Most diversity and inclusion strategies have a common purpose: to attract and retain diverse talent, and to build workplace environments where people feel included. What counts are the goals, actions, measures, and leadership commitment. No one wants a strategy to be a hollow statement of words.

Here’s eight key tips we’ve learned about the process for developing an organisation diversity and inclusion strategy, based on our work with hundreds of clients and academic research.

1. Start with a diagnostic

The first step is 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. Through this diagnostic, we look to identify who’s feeling safe to speak up (and who is not), who is marginalised or under-represented, and how processes and practices can be improved to support a diverse and inclusive work environment.

2. Frame the strategy based on your diagnostic results and organisation goals

Wondering how to frame the strategy? We’re usually guided by the diagnostic results and broader goals when we discuss the framework. For example, we structured a university’s five-year diversity and inclusion plan to align with their strategic goals around education, employability, and external partnerships.

3. Link the strategy to organisation priorities and future needs

Diversity and inclusion efforts linked to broader organisation priorities build broad support. A large healthcare organisation we supported brought leaders together to explore the links with diversity and their values around compassion and care, and connection with diverse patients as the organisation grows. This process created strong engagement among the people who ultimately own the strategy.

4. Consult widely – not just at the start

Involving employees and business leaders in the strategy development process gives them the opportunity to shape its direction. It’s critical 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. That engagement is important at the early diagnostic phase, but it doesn’t need to end there.

For example, a technology organisation asked us to consult with each business unit leadership team and their diversity working group at the start of the strategy process. A few months later we were back with them to share recommendations and gain commitments to action. This also gave us an opportunity to provide learning about inclusive behaviours and coach the leaders in techniques to mitigate bias in hiring and promotion.

5. Keep evolving the strategy

As business needs change, it makes sense to continually refine the strategy. We seldom treat it as a static document. Changes like mergers or acquisitions can reshape people plans, resourcing and capability needs.

6. 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. In a rail organisation, for example, we highlighted the high satisfaction with flexible work and increasing utilisation of parental leave by men as a strength to mobilise support for broader diversity initiatives.

7. Embed an external lens

Embedding an external lens in strategy development extends the focus from the workforce to consider customer diversity and community partnerships. Without this lens, products and services may fail to connect with key segments and missteps in marketing campaigns can lead to backlash.

One of our longer-term clients is a global toy firm and we’ve had the opportunity to talk with people engaged in toy design to promote equity and inclusion. Another is a Cemeteries Trust where the external lens of sensitively designing cemetery spaces and facilities to support people from diverse communities is pivotal to the organisation’s diversity and inclusion strategy.

With large retail clients, we’ve considered in the strategy engagement how stores (physical and online) can better reflect the diversity of customers who currently – or, in the future – shop with them.

8. Keep it pragmatic – don’t over-commit

We fell into the trap of listing too many actions when we first started designing strategies. Our intention was well-meaning: we wanted organisations to do as much as possible to progress diversity and inclusion.

But we’ve learned to be 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. That’s why we generally design carefully targeted initiatives to be implemented over the course of a three-year strategy.

We understand every organisation is at a different stage in its diversity and inclusion journey. Whether you’re just getting started, or ready to deepen your impact, Diversity Partners can help you design a strategy that’s tailored to your business.

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