This month we’re putting the finishing touches on a report that will inform a client organisation’s Inclusion and Diversity Strategy for 2026-28 and have a strong sense this will inform a meaningful strategy that doesn’t get left on the shelf.
Why? Because there’s strong executive support and because there’s been extensive consultation to reach this point.
Hundreds of employees and leaders have participated in focus groups and interviews.
The new strategy will be tightly anchored to business priorities, tailored to field and office roles, and full of practical actions to address lingering barriers and biases in a traditionally male-dominated organisation that’s navigating complex change.
We’ve mapped the organisation’s progress using the Deloitte Diversity and Inclusion Maturity Model and indicated what’s required to progress from a programmatic to leader-led approach with a focus on high-performing diverse thinking teams – where the workforce is cognitively and demographically diverse.
We’ve also captured why a focus on diversity and inclusion matters, in the words of their people. Employees told us this was important. ‘Understanding the why makes leaders feel more invested,’ as one said.
The quotes from employees always bring a report to life, and this one is no different.
Having these opportunities to undertake comprehensive research and design tailored strategies is work we absolutely love at Diversity Partners.
Our latest Insights Paper has several tips on developing an Inclusion and Diversity Strategy. It’s based on what we’ve learned from leading hundreds of strategy engagements over the past decade with some of Australia’s largest and most respected organisations, as well as many smaller businesses and public sector entities.
- Start with a diagnostic to understand the current state of play. This means reviewing workforce data, HR policies, business strategy, and employee feedback, building a full picture of what’s working, where the gaps are, and what’s possible.
- Use the insights from the diagnostic to shape the framework for the strategy. Some strategies are based around the employee lifecycle – from attraction through to employee experience and advancement. Others are based around actions relating to demographic pillars, such as cultural diversity, people with disability, alongside levers such organisation culture, policy and leadership.
- Link the strategy to organisation priorities and future needs. We usually speak with executive leaders about organisation goals and how a focus on attracting and retaining diverse talent and designing inclusive products and services can support those goals, so the strategy is aligned to what’s on the mind of leaders.
- Consult widely – not just at the start. It’s important to seek inputs from people from diverse backgrounds, particularly for those for whom the strategy will directly impact – the philosophy of ‘nothing about us without us’ guides our work.
- Amplify strengths. For effective organisational culture change, organisation behaviour specialists say leaders need to spotlight examples of actions they hope to see more of within the culture. We apply this in our diagnostic research to inform recommendations.
- Keep it pragmatic. A laundry list of actions might look great on paper, but it’s demotivating when progress audits show a lack of action due to limited resourcing or overly ambitious targets.
If you’d like to read our latest Insights Paper on developing an inclusion and diversity strategy, you can download it here.
‘Diversity Partners has delivered a very comprehensive and thoughtful report with succinct recommendations to guide our actions to reduce our gender pay gap and improve diversity and inclusion. We now have a clear direction on where to focus our efforts for maximum impact thanks to their considered research and consultation.’
