Diversity is a Lagging Measure of Inclusion
Have you read Atomic Habits by James Clear? After a few friends recommended the book, I downloaded it on Audible and started listening to it one day while working. It was possibly the most ineffective gym session I’ve ever had; I kept stopping to take notes on my phone and re-listen to parts of the book. A few chapters in, it was clear I needed to just order the paper copy and put my highlighter to use.
The book is worth a read, but the reason I bring it up today is because it inspired this thought:
Diversity is a lagging measure of inclusion.
At Aleria, we often talk about current D&I initiatives and why they aren’t really moving the needle, but while working with our clients, one of the first big shifts we have to make relates to the metrics they track, the goals they are tying to those metrics, and how they define success as it relates to this work.
Most companies are simply tracking representation data. Year to year, they’ll review reports, acknowledge the progress they’ve made toward their goals and adjust their D&I strategy for the year ahead. But these signs of progress — 1% change here, 2% change there — are a lagging measure of impact. It’s a delayed signal of progress.
In Atomic Habits James Clear says, “Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits.” He continues with examples:
Your net worth is a lagging measure of your financial habits.
Your knowledge is a lagging measure of your learning habits.
Your clutter is a lagging measure of your cleaning habits.
Just the same, your diversity metrics are a lagging measure of your inclusion habits.
Diversity metrics change slowly. The numbers can only change as employees leave or join the team. But while you’re working to recruit a diverse workforce, so much can be done to improve the sense of inclusion within your organization and, as a result, improving employee satisfaction and retention.
Inclusion doesn’t require a year or two to see progress. You can measure progress more frequently, gauge progress as you go and adjust your focus throughout the year as needed.
Even more, you can begin to make your culture more inclusive, changing the day-to-day experiences of your employees, on any budget.
We first shared this thought at the Elevate Conference hosted by the McCombs School of Business in February. (remember when we could go to conferences?) And their team kindly made the recording of our presentation available to share.
If you’d like to watch the presentation, and learn more about how we measure inclusion, check out the video below:
