Diversity Equity and Inclusion in times of crisis - how to get started and preserve what has been done already.
INTERVIEW WITH SARAH CORDIVANO - HEAD OF DEI STRATEGY & GOVERNANCE FOR TALENT AND LEADERSHIP AT ZALANDO
The discourse around Diversity & Inclusion has been flipped, thrown, abused, reused and transformed in the last 20 years with such a relentlessness that it is definitely a challenge to keep up with it. But even more challenging it is to maintain the discourse relevant in the boardroom through such uncertain times.
To explore this endeavour together with an expert with both extensive knowledge and year-long experience fighting in the DEI arena,
I have invited Sarah- Head of D&I Strategy & Governance for Talent and Leadership at Zalando, writer of the recently-published book Diversity, Equity and Inclusion : How to Succeed at an Impossible Job.
“How have you ended up in the field of DEI?”
“My original background was in data analytics and project management. So for the first 10 years or so of my career I worked in that space, working with organisations that were doing interesting things with geographic data and maps. In 2016, I moved to Berlin and started working for a tech company. Through that I got involved with employee resource groups. That allowed me to transition into the first full-time DEI role within the company. This gave me a lot of first-hand experience in setting up a DEI strategy and figuring out how to have influence and control over decisions that impact DEI in the workplace. This was a great opportunity to grow and build my skills in the just-emerging DEI space in Europe.”
”What are the first steps to take to set up DEI efforts in a business organisation?”
“Step 1: The first thing I would do is to identify a champion on the management/executive team who has a lot of influence and is willing to remove roadblocks for your work and get you the resources you need for DEI.
Step 2: The next step I would take is to set a DEI strategy. This is a collaborative effort with your champion and stakeholders that are directly impacted by the commitments of the strategy. (By the way, check out my book for a very detailed process of how to set a strategy).
Step 3: The next step would be to get a commitment and a sign-off for the strategy from the decision-makers. This would include a sign-off on the budget that will be required to bring the strategy to life.
Step 4: Lastly I would put in a plan to track the success of the strategy by tying metrics directly to initiatives in the strategy or surveying employees internally to understand what a sense of inclusion and belonging is like across different identities of employees. This gives you a way to see whether the feeling of inclusion of employees is actually increasing over time and ultimately whether the initiatives of your strategy actually have an impact on the employees which you want your work to have an impact on.”
”If you could give one tip to young HR specialists stepping into their first DEI role or taking over responsibility for DEI, what would that tip be?”
“The first thing is to be quite realistic in why you're getting into this work and what you're trying to achieve. The main piece of work is likely to set your DEI strategy and then implement initiatives to help you deliver on the strategy. This requires skills in project management, change management and communication to get your stakeholders on board. I would spend my time building those skills as well as best practices for implementing DEI in the workplace to really prepare myself for the role.
In my book, I go into detail about how to create the right frame of mind for a job working in the DEI. An important thing is to understand the full scope of your role, the expectations of the role, what is within and outside of your control. The next important thing is to set boundaries and communicate effectively regarding your role and what your colleagues can expect of you. Lastly, it’s important to make sure you have a support network in place.”
”Do you see organisations move toward DEI for real? Or would you call it some sort of pink washing of some sort?”
“I think it depends on the organisation and what you're trying to achieve. I honestly don't criticise organisations that are just focusing on internal (employee) DEI efforts because ultimately that is where they should start and they need to fix everything inside the house before looking outside. But then the question becomes: do employees actually feel the impact of the work and is the company willing to ask the difficult questions to find this out?
I think the most important thing for authentic and meaningful DEI work within a for-profit company is for there to be some sort of top-down commitment for DEI. And how to do this? Ideally there is some executive compensation tied to the objectives of the DEI strategy. Alternatively, during the strategic or objective setting process, DEI could be intentionally placed within those goals to ensure it’s a priority across the company, top-down. DEI can also be a factor in determining bonuses for senior leaders. I think until one of those things happens, it's difficult to really see accountability from the top.”
”How does the current economic situation impact the work we are doing?”
“We see a lot of companies are already shifting focus or re-evaluate their efforts on DEI. In some ways, they’ve cut back or streamlined their efforts - which may include reducing budgets or reducing DEI staff. I think this was perhaps predictable because it's been about 2 and a half years since the murder of George Floyd and a lot of companies are looking at the commitments they've made back in 2020 and deciding whether there is actually still the internal / external pressure to follow through on them. My personal hope is that companies still see this work as valuable and they do intend to follow through on the commitment they made 2 years ago. But ultimately I think it's our job as employees and consumers and even investors to monitor and keep an eye out on those commitments and make sure that companies follow through and take them forward beyond into the future.”
”How do we preserve the focus on DEI in challenging economic times?”
“I think having a champion on the executive team who considers DEI a priority even in difficult economic times is the most important thing to do. That person should really have the influence and power to make sure DEI remains a priority in strategic and business objectives moving forward. If you feel like the interest and commitment to DEI at your organisation is fading, then make sure to find the champion you can work with and make sure that person is willing to put DEI at the top of your priority list. And if you can find the person I think maybe it's a good indication that there is no one in your organisation willing to prioritise DEI at the top level.”
”We all know how hard it is to pass such initiatives through the executive/managing board in organisations - do you have any tips on how to engage in that conversation and penetrate?”
“I think this is a tough one because one of the downsides of very senior people, is they sometimes are not open to listening to feedback or advice from people several levels below them (from a hierarchy perspective). That’s unfortunate but also the reality that we are living in. I've seen companies in the past bring in an external guest speaker who really resonates with a senior audience and is convincing to them. Another option is to, again, find your champion on the executive team and really spend your time to upskill and engage that person. Once you do that, you can sort-of deputise that person to be the champion and role model to convince their peers. This includes seeking opportunities to call out inappropriate behaviour or identify ways to embed DEI work within business decisions. Having a person on your side who is willing to be “the squeaky wheel” and be vocal in difficult times is super powerful.”
You can find out more about Sarah Cordivano by visiting her website (www.sarahcordivano.com), by checking out her blog on medium and you can find her book on Amazon.
