Harvard Business Review; May 12, 2020

https://hbr.org/2020/05/diversity-and-inclusion-efforts-that-really-work

A Stanford and Harvard professor convened a symposium on what actually works to improve diversity and inclusion in organizational life. In this article, David Pedulla summarizes the main findings. They are:

• Organizations should set goals, collect data, and hold people accountable for improving diversity within the organization.
• Organizations should abandon traditional discrimination and harassment reporting systems — these often lead to retaliation. Employee Assistance Plans (EAPs), ombuds offices, and transformative dispute resolution systems can play a critical role in not only reducing retaliation but also provide fuel for organizational change.
• Organizations should check to ensure that technologies used to assist in hiring and promotion aren’t inherently biased. Fourth, companies must avoid tokenism.
• Organizations should get managers and other leaders involved in diversity programs from the start. This will increase buy-in and lead to smooth implementation.