Fifty-Two Interviews with Leaders Around the Globe Explore the Journey Toward Sustainable DEI

New research identifies how organizations around the world are creating competitive advantage through fairness, inclusion and belonging.

NEW YORK, Nov. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- New research identifies how organizations around the world are creating competitive advantage through fairness, inclusion and belonging.

The Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC) presents AESC-gathered insights from 52 interviews with executives around the world, selected for their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. An analysis of these interviews is the foundation of AESC's report.

The report is broken into three main sections:

DEI Change Model
The eight-step journey to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible workplace where every individual feels a sense of belonging is adapted from Kotter's Framework for Change:

• Inspire Action
• Build a Guiding DEI Coalition
• Align DEI & Business Strategy
• Spark a Movement
• Identify & Address Barriers
• Celebrate Short-Term Wins
• Sustain Momentum
• Create Lasting Change

The DEI Ecosystem
DEI is experienced in the context of one's environment, relationships with those around them and the structure within which they work. In the report, we share examples of how leaders driving sustainable DEI change and their organizations' work take a holistic approach by aligning internal and external DEI-informed business strategies.

• Workplace: Within the workplace, all leaders and employees can create an inclusive culture that enhances performance and innovation and strengthens retention.
• Marketplace: Organizations must align their internal DEI strategies with their external DEI engagement by weaving it into their customer, vendor and supplier strategies.
• Community: The greater community (broader culture, social norms and regulatory environment) is a key differentiator in the sustainability of a company's DEI success.

DEI Lessons Learned
While analyzing the interviews, we found several overarching lessons:

• The positive impact of representation in the workforce is significant.
• Accountability and compliance are compelling motivators.
• A multifaceted approach is more likely to result in a workforce engaged in DEI and ultimately more equitable and inclusive.
• Strong policies that are accessible and most importantly, enforced, are important indicators of an organization's commitment to DEI.
• Key metrics can help an organization direct its efforts where it will have the most impact.
• Transforming a workplace into one that is diverse, equitable and inclusive is not simple and there are no easy solutions.
• Sustainable DEI permeates an organization and is reinforced in the external environment.

Download the Report Now

To learn more about the report and its findings or to speak with AESC CEO Karen Greenbaum about the findings, contact Martha Clement Rochford, Chief Marketing Officer, AESC, by email at [email protected] or by phone at + 1‥(585)‥789 0057.

Media Contact

Martha Clement Rochford, AESC, + 1‥(585)‥789 0057, [email protected], aesc.org

SOURCE AESC