to help you stay on the straight and narrow.  
• Invest in the future: Engage in workforce development by reaching out and taking action. Invest in local colleges and other areas where future workers and leaders will emerge. 

There are plenty of ways to focus on DEI. However, the first step is seeing its value and acknowledging that it is needed.  

Focusing on DEI in Your Business  

One of the best ways to implement the recommendations listed above is to create a dedicated task force. This group can oversee your DEI initiatives, including strategizing, implementation, and follow-up. A DEI task force can also create a governing body that can exert constructive pressure on those who resist change. By putting together a group like this, you can rest assured that your DEI initiatives are always moving forward. 

“A DEI task force can also create a governing body that can exert constructive pressure on those who resist change.”  

At Stanton Chase’s Los Angeles office, we understand how important a diverse workforce is. We also know diversity needs to start at the top of every company. As we are a global organization, we are naturally multi-cultural. Every global Stanton Chase meeting is an opportunity to learn about diversity and inclusion from the diverse perspectives, cultures, and experiences on the team. 

If you are looking for ways to improve DEI in the upper echelons of your organization, we can help. Our dedicated team of recruitment specialists has placed C-level executives across many different industries. Get in touch with us to learn more about how DEI recruitment can enhance your organization’s strength, longevity, and diversity.